The former Woody’s on the Water property is poised for a comeback.
During a Wednesday work session, the city council approved a $100,000 sale of the property, which was donated to the city in 2020, to DJ Mantooth, owner of Daknas Holdings LLC.
Mantooth plans to transform the long-vacant marina property into a high-end steak and seafood restaurant overlooking the water.
“This is not just going to be a restaurant,” Mantooth told The Dispatch on Wednesday. “It’s going to be an experience. It’s going to be a place where people can come with their families and enjoy something. … What we’re going to do, it’s not around here, especially in Columbus. We don’t have this type of space.”
Built in 2001, the waterfront building at 233 Marina Drive has housed a number of restaurants, most recently Woody’s on the Water, which closed in 2009.
Mantooth, who moved to Columbus with his family five years ago from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, said he first learned about the property from a local friend.
“He was telling me how it was such a great place to go 25 years ago, or whatever,” he said. “So I looked into it. I went and drove out there and looked at the property, and I just immediately saw a vision for what that could be.”
Mantooth said the steak and seafood restaurant will feature a high-end dining experience in hopes of filling a void he sees in the Columbus market.
Outside of food, Mantooth also plans for the restaurant to host monthly “signature events,” like a Valentine’s Day gala or a movie night on the water, he gave as examples.
“We’re hoping to eventually really open up some docking over there, so people can come in with their boats and that kind of thing,” he said. “The idea is to make the marina and our waterways … a little more inviting and touristy.”
His hope is to draw crowds from surrounding communities.
“What I want to see is people coming and having a reason to drive from Starkville and Tuscaloosa to come and actually eat in Columbus,” he said. “I want to … draw them here, and I think it will because there’s not a ton of places … in Starkville that are going to be like what we have.”
Back on the tax rolls
A primary goal of the project, Mantooth said, is getting the vacant property back on the tax rolls.
“We could bring alive something that’s been dormant for 20 years and actually bring some tourist revenues … some sales tax back into play,” he said.
The city in 2022 had anticipated selling the property, which sits on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land that is leased to Lowndes County Port Authority. With that, any use of the property requires approval from both entities. Frustrated with the red tape, the prospective buyer in 2022 pulled out of the deal.
Mantooth and City Attorney Jeff Turnage agreed the process has moved more smoothly this time, with the sale expected to close within 90 days.
“I’ve had and Mr. Mantooth has had productive meetings with the port … who has had separate productive meetings with the Corps, and everything is looking good there,” Turnage said. “There’s a lease in place. We will assign to the buyer the city’s leasehold interest, and then they will probably do a new lease once he gets ownership.”
In the sale contract, Turnage said Mantooth committed to invest roughly $1.3 million worth of improvements to the building. Those improvements will mostly be cosmetic, Mantooth said.
“We won’t be the direct recipient of that, but we’ll be the indirect recipient when the assessor starts assessing the improvement,” Turnage said.
Mayor Stephen Jones said he’s happy to see the property moving toward redevelopment after years of vacancy.
“The biggest thing is, we’ll get it back on the tax roll, and it will also generate sales tax,” Jones told The Dispatch after Wednesday’s meeting. “So one more thing that we can add to good things happening in Columbus.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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