Starkville is likely to pursue grants and other outside funding sources to help improve Highway 182’s infrastructure after many participants of recent redevelopment meetings said the corridor’s lack of bike lanes and suffering aesthetics are the corridor’s main weaknesses.
Mayor Parker Wiseman confirmed Tuesday that many improvement recommendations expected from an ongoing Highway 182 redevelopment charrette could be funded by outside sources, including federal Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) grants.
A TAP grant, which requires a local 20 percent match, was recently awarded to Oktibbeha County for a joint project that will link bike and pedestrian pathways along South Montgomery Street to new trails connecting Mississippi State University to Starkville, via Blackjack Road and Locksley Way.
The redevelopment study, Wiseman said, will allow the city to leverage resources in the future.
“Not only does it make you more prepared in terms of seeking grants, but it tends to make applications better,” he said. “We will always search for any sources of grant funding that will fit the purpose of our projects. TAP grants are always going to be the leading source for federal funds for streetscape improvements since there’s just so much more funding put into that program than others.
“As always, there’s no free lunch,” Wiseman added in reference to the matching portion of the grant.
Planners with the Alabama- and Tennessee-based firm Farmer Morgan LLC held the second of three public input sessions Tuesday on the Highway 182 redevelopment initiative.
Few details of the working plan were released as planners are still in an information-gathering mode, but Farmer Morgan representatives did display a map suggesting ideas they’re exploring for the corridor: small public greenspaces, a façade improvement district and infill redevelopment areas.
Infrastructure and aesthetic improvements, along with a focus on establishing multimodal transportation options for the corridor, are expected to be key tenants of the Farmer Morgan proposal.
With those recommendations in tow, developing a marketing strategy to turn languishing properties into prime sites for redevelopment will follow.
An economic profile of the area presented Tuesday shows demand for convenience store, goods, dining and drinking, entertainment and other business opportunities growing in the area over the next five years.
To help spur redevelopment, Community Development Director Buddy Sanders previously said Starkville could explore modified zoning requirements that would ease cost-prohibitive mandates blocking first-time business owners from acquiring and improving properties.
Input from attendees of Monday’s planning session revealed numerous concerns about the area. Many residents commended Highway 182’s accessibility but said the area’s lack of bike lanes, uncleanliness, lack of lighting and drainage issues were their least favorite traits of the corridor.
Many attendees also lobbied for a grocery store to service the area, additional housing options and restaurants and outdoor cafes.
Future development, they said, should preserve or improve landscaping, walkability, branding and signage, lighting, parking and the diversity of business options and culture.
Farmer Morgan representatives will staff City Hall all day today and hold an open-door meeting with any resident looking to add input to the redevelopment planning process.
A closing presentation to review key tenants of the plan is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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