JACKSON INDUSTRIAL PARK BEING CONSIDERED

JACKSON -- A 60-acre industrial park the City of Jackson proposes to build might include a recreational park within its boundaries. Soccer fields and a biking and hiking trail are being considered for a 10-acre parcel of the property on the east side of North High Street between Harmony Lane and State Route Y. The remaining 50 acres across on the west side of North High Street have been rezoned I-2 for heavy industrial use. The 10-acre parcel in the Hubble Creek flood plain is deemed unsuitable for industrial development. The preliminary plat of the Jackson Industrial Park Subdivision was approved by the Jackson Planning and Zoning Commission earlier this month. The Dec. 6 meeting.

This would be the first industrial park the city itself has established. It makes sense for the city, says Rodney Bollinger, Jackson's planning official.

Bollinger said: "Having an industrial park, the city can breed development by saying, We've got a great place for you. We've got city services and it's already rezoned.' That way, we take all the baby steps upfront."The park has been designed for lots ranging from 1.5 acres to 16 acres in size. "One of the beauties of the plan is it's going to be versatile in what it has to offer," Bollinger said. "It can have commercial and industrial vendors."He stressed that including a recreational park is only "a preliminary idea," but the city would like to build a biking and hiking trail that connects the two parks.

The city, which bought the land for the development from the Jenkins family last year, will install sewer and water systems, streets and electricity. So far, no companies have expressed interest in locating in the park. The city plans to retain one of the lots. Administrators think the city eventually will want to put an elevated water tower and possibly an electric substation at the site when growth warrants.

Bollinger said the site was chosen purposefully far from residential properties and near to the interstate highway. "Drivers can come right off the interstate and not have to go through town with trucks to get to their parcels," Bollinger said.

An industrial tract the city owns in the southwest part of Jackson was never developed because it lacked proximity to major roads, officials say.

Jenkins Avenue, the street that runs through the middle of the planned industrial park, is expected to become a major collector street that someday will wrap around the city and provide a bypass, Bollinger said. That development would be in compliance with the city's major street plan. If the council approves the industrial park application, the consulting engineer would be authorized to start on a final plat and improvement plans. Those probably would be finished within two or three months, with the first phase of construction beginning in the spring or summer.