Downtown and West Jackson will now merge because of a minority investment and development group.
The Lead Group, LLC, invited the public and city officials to witness the groundbreaking ceremony for its new business venture, the Downtown Sleep Inn and Suites.
“I think this is a very important development for downtown, because for all these years, the train tracks separated downtown Jackson from west Jackson,” said Lead Group member Robert Gibbs. “So this is one of the first major developments on the west side of the train tracks. We believe that this will not only be good for downtown, but for Jackson as a whole.”
Gibbs said that the three-story, 68-room hotel will be the first of many major developments in which his group will invest.
“We looked at a number of projects and our main goal was to do something positive in the Jackson community,” said Gibbs. “With the Convention Center coming on line, we saw the need for a hotel for downtown and we saw the need to make one affordable. There will be a lot of hotels coming on line, but this one would be affordable for everyone.”
The LEAD Group managing member J.R. Jones said that this is a project that has been in the making for about a year and half.
“Several years ago we went to the NABHOOD (National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators, and Developers) Conference, and realized the hospitality industry was the growing industry,” said Jones. “Choice Hotels has a great program for developing new owners and that’s how we ended up in the hotel business.”
Mayor-Elect Harvey Johnson was one of many elected officials on hand to show his excitement and support of the project. He expressed the importance of the project and what it would do for the city of Jackson.
“This is a very important project for the city for a number of reasons. Obviously, it brings more beds to our room situation here in Jackson, but the location is extremely important as well,” said Johnson. “For the first time in a long time significant development is happening in downtown, extending downtown across Gallatin Street towards Jackson State.”
“This project will serve as a catalyst for merging west Jackson with downtown as well as create jobs and expanding our downtown boundaries,” said Johnson.
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