The first phase of the Parkview development in the former Burns Bottom neighborhood, which will include 28 lots for single-family homes, is projected to begin construction in 2026.
Friendly City Development leaders, Nic Parish of the Burns Group and Saunders Ramsey of Live Adelaide LLC, spoke with Columbus community members Tuesday night about the group’s plans at the development’s launch event at Rosenzweig Arts Center.
“We will not use the word subdivision. This is not a subdivision,” Ramsey said at the Tuesday night event. “… This is a neighborhood (and) we want to enhance what you’ve already done in Columbus.”
The Parkview redevelopment project is the culmination of a decade-long effort by the CRA, which purchased the lots in the Burns Bottom Renewal District – between Third and Fourth Street and Second and Seventh Avenue North – to prepare the site for development.
The Friendly City developers, after entering into an $800,000 agreement in August with the CRA, are still waiting for the redevelopment authority to complete initial infrastructure work at the site before the title can be transferred and home construction can begin.
“It’s very exciting,” CRA board president Marthalie Porter told The Dispatch. “And also the fact that … they didn’t want just a portion of it, but they wanted to take all of it so that that’s excellent and that’s more or less what we were all really hoping for.”
In the meantime, the developers are seeking buyers for the first batch of lots, which range in price from $48,000 to $80,000, and Parish said they had already gotten four buyers by Tuesday night.
“We’ve had an overwhelming response, and I think that’s going to continue, because people do see … downtown’s a great place to live,” Parish said.
More than 80 Columbus residents attended the launch event.
Residents asked questions about the timeline of the first phase, the designs of homes built in the neighborhood and what else may be added in the future.
Ramsey responded to the crowd saying that a lot of the future of the development will be based on what the community wants to see.
“Our intention is to come in here, give you the quality homes you want in a timely fashion,” Ramsey said to the crowd Tuesday. “And start to benefit the city itself.”
The plan
The plan for the Friendly City developers is to sell these initial 28 single-family lots and work with homeowners and builders to ensure these homes resemble the architecture of other nearby neighborhoods in Columbus, Ramsey said during the event.
“What we’re trying to do in Columbus (has) … already been done,” Ramsey said at the event. “… Southside … is a perfect example of beautiful homes, beautiful architecture, great street layout, and that’s something that we would like to do here. This is not something new, it’s honestly taking what you’ve done as a community in the past and doing it again.”
The developers presented a slide show with photos and renderings of various styles of homes possible for Parkview, including creole, acadian and French colonial-inspired architectural renderings. They also talked about the extensive thought given to the design of not just the homes but the way they relate to pedestrian spaces such as sidewalks and greenspaces. A “look book” for neighborhood and home design is available on Parkview’s website.
The area could see homes completed in 2027 but it all will depend on the lot owner’s timeline, Ramsey told The Dispatch before the event.
“It’s all about the market … we’re going to sell lots to individuals,” Ramsey said. “So if those individuals are eager and they’re ready to go, then we will move as fast as they’re telling us.”
Once the group gets closer to selling a majority of these first lots then the plan is to start enacting additional phases and opening up about 24 other lots in the area for more houses with the possibility of mixed-use and commercial spaces like stores and office spaces, Parish told The Dispatch.
“They could be stores and shops, or they could be a shop with offices above it,” Parish said. “… You could do that the way that this development is set up. It allows for that flexibility, and that also allows us to start blending that living quarters and single family and town homes into the commercial aspect.”
Kevin Stafford, North Mississippi manager for the Neel-Schaffer engineering firm, told The Dispatch the initial infrastructure work needed at the site includes new water and sewer lines, electrical routing and road and sidewalk construction which should all be covered by the $5.2 million the CRA has in state and federal funding.
Porch culture
Another change to the area will be the closing of four short roadways that run between Third and Fourth Street North, which will be converted to small park areas with sidewalks that houses will face, Parish said.
“One of the great things about those pocket parks, and turning those streets that we don’t need back into parks is a lot of those people’s houses will face each other, and so we like to say it’s the return of the front porch culture,” Parish said.
The infrastructure work is projected to likely start in January after bids are received and a contractor is selected and should be completed by the end of 2026, Stafford said. The work will cover the entire 70-plus lot space the developers will work within and allow for adjustments as additional buildings are planned and constructed in the area.
“It could change. … What’s showing up right now is residential lots. In a future phase that comes back and ends up being all commercial or an apartment complex, or, there’s a lot of town homes or something different,” Stafford said. “So that’s totally up to them, and they kind of have that ability to change things. So I will be listening to them, and we will be talking almost daily.”
The hope now as the Friendly City developers prepare for the first phase is that as word spreads and the lots sell that the area can become something special for Columbus, Parish said.
“I would love to see these lots sell out over the next six months,” Parish said. “… That tells me that people have faith in this project, and that will allow us to turn around and tell Columbus’ stories for other investors and developers that want to build in Columbus. … This is win number one. Let’s build a winning season, and let’s take this and build this as momentum for our city.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 42 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
