New apartment complexes and homes are scheduled for the next phase of development of Jackson Walk. Grace Media Group – NEWS/TALK 101.5 FM, 93.1 FM & WNWS.COM visited with Chris Alexander, Vice President of Development at Healthy Community, LLC for a Question and Answer session to discuss what Phase III offers next.
Question: Would you tell us about Phase III at Jackson Walk – the location, and the plans for the area?
Answer: Jackson Walk originally was built around the concept of creating a healthy, walkable community that connects Downtown and the historic Lambuth (LANA) neighborhood. The third phase of Jackson Walk will continue our Smart Growth plan to expand our revitalization efforts further into the Lambuth neighborhood.
The two locations will be on Talbot Street, just north of our High Point Apartments and on Johnson Street, just West of the original Jackson Walk Apartments. The look and feel of the 132 new apartments will be similar to the first two phases.
Question: How many of 90 apartments set to be constructed on Talbot Street, and 42 on Johnson Street will be one, two, and three-bedroom apartments?
(PHOTO: Chris Alexander stands in front of a future development of 90 apartments and nine houses will be constructed on McCowat Street)
Answer: The plans are for a mix of 93 one bedroom units and 39 two bedroom units between the two locations.
Question: How was it decided that nine new homes would be included on McCowat Street?
Answer: We had enough land fronting McCowat Street that would allow for nine new homes with minimum lot widths of 45 feet.
(PHOTO: Chris Alexander stands in front of the site of a future development where a West Jackson Baptist Church activities center once stood on McCowat Street)
The lot width size range from 45 feet to 57 feet. Similar to the Jackson Walk lots on West Orleans, Union, and McCowat.
Question: Your thoughts on the success Healthy Community LLC has – and continues – to enjoy in the midtown area?
Answer: I could not be prouder about what the Jackson Walk community has become and its positive impact on downtown and midtown Jackson. I was confident in the project’s potential as Henry Turley – founder, the Henry Turley Company – and Hal Crocker – Crocker Construction Company – have a history of successful projects they’ve developed over the years.
(PHOTO: Alex Turley, CEO, Henry Turley Company, Hal Crocker and Chris Alexander, right, discuss a future Jackson Walk Phase III development on Johnson Street)
Henry’s new urbanism development approach with his development of Harbor Town and South Bluffs on the riverfront in Memphis in the early 90’s was a big risk at the time. Now it is a blueprint for how older city centers can be redeveloped. I knew that Jackson could be as successful, given the right vision and planning.
Henry and Hal recruited a diverse team of planners and community stakeholders to buy into their vision and help execute what Jackson Walk has become. We are thrilled to see other builders and developers building on the positive momentum that has been growing over the last decade.
We are excited about this Phase III and are already working on the fourth phase of development.
Question: Jackson Walk has 269 apartments in Phase I and Phase II. Can you tell us the number of new houses that have been constructed in the area Jackson Walk encompasses?
Answer: There have been over 100 new homes constructed in the Jackson Walk area since 2013. I would estimate over 250 older homes in the LANA neighborhood have been renovated since 2013.
This third phase will bring the total number of apartments at Jackson Walk to 401 units.
Question: Construction continues in Madison County at Georgia Pacific and 6K Energy, and BlueOval City in Haywood County. Is Jackson Walk seeing an increase of residents from out of town?
Answer: We are just now starting to see new residents and homebuyers entering the market from the hiring going on with these new industries and expansion of current companies. We expect a big increase in demand over the next 12 months as these new plants become operational.
This growth is why we are starting this third phase of development. We want to keep up with the high demand we’ve been experiencing over the last several years.
Jackson is a wonderful place to live and raise a family, and we want to be able to offer these employees a variety of housing and healthy lifestyle options to fit their needs.
(PHOTO: With a section of Jackson Walk Phase II in the background, Alex Turley, left, Hal Crocker, and Chris Alexander prepare for Jackson Walk Phase III)
