City leaders discuss plans to buy Jackson Plaza

JACKSON, Tenn. — A special budget meeting was called for Thursday morning to discuss plans that could impact Jackson for years to come.

“We had a special call meeting today to consider the acquisition of a transfer from our fund balance of $4 million to acquire what’s known as the Jackson Plaza,” said District 6 Councilman and Budget Committee Chair Paul Taylor.

The plaza is hoped to become a new arena and convention center for the Hub City.

Currently, the main event centers are the Carl Perkins Civic Center and the Jackson Fairgrounds. Mayor Scott Conger shared the vision behind the plaza.

“I think size, flexibility, capacity, the ability to have multiple events, the ability to have multiple conventions. Our civic center is great. It’s booked every single weekend,” Conger said. “We have to get more venues for what we have. For our growing populations, for our growing service area, which is half a million, and then the growth of population coming to Jackson.”

“Geographically, this is almost the center of our city,” Taylor said. “For the city to take this effort to acquire this property and start to have this influence on what is going to happen in the future in this area is beneficial for everybody,” Taylor said.

Taylor continued by sharing that potential opportunities could include categories of housing, entertainment, retail and more.

“We’ll have a meeting next week, which will be first reading, and we’ll have our second reading for this budget amendment that will happen at our regularly called January meeting,” Taylor said.

The plans are still in the early stages, and if approved, demolition will likely not begin until at least this time next year.

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