When City Planner Christina Berry presented her ideas for the year to Mayor Robert Smith and members of the city council in January, one of her goals was to revitalize blighted neighborhoods. Berry took her vision one step further during a special called meeting Tuesday afternoon at Trotter Convention Center.
Berry is proposing the creation of a redevelopment authority to guide revitalization efforts. Bond attorney Zach Taylor, of Jackson law firm Jones Walker, represents the Redevelopment Authority of Jackson and has agreed to share information on the steps Columbus would need to take to create such a group.
Taylor toured the city earlier in the day with Berry.
“We had a good look at the area,” Taylor said. “We were very impressed with what we saw. One of the major things we were impressed with was the reuse of vacated or empty buildings as government offices.”
Another area with which Taylor said he was impressed was some of the neighborhoods that have been labeled as blighted.
“We saw some areas with a lot of potential,” he said. “One of the things that really stood out is your public housing. Your public housing is well-manufactured, attractive and it is a huge neutralizing force.”
According to Taylor, local neighborhoods occupied by the elderly need to be improved.
“Those folks own their homes, and when those folks die, you have to be prepared to do something with the properties to keep them from being misused,” he said. “That was the biggest risk I saw.”
Taylor also discussed the formation of an urban renewal agency, saying such an entity would be instrumental in finding and procuring project financing.
“Another thing a redevelopment authority does is it gives a focus on an area,” Taylor said. “What you decide is, this is the area we are going to concentrate on — you don’t want to pick too big of an area.”
Taylor said Columbus has the second highest number of registered historic homes in the state, something he thinks could be beneficial to a redevelopment authority or urban renewal agency.
“Commercial projects are generally where you get the most historic credit,” Taylor said. “This is a valuable tool and a way to cut costs. You have an abundance of these tools.”
Ward 3 Councilman Charlie Box questioned Taylor on the logistics of creating a redevelopment authority.
“A redevelopment authority is never going to generate income, so you wouldn’t need a lot of money to start one,” Taylor said. “You can minimize your startup costs.”
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