STARKVILLE — For more than 30 years, Larry “Luv” Johnson’s barber shop has been on Highway 182. But over the last few months, the city’s revitalization project on a one-mile stretch of the highway has made it harder for his clientele to reach him, and now, it has removed his access to the highway entirely in a way that he claims is unfair.
On Tuesday evening, Johnson’s frustration with the city came to a head, as he told the board of aldermen about how his business’ driveway connected to the highway has been permanently closed while a nearby residence at the same intersection just had its driveway reopened.
“Is this city really as business friendly as it claims to be?” he asked the board. “Because my driveway is closed. And they’re shooting all this smoke, so I’m coming to the fire. How (does) that driveway get open, and mine has to stay closed? It’s the same intersection.”
The Touch of Luv Barber and Beauty Salon formerly had two entrances, one connecting it to Highway 182 and the other connected to Earnest H. Jones Drive. The former has been closed and replaced with a sidewalk and grass, while the other remains open.
Mayor Lynn Spruill told The Dispatch on Thursday the closure of the nearby home’s driveway was a mistake by a contractor. The contractor then went back and reopened the driveway on his own dime, she said.
Spruill said the city’s construction plans never included closing the standalone home’s driveway with a curb, since those plans were created based on the city’s access management plan – a plan that helps to manage traffic entering and exiting major roads.
While the access management plan includes businesses, subdivisions and major intersections, Spruill said that plan does not apply to standalone residences. Those residences typically only have one or two cars entering them day-to-day, she said, while businesses, neighborhoods and intersections see more traffic. The plan was created in consultation with the Mississippi Department of Transportation, which owned the milelong stretch of Highway 182 until 2023.
While those plans showed the residence’s driveway open and Touch of Luv’s Highway 182 access closed for safety, Spruill said, an outdated conceptual rendering on the city’s website does not.
Referring to the conceptual image, Johnson asked the board of aldermen why the city would deviate from its plan for a home while it would not deviate from its plan for his business, implying the city was showing preferential treatment.
“All I want to do is be treated the same way as everyone else,” Johnson told The Dispatch on Thursday. “A driveway is a driveway. No matter if it’s a home or a business. We’re at the same intersection. How can a driveway be safe in a home and dangerous for a business at the same intersection?”
Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins, who represents Ward 6, requested the city investigate whether any preferential treatment had been given, emphasizing the importance of consistency. Ward 5 Alderman Hamp Beatty agreed, saying the city needs to be conscious of its business owners in that area while the project is ongoing.
Honest mistake or ‘cop-out’?
After talking with city engineers and investigating the situation, Spruill told The Dispatch on Thursday that she plans to contact the board of aldermen with what she now knew and to reach out to Johnson to keep him informed as well.
She also said she intends to remove the outdated conceptual image from the city’s website.
“I take full responsibility for leaving that up, and in this case obviously misleading Mr. Johnson to understand that it was more than a concept plan,” Spruill said. “But that’s all it ever was. It’s been up since probably 2019, and the construction drawings didn’t exist at that time.”
Johnson called the mayor’s explanation for the issue a “cop out,” since he didn’t believe such a large mistake – including a completed curb and planted grass – could truly be a mistake.
Johnson previously came before the board on April 1 about a verbal disagreement with a Starkville Police Department officer and issues with traffic blocking his driveway on Highway 182, which he said was impacting his business.
When he came before the board on Tuesday, he said he felt like he was back in the COVID-19 pandemic, and his business had been deemed “non-essential,” as the construction has impacted his business financially.
Spruill said she believes conversations around fairness to business and property owners are important for the city to continue having throughout the construction process. She also said that the project is not intended to harm anyone, and that she hopes Johnson’s business will eventually feel positive effects from the project down the line, as she believes the project will attract new customers and businesses to the area in the long run.
“I certainly regret that Mr. Johnson feels as though his business is imperiled in any way, because that is certainly not the intent,” Spruill said. “The intent is to make this corridor so much more desirable as a location for people to be and for people to come and explore that part of our city and our downtown area that I believe has been neglected.”
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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 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
