The stretch of 22nd Avenue between Interstate 20 and Front Street in Meridian is nine-tenths of a mile.

Although that’s a relatively short distance, the road is far from being ready to serve as the gateway to the City of Meridian — especially with the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience opening next month.

Also known as Sela Ward Parkway, the street is in a woeful state of disrepair. Numerous empty buildings line the worn out, bumpy road, whose markings have faded from years of use with little maintenance.

At the intersection of 22nd and the interstate stands the vacant Value Fair Mall, which originally opened more than 40 years ago as the Village Fair Mall. Closed now since October 1997, the once bustling retail center is nothing more than an eyesore to passersby and those who live and work nearby. 

“I think the mall down here is a bigger problem than the potholes on 22nd Avenue,” said Allen Hunt, general manager of Hooper’s Electronics on 22nd Avenue. “When you’re coming into Meridian, the first thing you see when you get off the interstate is this unsightly mall over here… I tell you right now, something needs to be done with this mall.”

Property owner Rockstep Capital, which also owns Bonita Lakes Mall, acquired the Value Fair Mall in November 2013. Rockstep President Andy Weiner said he would like to see the old mall used in another way. 

“We’ve had some interest from some commercial users like fuel stations, and we have decided that we will not at this point sell to them because we think it would be better suited for the community if it was something more civic-oriented,” Weiner said.

City Council President and Ward 1 City Councilman George Thomas said a retail center is about the only option for the old mall site.

“Years ago we looked at developing some type of civic center, but the cost [was] enormous,” Thomas said. “At the present time the cost outweighs the benefit… If we could do a private/public partnership that might be a possibility.

“I’m open to any option that’s out there. I don’t know what other options we have — we haven’t had any other kind of proposals that I know about, but what is there needs to be attractive.”

As for the 22nd Avenue corridor, improvement plans are under way, and work has already begun along Front Street near The MAX.

With The MAX opening in April and the Mississippi Children’s Museum-Meridian opening in the next few years, the push is on to clean up the corridor, as MAX President and CEO Mark Tullos expects 150,000 people to visit the $50 million museum in the first year.

City of Meridian Chief Administrative Officer Richie McAlister said the city is working toward the ultimate goal of rehabilitating the corridor in phases.

“Our [short-term] goals that we are working to accomplish before the MAX opening is having the Front Street sidewalk, streetscape, decorative light poles, and paving completed,” McAlister wrote in an email last month. “To date, 1,434 linear feet of sidewalk have been replaced, equating to nearly 200 cubic yards of concrete poured.”

Last month, the city applied for a Transportation Alternatives Program grant through the Mississippi Department of Transportation in the amount of $1.6 million, with a local match of $418,025.30 provided by the city. The grant will be used for the purpose of “22nd Avenue Enhancement from North Frontage Road to Front Street.”

If the city receives the TAP grant, a project of this magnitude could take anywhere from 12 to 16 months, McAlister said.

“Our [long-term] goals for 22nd [Avenue] from the 22nd Avenue Bridge to the I-20 corridor entail sidewalk replacement along both sides of the street, milling, repaving, thermoplastic striping, as well as working with private business owners to apply for façade grants in an effort to totally transform the gateway to the city,” McAlister said.

The Children’s Museum is set to open in the old Sears location at 403 22nd Avenue, across from the Meridian Police station, in the next few years. Liz Wilson, project coordinator for the Children’s Museum, said the improvement project will definitely help improve the look of the area.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Wilson said. “It really will help with the entrance to our city. It looks tired — a little rundown.” 

Weiner agrees.

“With both of those opening up, The MAX and the Children’s Museum, it’s a great opportunity to show some momentum on 22nd Avenue,” Weiner said.

Hunt is not convinced.

“That is an unrealistic expectation that the conditions of 22nd Avenue are going to be real good for an extended period of time,” Hunt said. “Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a good thing if they can get the money… especially with the Children’s Museum coming.

“… If we can come up with $400,000, clean up 22nd Avenue and get it done right in a timely manner with the right contractors, then I’m all for it.”

McAlister said the first priority when doing a project such as this is making improvements “that will have the least amount of impact on our local business community.” 

“…But as we all know, and what has been proven time and again is due to the age of the City, where roads were originally made of brick, old trolley lines lay dormant, and multiple unmarked underground utilities, the process does take longer than originally anticipated,” McAlister said.

Hunt said the city is headed in the right direction with the entertainment angle, as retail continues to deteriorate in the area.

“I do believe turning Meridian into an entertainment center is our only play — that’s all we got,” he said. “Columbus is booming, Hattiesburg is booming, and we’re shrinking.”

The corridor runs through the city’s fifth ward, which is represented by City Councilman Weston Lindemann, who agrees that the corridor should be rehabilitated.

The empty buildings, he said, are his primary concern, and he would like to see fewer fast food restaurants and more new businesses, such as health food stores.

Pull Quote

“I think the mall down here is a bigger problem than the potholes on 22nd Avenue” –

Allen Hunt, general manager of Hooper’s Electronics on 22nd Avenue

But Lindemann would also like to see a business incubation facility along that stretch of 22nd Avenue.

The U.S. Small Business Administration defines a business incubator as a facility that “provides office space, access to equipment, management assistance, and access to financing and technical support services.”

“People are going to notice the vacant lots and buildings that are just here with nothing going on,” Lindemann said, adding that putting a business incubator along that stretch would “give the appearance that Meridian is trying to create a thriving entrepreneurial center and that we’re actually taking steps in that direction.”

“And I think if you see a building where the whole purpose is to incubate new business opportunities, I feel like that’s a good step that we should take.”

But this isn’t the first time the city has talked about revitalizing the 22nd Avenue corridor.

An advisory services panel report from the Urban Land Institute in 2004 suggested the planting of large-scale street trees along the entire length of the corridor. In addition, it suggested that vacant buildings not suitable for redevelopment be removed and replaced with new developments in the future.

It also recommended a “pleasing introduction to the city be created through the use of median and shoulder-area plantings of wildflowers and other attractive, low-maintenance vegetation.”

“These plantings should extend for a considerable distance on either side of the interchange to create an impression of commitment and sustainability. The city brand should figure prominently on highway signage and one or more large public art installations should be included as part of interchange improvements,” the report said.

Lauderdale County also has plans to construct a closed-loop multi-use trail along Sowashee Creek. The trail, which would run near the old mall site, would be about 10 feet wide and the loop would run about 1.7 miles, according to an engineer from Engineering Plus, Inc.

Lauderdale County District 4 Supervisor Joe Norwood said phase one of the project would begin at 29th Avenue and end at Grand Avenue, and phase two would begin at Grand Avenue and end at 22nd Avenue.

Norwood said the county would be responsible for building the trail on city property. The project is currently pending approval for federal funding and land-use approval from the city.