Jackson moves forward with redistricting plans, Great Wolf Lodge project

JACKSON, Tenn. — The Jackson City Council looked at ways to restructure city council districts at Tuesday’s special called meeting.

The Jackson-Madison County NAACP branch brought in the the MGGG Redistricting Lab of Tufts University to present the city council with alternative plans for redistricting.

The council passed on first reading an ordinance to reapportion the nine council districts of the City of Jackson with an 8-0 vote on Tufts Univeristy’s “Plan A,” instead of the previously presented version.

“They saw the opportunity, you know, look at the more equalization of representation in the city and to be more representative of the population shifts that we’ve seen over the last 10 years,” said Mayor Scott Conger. “And I think it’s a great step for you know, I think one of the committee members made the point of, we have to have involvement, where no matter how we draw the lines, we have to engage voters right to engage our community.”

The council voted to move forward with this new design over their original plan because they say it shows more balance, maximizes the importance of race, and brings equal electoral opportunity.

In other business, the City of Jackson is making progress with bringing Great Wolf Lodge to the Hub City.

The council passed on new business a resolution to enter into a land sale agreement with the Industrial Development Board for the property for Great Wolf Lodge.

“This sale agreement essentially allows the IDB to provide the city a promissory note for the cost of the land,” Mayor Conger said. “So once they sell the land to Great Wolf Lodge for that development, then they’ll in turn fulfill their promissory note they provided the city.”

The city is selling the land for $35,000 per acre; however, also keeping a portion of adjacent property for future development.

“We’re working on now a development plan, kind of a master plan for that area, because we know that we have entertainment options, we have ballparks, we have Sportsplex, we have Great Wolf now,” said Conger. “And so how can we develop and create a master plan going forward to complement that area and complement the people that are coming into that area?”

Conger says he anticipates this process will start to move faster with Great Wolf Lodge wanting to break ground in the fall.

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