The Jackson City Council has approved a purchasing request to acquire the old Dillard’s department store at Metrocenter mall in west Jackson. In a 6-1 vote, the plan calls for the city to spend $39,500 to purchase the 172,000-square-foot property plus nine acres of parking.
Mayor Harvey Johnson said the purchase would allow the city to attract developers to the property by offering incentive packages that could include tax breaks and infrastructure improvements. A potential investment that could kick off Johnson’s hopes of revitalizing west Jackson.
The opposition of the purchase came from Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Weill who voted against the plan.
One of four original anchor stores, Dillard’s closed in 2004 followed by Belk who closed its doors earlier this summer. Gayfers was the first department store to close in 1999. Thus leaving Sears as the only major department store currently in the Metrocenter Mall.
Johnson announced his plan in a meeting on Monday and it went up for vote during Tuesday’s council meeting.
Ward 5 Councilman Charles Tillman said this was a great opportunity and pledged his support for the purchase that happens to be in his ward.
The property is said to have been appraised at $1.25 million. A great deal according to Tillman.
“You can’t beat thirty-nine thousand for the whole building,” said Tillman. “You can’t pass that up.”
The property is being charged more than $64,000 in taxes, $50,000 of which is going to the city and to Jackson Public Schools. However, according to Hinds County property tax records nearly $112,000 is owed by the former owners.
Johnson plans to contract the development of the space out to a private developer. Earlier this year, the city was awarded a $450,000 contract to the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District to spend most of 2010 studying the area and coming up with a plan to revive it.
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