Centennial Plaza Project now on hold
After decades as a VA Hospital, The Centennial Plaza property has been returned to the city, who wants to develop it. But, the lines between the past and the future get blurry when you try to develop on a historical site.
Carole Lynn Meadows, who is the Chairperson of the Gulfport Redevelopment Commission said, “its creating jobs is what it’s doing. That’s good, I am for that. We need the jobs and that is a very positive thing, but the other part to me is that we are preserving history, we can’t let our history just be washed away".
Centennial Plaza was built in 1917 to celebrate Mississippi turning 100, but World War I stopped the celebration before it could begin. The proposed idea would bring a Holiday Inn Resort, lazy river, and a boardwalk style pier. With so much history here on the Gulf Coast, it’s important to preserve it.
David Parker said, "When you have buildings that have historical significance to the community, it’s always best to restore them verses demolishing them and starting over".
The centennial plaza project was just weeks away from groundbreaking when it suddenly had to be put on hold, actually, projects across the state involving historical property are in limbo while developers wait to see if state lawmakers will increase the cap to the historic tax credit fund.
"We are hoping that the governor will call a special session and as part of that special session he would have other items on the agenda, we’re hoping that he would put lifting the historic tax credit cap on that agenda”, said Carole Lynn Meadows. “So that the legislature can see how important this is for economic development throughout the state".
The gap is currently at 60 million dollars, and the legislature was not able to pass a bill in the last session that would raise it to 100 million.
Carole Lynn Meadows, who is the Chairperson of the Gulfport Redevelopment Commission said, “its creating jobs is what it’s doing. That’s good, I am for that. We need the jobs and that is a very positive thing, but the other part to me is that we are preserving history, we can’t let our history just be washed away".
Centennial Plaza was built in 1917 to celebrate Mississippi turning 100, but World War I stopped the celebration before it could begin. The proposed idea would bring a Holiday Inn Resort, lazy river, and a boardwalk style pier. With so much history here on the Gulf Coast, it’s important to preserve it.
David Parker said, "When you have buildings that have historical significance to the community, it’s always best to restore them verses demolishing them and starting over".
The centennial plaza project was just weeks away from groundbreaking when it suddenly had to be put on hold, actually, projects across the state involving historical property are in limbo while developers wait to see if state lawmakers will increase the cap to the historic tax credit fund.
"We are hoping that the governor will call a special session and as part of that special session he would have other items on the agenda, we’re hoping that he would put lifting the historic tax credit cap on that agenda”, said Carole Lynn Meadows. “So that the legislature can see how important this is for economic development throughout the state".
The gap is currently at 60 million dollars, and the legislature was not able to pass a bill in the last session that would raise it to 100 million.
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