It would be premature to say the Columbus Redevelopment Authority has found a developer for the Burns Bottom property, but a proposal from a pair of local businessmen sure seems to check an awful lot of boxes on both sides.

During a month-long requests for proposals (RFP) period, the CRA listed some of the qualities it was looking for in a developer. Among them, a financial capacity to complete the project, quality of proposed housing, provision of ample and quality public spaces and incorporation of sustainability measures.

Friendly City Development Partners (FCDP), a collaboration between Nic Parish of the Burns Group and Saunders Ramsey of Live Adelaide LLC, submitted a proposal to the CRA, according to a joint press release issued Friday afternoon. It was the only proposal submitted, which means if the CRA and FCDP can’t hammer out an agreement, it’s back to the drawing board.

With that caveat, there is reason for optimism over the potential for this agreement.

For starters, Parish and Ramsey are known commodities with excellent reputations. Their partnership is the marriage of two areas of expertise.

For 47 years now, Burns Dirt Construction has specialized in site preparation for a wide range of commercial and residential projects, especially in Starkville and at Mississippi State University, where Burns has quite literally, laid the groundwork for public spaces, residency halls, road and street construction – all elements where an expert touch would be a great asset for Burns Bottom, which has more than $5 million in federal dollars set aside for infrastructure.

Likewise, the CRA’s preference for a mixed-use development is right in Ramsey’s wheelhouse, most recently evidenced by his Adelaide community development in Starkville. The theory behind Adelaide harkens to a different era, when neighborhoods were self-contained with local business providing the every-day goods and services people need in close proximity to their homes. The concept began with developments in big-city suburbs and has continued to evolve, appealing to home-owners in less populated areas as well as cities. The architecture of Adelaide places an emphasis on home building that accentuates porches and verandas, encouraging neighbors to get to know each other, again recreating the friendly ambience of an earlier, simpler era.

While Burns Bottom is, in some ways, considered an extension of the Riverwalk/Soccer complex to the west, the idea of adding amenities such as shops, perhaps even a local grocery/market has been on the wish list for the dozens of downtown loft apartment dwellers. In this sense, the addition of these in Burns Bottom aligns it more closely to its downtown neighbors to the east. The synergy between the two should be natural.

In all these areas, Ramsey and Parish know the community and the market in a way outside developers could not be expected to immediately grasp. In short, Ramsey knows development and engineering – he used to work at Neel-Schaffer – and Parish knows construction. It’s a formidable combination.

As both sides proceed with the negotiations, it’s impossible to know for certain the outcome of these talks. Not being privy to those discussions, we cannot say if the terms will work. But we very much like the idea of the CRA working with these two established and successful businessmen.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.

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