I-69 Real Estate

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DeSoto seeks input on I-69 plan

Officials look to create consensus on roadway

By Henry Bailey

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Gathering material and meeting people in his eight-year odyssey preparing his book on the epic Interstate 69 Trade Corridor vision, author Matt Dellinger found a heady enthusiasm and firm grasp of the future in DeSoto County.

While Memphis may have concerns about "decentralization" of its regional hub role because of an I-69 loop, Dellinger says "DeSoto County has a shot at being one of the premier development areas" along the proposed Canada-to-Mexico route.

Dellinger -- author of the new book, "Interstate 69: The Unfinished History of the Last Great American Highway," published by Simon & Schuster -- met hundreds of people in preparing his work. DeSoto County, starting on the road to a strategic development master plan for its segment of the so-called "NAFTA highway," plans meetings, too, starting this fall, to let ideas from big developers, industries, local governments and just plain mom and pop merge in the traffic.

"I'm anxious to hear from everyone," said Robin James, chairman of the DeSoto Planning Commission.

Meetings coordinated by James, planning director Jim McDougal and other officials will seek input to create a consensus and shared vision of opportunities presented by the roadway.

A $150,000 federal grant to help develop DeSoto's master plan was announced Aug. 4 by the U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration.

The overall project, to be coordinated by the Cincinnati-based consulting firm McBride Dale Clarion, is expected to take about 18 months, said McDougal. He expects a master blueprint to be issued in mid-2012.

The effort will be aided by software developments such as CommunityViz that can "show" through sketch planning, 3-D visualization and growth modeling the implications of different plans and choices. McDougal said a website is under construction and Facebook also will be employed to gain comment.

"It begins and ends with local participation," McDougal said. "In the middle are discerning development trends, what's successful and not successful, and understanding what we need -- whether industrial, recreational or residential -- to maintain the high standard of living we have in DeSoto County."

While lauded by many, especially in the South, as an economic godsend, I-69 has been opposed by some who question the wisdom of building more highways and the merits of globalization. Foes also fear use of eminent-domain laws to break up farms, and cite the costs.

More than $1.3 billion in federal funds, mostly for pre-construction planning, has been devoted to the project; the full cost of completion is estimated at $30 billion, a figure expected to rise as plans turn to reality.

McDougal stresses that no aspect of the county's planning contemplates taking away anyone's land.

"This is not a land-use plan," the DeSoto official said. "This is a people-use plan."

-- Henry Bailey: (901) 333-2012

The Commercial Appeal

Planners eye I-69 bus transit

By ROBERT LEE LONG
Community Editor

Published: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 8:58 PM CDT

SOUTHAVEN - A bus-based rapid transit system along the Interstate 69 corridor is among the most efficient of alternatives for public mass transit, planners with Gresham Smith and Partners told a group gathered at the DeSoto Civic Center Tuesday.

Some members of the public say they like aspects of the plan but others say it doesn't provide easy accessibility to eastern parts of DeSoto County.

The Bus Rapid Transit System would operate on a series of high occupancy vehicle lanes from Tunica Resorts in Robinsonville to downtown Memphis with several stops in DeSoto County, including Hernando and Southaven, along the route. Feeder lines are being proposed on Stateline Road, Goodman Road, Church Road, Commerce Street and U.S. Hwy. 61.

Six additional stations downtown in downtown Memphis would serve the Regional Medical Center, Autozone Park and the FedEx Forum.

Kevin Tilbury, senior associate with the planning firm, said the buses would not be the gas-guzzling, diesel-burning kind which clog city streets in big urban areas.

Tilbury said these buses of the 21st century would be sleek, state-of-the-art, multi-passenger buses operated on energy-efficient fuel which resemble trains more than buses.

Tilbury said U.S. Rep. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. made eligible $70 million for a bus rapid transit system along the I-69 corridor as part of the 2005 federal transportation bill. The Mississippi Department of Transportation initiated the I-69 Alternatives Analysis in 2008. By law and design, the route can't veer from the I-69 route, something which concerns Olive Branch resident Reginald Boyce. He wants the Olive Branch area to be a primary grid for a route, not a feeder route.

Tilbury said a transit system along Interstate 269, a separate highway project, is part of a larger focus by the Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization but it's not on the I-69 list of alternatives.

"If they don't do this regionally from the get-go, it will fail on the front end," Boyce said during a public question and answer session.

However, no single alternative has been officially decided, Tilbury said. That's likely to occur in June at another public meeting on the issue.

Other alternatives include U.S. Interstate/69 BRT service from Tunica Resorts in Robinsonville using an alignment west along Church Road to U.S. 51. Nine stations would be spaced approximately two miles apart from Hernando to downtown Memphis. Eight additional stops would be proposed for Memphis.

Yet another alternative would include an alignment along Airways Blvd/Interstate 69 from Tunica Resorts to Southaven by turning east on Church Road to Airways Blvd., traveling in general traffic lanes to a terminal near the Memphis International Airport. Light rail would transport people to the airport.

Gertrude Bridgeforth of Southaven, part of a large contingent of AARP members who have pushed for public mass transit for years in DeSoto County, said she wasn't satisfied by the proposals.

"I'm discouraged because it doesn't look like to me it will benefit the people," Bridgeforth said. She was also concerned about the makeup of the planning groups and organizations making the decision on the I-69 route. "There needs to be some regular people, some citizens on there."

John Kalkstein of Horn Lake has mixed emotions about the plans proposed but he is encouraged by the efforts being made to improve public transportation in the area, and he would use the bus rapid transit system if it were implemented.

Kalkstein, who works for Delta Airlines, formerly lived in Chicago and took transit to work.

"The whole idea is to get people out of their cars and into public transportation," Kalkstein said. "I'm encouraged at the first step but the devil will be in the details."

Federal officials are seeking local matches to implement the system, and with public taxpayer money scarce, local resident Kelly Jacobs said she is worried the project won't get off the ground.

Tilbury said if the project costs $70 million to implement, the federal government would be seeking approximately $35 million from local sources.

District 2 Supervisor Gene Thach said he supports the project but he, too, wants to find out more about its projected cost.

"We're very interested but we don't know what it's going to cost the taxpayers," Thach said.

Robert Lee Long: rlong@desototimestribune.com or at 662-429-6397 662-429-6397 , Ext. 252

Contract will get
I-69/269 plan rolling

DeSoto County hopes for economic gain

By Henry Bailey

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Development of DeSoto County's master plan for the future Interstate 69/269 Trade Corridor will accelerate with the expected signing Monday of a contract with the project's consultants.

And none too soon, says county planning chief Jim McDougal. He envisions as much as $11.6 million in new county taxes rolling in yearly based on land values from an improved roadway -- while he now sees tax revenue driving off to Shelby County, with $3.1 million lost per year.

"This isn't just another highway through the county," he told the Exchange Club of Hernando on Tuesday. "Local roads cause sprawl. This is an international highway that will bring people who otherwise wouldn't come here, from all over the world" drawn to participate in planned educational venues, higher-tech businesses, and cultural opportunities.

The proposed route from Toronto in Canada to Monterrey in Mexico will bisect DeSoto east to west through Hernando, running some 30 miles from the Marshall County line to Tunica County. McDougal said the Mississippi Department of Transportation's timetable calls for obtaining right of way this year and next, with the start of construction in 2012.

Matt Dellinger, author of "Interstate 69: The Unfinished History of the Last Great American Highway," published this year by Simon & Schuster, says DeSoto "has a shot at being one of the premier development areas" along the 1,000-mile link.

At Monday's meeting of the DeSoto Board of Supervisors, McDougal will present a contract with the Cincinnati-based consulting firm McBride Dale Clarion. The deal, funded by a $150,000 federal grant from the U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration, awaits the signature of board president Bill Russell.

The project is expected to take about 18 months, said McDougal. He expects a master blueprint to be issued in mid-2012. The DeSoto Planning Commission will hold meetings starting early next year to draw input from developers, industries, local governments and ordinary citizens on a dozen issues ranging from economic development to utilities and green infrastructure.

McDougal told the club that as a planner he was intrigued by basketball superstar LeBron James' decision to go to Miami.

"He could have gone anywhere," said McDougal, noting that in a world tying Internet and fiber optics with improved travel, "people will have more choices." A combination of buddies, infrastructure that signals chances for an NBA title, and a "cool" image of Miami drew James to the Heat, the planner said.

"Talented people will be choosing where to go, and deciding what attracts them," and the I-69 corridor will be a major draw for DeSoto, McDougal said.

-- Henry Bailey: (901) 333-2012 (901) 333-2012

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FISCAL CROSSROAD

DeSoto Planning director Jim McDougal sees big bucks coming with Interstate 69/269, while dollars are departing north on I-55. He draws values from a possible corridor of 30 miles by 4 miles in DeSoto -- 120 square miles or about 76,800 acres along the route.

The value of land based on $1,000 per acre comes to $76.8 million in gross market value, with taxes at $773,376 (estimated from DeSoto Tax Assessor's Web site using the lowest unimproved real estate tax rate).

If I-69/269 is built, the estimated land value jumps to $5,000 per acre, gross market value is $384 million and taxes are more than $3.8 million. With improvements, land value jumps to $10,000-$15,000 per acre, with gross market value of $768 million to $1.15 billion and taxes ranging from $7.7 million to $11.6 million.

On the other side, McDougal also eyes a sales tax loss along I-55 based on 60,000 cars per work day traveling from DeSoto north to Shelby County.

If each driver spends $10 each day in Shelby, that's $600,000 per day or $3 million per week, for $156 million per year. Based on .02 percent net sales tax, there's $3.1 million in lost sales tax revenue annually.

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I-69 environmental impact study complete

by Wally Northway

Published: July 12th, 2010

MISSISSIPPI DELTA — The final environmental impact statement (EIS) has been completed for a 120-mile stretch of the new Interstate 69 through Mississippi’s Delta.

As a result, the best, most feasible location for the future highway has been determined by citizens, the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), local governments and numerous private and non-profit organizations, according to MDOT.

The chosen route, located in Bolivar, Coahoma, and Tunica Counties, is known as the Central Alternative and stretches from near Benoit to near Robinsonville.

During the course of the project’s environmental phase, four alternatives were studied — the western, central, eastern and modified eastern.

I-69 is a 1,600-mile-long federal highway project that will pass through Northwest Mississippi counties, ultimately connecting Canada to Mexico.

The EIS will be available for public inspection at the county boards of supervisors and public libraries in Bolivar, Coahoma, Sunflower and Tunica counties. Viewing will also be welcomed at: the MDOT Administrative Office Building, Environmental Division, 401 Northwest Street, Jackson,; the MDOT District Two Office, Batesville; MDOT District Two Project Office, Senatobia; MDOT District Three Office, Yazoo City; MDOT District Three Project Office, Leland; and, the Federal Highway Administration, 666 North Street, Suite 105, Jackson.