Banks and Stokes argue, but Jackson City Council votes in favor of new housing development

The Jackson City Council erupted into a fiery debate on Tuesday before approving an ordinance for accepting phase one of the Village at Livingston and authorizing the mayor to sign the final development plot.

The Village at Livingston is a development plan to build 200 residential homes to the area behind Jackson Medical Center in Ward 3. Each house would be valued between $200,000 to $300,000. Phase one, which the council approved Tuesday, constructs the first 50 homes in the development. The council's approval was the last step needed for the development to move forward.

The council debated the proposal in an impassioned discussion that lasted more than 40 minutes.

"This is going to be a community of homes that all of Jackson should be proud of,” developer for the Village at Livingston Place Robert Gibbs said. “People will have an opportunity to buy a new house and live in the city of Jackson.

“What we need now is an opportunity to get a better tax base in our city."

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Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes vehemently objected to the new housing development being built in his ward.

"I made one mistake when this came before, somebody warned me and said 'kill it now, Kenneth' and I didn't kill it, but I’ll never make that mistake again as long as I’m a councilman," he said.

Stokes pushed for more meetings in the community for the developers to speak with citizens in the area where the housing will be. He said residents have come to him with concerns about the development, including the potential for increased crime, how construction will affect the quality of life for Ward 3's older residents and neighboring property values.

Firing back at Stokes, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba advocated in favor of the development, saying it would bring more homeowners to the city.

"200 rooftops within the community is something we would be derelict in our duties if we looked the other way [on]," Lumumba said. "Here comes the opportunity where we’re investing where the people are and we are looking at it like a gift horse in the mouth."

Lumumba implored the council to approve the project.

"Right now, we are sitting here with an opportunity to bring people to provide to the tax base for 200 and $300,000 homes," he said, adding that a majority of the city's residents are renters.

But Stokes, as well as Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley, wouldn't relent on their position that more meetings should be held to give surrounding neighbors of the development a chance to speak in favor or against the project.

For his part, Gibbs said he would attend any and all meetings Stokes wanted to have. But he emphasized that the project has been in the works since 2018 and is ready to start construction as soon as the council gives approval.

Ward 6 Councilman and Council President Aaron Banks, rubbing his head in visible frustration that Stokes continued to ask for more time for community meetings, came to the defense of the developers. He also criticized Stokes for not calling a community meeting before "the last minute."

"These developers have gone through every process we asked them to go … They've had more than four meetings, public hearings on record and then you (Stokes) had one," Banks said to Stokes.

"We have to make sure that we don’t send a message to future developers that we’re going to yank them around for five years," Banks added.

Banks and Stokes continued to jar at each other, resulting in Stokes yelling and slamming his hand down on the council dais.

"They (the developers) don't respect the citizens enough to come and talk to them. But you're up here trying to sell me that this is good for my people?" Stokes yelled at Banks. "I ain't telling you what's good for your people! Don't tell me what's good for my people when they telling me they don't want it!"

Eventually, Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay and Ward 4 Councilman Brian Grizzell called for a vote.

The council approved the first phase of the development in a 4-2 vote. Stokes and Hartley voted against. Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote, Grizzell, Banks and Lindsay voted in favor. Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee abstained.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson MS council meeting leads to new housing development start