Like many cities throughout the United States, a suburban explosion happened on the outskirts of the City Limits of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. People flocked to the peripheral areas searching for larger lots, larger homes, fewer rules, and lower taxes, among other reasons. With the migration to the suburbs, retail and services followed, leaving vacancies and under-utilized commercial properties throughout the city.
The University of Southern Mississippi has seen its share of redevelopment over the years. At one time, a small neighborhood known as Monte Vista sat on the edge of campus. As the university grew in size and attendance, much of the small neighborhood was replaced by commercial buildings. Over time these commercial buildings began to tire with the westward migration and lack of investment.
In late 2008, an initiative began to revitalize the area around the Hardy Street entrance to the University of Southern Mississippi. Through various staff members, community partners, and consultants, the form-based code of Midtown Hattiesburg was born. This took an area that once consisted of an aging dormitory and parking lot and created an off-campus community full of restaurants, banks, and other services catering to students and nearby neighborhoods.
The City not only enacted a plan, but they invested in it. This public approach helped encourage private developers to invest time in their design choices. They began a process of street scape improvements that focused on curb appeal. Crosswalks were upgraded to high visibility crosswalks. Street medians now include more vegetation and less concrete. This area where students cross in large numbers now feels safer and more inviting. Photos from street view below show changes over an 8-year span.
2014 Google Street View Imagery, Hardy Street, Hattiesburg, MS
2022 Google Street View Imagery, Hardy Street, Hattiesburg, MS
Other professional offices have taken note. The groundbreaking to a new headquarters for the Jones Corporation began a few months ago. This 80,000-square-foot facility has an estimated budget of $50 million. With an anticipated opening date of mid-2024, this building will serve as a core employer in the area. The architectural renderings, below, are related to the active permit.
Jones Corporation, architectural renderings, 2024
Couple the Jones construction with the Hotel Indigo that opened in 2018, and other development projects since the plan was adopted, and you will find a success story that the City is eager to duplicate.
Indigo Hotel, The District at Midtown, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
February of 2023 saw Hattiesburg adopt another region of Form-Based with some slight modifications to their existing code. This area has a high potential for multi-story commercial development and middle-density housing that could serve the adjacent University of Southern Mississippi. There were challenges, but after the successes shown in the Midtown neighborhood, City leaders were convinced this would be a benefit to the City and passed the ordinance unanimously. The only differing comments made by council members focused on wanting this style of development in their own respective districts.
Anticipating the excitement around the Form-Based Codes, in 2022, the City of Hattiesburg again partnered with consultants and began a process of bringing this style of development to a third area on the east side of the city. This corridor will increase the residential components of Form-Based codes while addressing the challenges of floodplain development. With the project well underway, it is anticipated that a conclusion will be brought about in late 2023.
With the evidence of success positioned in the middle of the city, Hattiesburg has embraced the concept of Form-Based codes. It is going to take time, but City leaders are making every effort to duplicate this triumph in other locations of the city.