JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – On Farish Street, it has been a three year struggle for one local business attempting to purchase another building.
The Jackson Redevelopment Authority is moving closer to finding the business a new home in the Farish Street Historic District.
“It’s ridiculous to rent some place for 87 years,” said Maati Jone Primm, owner of Marshall’s Music and Bookstore.
Primm said she has been working with the Jackson Redevelopment Authority to purchase 207 North Farish Street since September 2022.
According to the small business owner, there have been constant hurdles after submitting sales proposals, architectural plans, and the required documents for the $100,000 building. Tens of thousands of dollars have been spent.
“We’ve met with delays after delays,” Primm explained. “We have been forced to sign memorandums of understanding that kept delaying the process. While all of this was going on, we see other people coming in who are not stakeholders of Farish Street.”
If the JRA approves her proposal, Primm must spend more than the cost of the building itself in renovations.
“There’s nothing in it, and so we have to go in and we have to put in the plumbing, the electricity, the walls,” described Primm.
According to the JRA Board Chairman, purchasing and renovations in the historic district are a lengthy process – requiring licensed architects and engineers to meet mandates.
“Because it is historically designated, you can’t just change out the windows. You have to get certain types of windows and that raises the costs,” said Alexander K. Lawson, Jr., JRA Chairman of the Board of Commissioners. “There are certain procurement processes that you have to go through in order to ensure that we are not going to lose other sources of funding from the state or federal government.”
The board will place Primm’s proposal on the November agenda and the body must vote to approve the plans.
Primm said she hopes to close on the property before the year ends.
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