Chris Pike may have taken over as the new executive director of the Jackson Redevelopment Authority with little public fanfare, but the Georgia native has big, if only simple, plans for the Jackson area.
In one of his first public moves since taking over in February, Pike was instrumental in working with 2 Degrees Mississippi and the US Forestry Service to secure $1.5 million in funds earmarked for green spaces on Farish Street in Jackson that are labeled as heat. Islands.
Farish Street was actually one of the things that intrigued Pike the most when the Jackson Redevelopment Authority recruited him to leave South Fulton, Georgia to come to Jackson.
“I had read about all the things going on in Jackson with the water and the trash and everything,” Pike said. “But I also read about Farish Street and all the failed attempts to redevelop it over the years. There’s certainly a lot of history in it, but I felt like I could make a difference. So I decided to give it a try. .”
The JRA dates back to 1968 with a mandate to eradicate urban blight, promote socio-economic progress within Jackson, and create greater opportunities for economic development.
Before taking on the role at JRA, Pike founded Urban Pulse Universal, a multi-faceted company specializing in economic development, government services, real estate and sustainable community initiatives. There he also worked as a commercial real estate agent, focusing on land, government representation and mixed-use development efforts.
Downtown Jackson: Is now the time for a rebirth of Downtown Jackson? See what the experts say
What’s next for DJP? Downtown Jackson Partners loses leader. What’s next?
“So I’m doing what I was created to do, which is economic development,” Pike said. “So for me, every day feels like Friday.”
That said, Pike said he knows he has a big challenge ahead of him in many of the areas JRA is leading, especially Farish Street, where there seems to have been dozens of press conferences over the years promising big things from film complexes. to transform it into Memphis’ next Beale Street.
“The reality is that these plans were doomed to failure because they lacked a key component and that was community involvement and input,” Pike said. “And since I’ve been here, no one who lives here has said they want another Beale Street on Farish Street. That is not consistent with the historic integrity of what Farish Street originally was.”
Pike said he believes there could be entertainment components on Farish Street, but that would have to be part of a more organic growth component, rather than trying to recreate something in Memphis or New Orleans with big bars and neon lights.
Pike even said that if he tried to remake anything for Farish Street, it would be Jackson’s.
“What I think is that it can and should be a collection of mom-and-pop companies that are doing very well and that have a synergy that thrives and works together,” he said. “It’s not a far-fetched dream or you have to go far to find out what Farish Street should be or can be. Just go to Fondren. If you took Fondren and put it on Farish Street, everyone would see it as a huge success consider. “
His position is that Fondren is a good collection of businesses built with local people who have moved the neighborhood in the direction they want, and who have not been pressured by outside economic development forces.
“I like going to Fondren,” Pike said. “Essentially, that’s what Farish Street should be.”
Looking ahead, Pike said the JRA is already working with five local developers for opportunities specifically on the 200 block of Farish Street. While he’s not ready to reveal who they are, he believes this is the first step in redeveloping the historic area.
“The reality is that people are not on the doorstep with redevelopment projects,” he said. “So we are creating homegrown developers to do some of these projects and then if we prove the market, outside investors will come and help grow the market that we have created and envisioned. It will not happen all at once, but we have the ball rolling and we can see a future where Farish Street grows.”
How Pike ended up with Jackson
Pike served as the first economic development director for the city of South Fulton, a growing municipality incorporated in 2017 that sits within the metro Atlanta landscape. He orchestrated the creation of the South Fulton Development Authority and Downtown Development Authority, while leading the development of the city’s first strategic economic development plan and overseeing the creation of two Tax Allocation Districts.
In addition to his critical role as director of economic development, Pike has held leadership positions as executive director of the South Fulton Convention and Visitors Bureau and the South Fulton Downtown Development Authority. He earned a degree in criminal justice from Albany State University in Georgia and a master’s degree in management from Troy University in Alabama. He has three children.
What’s next for Jackson?
Pike says he believes all entities within Jackson’s borders should share a similar vision.
“You can’t do economic development within silos. This is a team sport and we all have to work together,” he said. “Everyone wants Downtown Jackson to be a thriving area. No one is against that, and people generally have a good idea of what that looks like. It’s just a matter of working from the same plan and working and speaking with one voice. want to see all the partners working to figure out what that is to get a Jackson in the right direction.”
As for working with the state of Mississippi and whether there is a schism between Jackson’s leadership and Gov. Tate Reeves, Pike said there is work to be done.
“I don’t want to get into politics, but when you’re talking about the state providing resources, I don’t think anyone thinks that $9.5 million (in annual appropriations) invested from the state is enough to expect that the change that everyone seems to expect,” Pike said. “But I understand there’s a certain dynamic there. So if we all have the same voice in Jackson, we can speak out for the same things, we can get more of the resources we need.”
What’s different now?
Despite the many challenges of the future and the failures of the past, Pike is optimistic, believing he can get the job done and make a difference for Jackson.
“Sometimes it’s just about having the right person for the right job at the right time,” Pike said. “You can have all the money in the world, you can have all the resources and the people, but if you don’t have the right leadership to activate it all, it doesn’t matter. If you give a fool 50 million dollars It won’t change anything. You just gave a fool $50 million. So leadership is critical to our mission even that much more important.”
He believes he can change Jackson’s course with his experience and vision.
“The JRA just needs someone with intangibles that in many cases you can’t define,” he said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but we have the right team.”
Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson MS Redevelopment Authority Director Chris Pike shares perspective
