Friendly City Development opts to purchase 18 acres for $800,000
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A long-time development plan is seeing movement and future new owners.
Friendly City Development has opted to purchase a little more than 18 acres of the Burns Bottom property for $800,000.
The Columbus Redevelopment Authority made the official announcement at August 19’s city council meeting.
CRA must own the property until dirt and electrical work are completed, because the organization was given grant money to complete those projects.
The organization has been working on redeveloping this area for eight years.
Friendly City Development has been working on the project for about 15 months.
“I’m wildly excited to be able to be involved in my community, making an investment, from an economic standpoint, but also to build something that I get to enjoy, and I get to walk my daughter to that park, and we get to enjoy and see houses and whatever else comes about. This is my neighborhood. Why wouldn’t I want to be involved in that?” said Nic Parish, CEO of The Burns Group.
“For now, we will be selling residential lots, keeping those portions flexible to see where the market takes us. You know, our hope is that with 50, 60, 70 new residents within walking distance to downtown that it actually offers economic benefits to existing businesses,” said Saunders Ramsey from Friendly City Development.
A groundbreaking is expected in December, and then work will begin on the neighborhood.
Homes are scheduled to be completed by early 2027.
The development group also has a four and a half year option to buy nearby lots.
