In a bid to spur a new wave of economic development in the Highway 182-Martin Luther King Jr. Drive corridor, city officials will hold a meeting today to discuss options for the business district.
The public meeting will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at City Hall, 110 W. Main St., in the second floor conference room.
Talks will center on future small business development options in the area, according to Community Development Director Buddy Sanders.
Representatives from the Mississippi Department of Transpiration and Mississippi Development Authority will attend the meeting.
MDOT could discuss possible right-of-way improvements through the corridor, while MDA could brainstorm possible small business development strategies in the area.
A marketing plan for the corridor could be complied within the coming months to streamline development efforts by planning firm Farmer-Morgan.
"This is about an economic development push," Sanders said May 25. "[The corridor] just needs a push. It just needs a spark to make things happen."
The area was identified by planning officials as a key business corridor since properties in the Main Street corridor were near-capacity.
Costs for developing the marketing plan could come from a recent brownfield grant received by the city. The area could use special zoning designations for the area, and officials hoped the area could lure restaurants and specialty retail options in the near future.
In 2013, the city approved and completed $2 million in improvements throughout the corridor. The move paved the way for overlay road work within city limits, added landscape islands, upgraded sidewalk access points and re-poured driveways.
More public input sessions will be held over the development of the corridor.