The city of Ridgeland already knows how it will use some of the profits after a buyer is found for the former city hall at U.S. Highway 51 and Lake Harbour Drive.
Some of the revenue from the sale of the property, which is on the market, and excess real estate at the City Center will provide matching funds for a grant that will push the city’s plans for its downtown.
City leaders have dreamed for decades about transforming West Jackson Street, which extends between U.S. Highway 51 and I-55, into a central, walkable downtown named the Railroad District.
The name recalls the significance the railroad played in the founding of Ridgeland in the 1890s. The district was officially named in November 2019 when a historical marker and plaque were placed at the Plaza at Old Town Crossing, which is next to the railroad.
In January 2023, city leaders approved the master plan for the Railroad District/ West Jackson Street. The city hired Kimley Horn, a Memphis-based landscape architecture firm, for $85,000 to develop the plan.
Plans are to use $487,200 from the property sale as the city’s 25 percent match that is required for the $1.9 million Safe Streets for All grant the city received.
The grant will pay for the temporary installation of safety improvements such as pavement striping and artwork, delineators, high-visibility crosswalks and a temporary traffic signal and cameras on West Jackson Street between Sunnybrook Road and Highway 51.
“The intent of the grant is to effectively demonstrate that the improvements make the area safer for pedestrian use as well as increase pedestrian use,” said Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee.
The city will study the effectiveness of the temporary improvements to determine if they should become permanent, he said.
McGee said the city has applied for an implementation grant for a $19.5 million project that would adjust based on the findings of the demonstration project that would install more permanent safety solutions.
“The goal is to improve safety and make the Railroad District more walkable,” he said. “This is another step in realizing improvements to make the Railroad District a destination for successful commerce and enjoyable living.”
McGee said the city’s consulting engineer will begin the environmental phase of the project immediately.
“The final design is scheduled to be complete by the summer of 2026,” he said. “Construction is most likely going to occur in the last quarter of 2026.”
The city will put the project out for bid, he said. The city’s consulting engineer will collect pre- and post-improvement data to evaluate the efficacy of the improvements, he said.
Implementing the Railroad District Master Plan is expected to cost $17 million and would pay off by improving the pedestrian experience, enhancing the district’s identity as Ridgeland’s official downtown, providing traffic calming measures, creating flexible spaces, optimizing parking in the area and increasing economic development opportunities, McGee said.
“The improvements will create a new experience for those working and visiting the area,” he said. “We envision more retail and restaurants will want to be a part of this historically significant part of Ridgeland.”
Kristin Lape, executive director of the Lily Pad Café at 111 N. Wheatley St. that is in the Railroad District boundaries, said she has seen the plans for the district and “they’re great.”
She totally believes in the plan to transform Jackson Street from a bustling corridor to a downtown that is welcoming, family friendly and promotes a sense of community.
That’s in keeping, she said, with the Lily Pad Café, a restaurant that offers a training and internship program for adults 18 and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with the goal of the program being a steppingstone in their careers.
The master plan for the Railroad District focuses on improvements within the right-of-way and city-owned property that would create a cohesive, contemporary-traditional aesthetic that will strengthen the identity of the downtown area.
The master plan includes eight projects, ranging from $352,440 to add a traffic signal tat te intersection of West Jackson and Perkins streets to about $5.87 million to create a “flush, curb-less streetscape with brick pavers” and other improvements to the streets and sidewalks in the core area of the district. A 900-square-foot pavilion for activities in the downtown area is also included.
The Jackson Street area was included in the Ridgeland Area Master Plan that was adopted in 2008 and has been a focus since Colony Park Boulevard was completed and Lake Harbour Drive was extended to Highland Colony Parkway.
Developing West Jackson Street as a pedestrian-friendly downtown has been a vision of city leaders for the last 20 years.
“It has been a long-term goal of mine, and it is really going to set the city apart with this very special place,” McGee said.
Leah Kemp, director of the Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center at Mississippi State University, said the city of Ridgeland is following a course of action she’s seeing across the state: Many cities and towns are embracing ideas to make them more friendly to pedestrians and bicyclists as well as restaurants and retail.
The city of Madison turned to the MSU School of Architecture in 2024 for ideas about how to develop what it’s calling the town square, a 17-acre parcel at U.S. Highway 51 and Main Street that it owns.
Attractive landscaping, a walker-friendly design and restaurants and retail were among suggestions for the Madison town square from residents.
American Rescue Plan Act dollars have been helpful to some communities to make improvements to make downtowns more inviting, Kemp said, while for others it’s “a matter of funding” that determines when master plans come to life.
