(October 9, 2013) Jackson, Tenn.- The concept for the Hays-Whitehall redevelopment plan was approved at the Community Redevelopment Agency on Wednesday.
The overall mission is to connect East Jackson “with the energy being created by the efforts and successes” that are being felt in downtown Jackson with the LIFT Wellness Center.
The plan notes that the revitalization will begin at the intersection of Whitehall, Lexington, and Hays Avenues. They plan to purchase the property or offer land swaps of property up to F.E. Wright Drive.
One of these land swaps will be with Dr. Wright. They will relocate him to another area on Whitehall in a new building. In the same area, they will place an standalone clinic with an internal medicine physician. In addition to Dr. Wright’s property, they will acquire the office building from Regional Hospital.
In the place of the two medical offices, they hope to build a “state of the art park,” complete with lit tennis courts, a lit basketball court,and a “fully functional skating board park.” They will work with the car-wash owner on the corner of Lexington and Hays Avenues.
The plan for property acquisition is to gain control of all vacant lots and all housing that is owned by the city and to purchase and remove all substandard housing and buildings in the corridor. In their place, they hope to build high quality single family homes.
The concept also included quality of life proposals. Those ideas include building a walking trail, expanding the current bicycle trail and connecting it to the LIFT center, commission a 5K run, commission a bicycle race, bringing in professional skateboarders to hold seminars and classes, and inviting Union University and Lane College basketball teams to hold free clinics.
Work on the plan and concept will begin immediately with results of the plan expected to be seen in 2014.
