Redeveloping Burns Bottom

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The clearing process has now begun in an effort to redevelop a North Columbus neighborhood.

Redeveloping Burns Bottom is a project the Columbus Redevelopment Authority has been working on for nearly two years.

The CRA has purchased many of the homes in the area.

The homes are marked with a letter “B” or “D” which indicates how the homes will be cleared to make way for redevelopment.

“We’ve been working with the city and the fire department has chosen to burn some of the homes as a training exercise for the fire department,” said Mark Castleberry, a member on the Columbus Redevelopment Authority Board. “Other homes will need to be demolished with a backhoe and equipment. The determination was what was the safest and better way for the individual home.”

A home that sits on 3rd Avenue North was the first home to be cleared as it was burned by the fire department this week.

It’s the first of many other homes in the area scheduled to be cleared to make way for construction to begin.

“Now it’s exciting to see ok, now we can start talking about the new development and what we’re going to see here, and what we can do with the land instead of dredging through of the acquisition process,” said Castleberry.

The CRA is looking to turn Burns Bottom into a more vibrant area, and they already have an idea of how things are going to look.

“I think the general thought is it’ll be housing, that’s the best use of this property,” Castleberry explained. “We’re sure not against commercial. We hope the residents that are here will support the downtown, but again, if there is a good commercial concept located down here, we’d love to have it.”

Castleberry said they targeted Burns Bottom because of the unique features surrounding the area such as the Riverwalk and soccer complex.

“Just think about, you could live here and have the whole complex available to you, and the Riverwalk, and the bridge, and the amphitheater, and downtown, and you don’t have to maintain it but get to enjoy all of that,” described Castleberry.

It’s no secret there’s a high demand for residential living in Columbus.

However, once the area is fully developed, city leaders believe this will not only help solve that problem, but also help attract new people to come live in the Friendly City.

“From here or you can get on the bypass, if you’re working at PACCAR or SDI or something, you can be there in a very short time,” said Castleberry. “I think people would choose to live here that may even work in Mississippi State University due to the lower cost of living in Columbus, and the housing, and taxes, it’ll be a good opportunity for them.”

At this time the CRA is still in the planning stages to determine the exact layout of how the homes will look once construction begins.

Castleberry said he doesn’t know when all of the homes will be cleared, but he doesn’t expect the process to last longer than a few months.