NATCHEZ, Miss. — City aldermen approved an agreement Tuesday with Walmart for using its north parking lot to access adjacent land that Natchez officials hope to sell to a shopping center developer.
Prior to the open vote, they closed the public out of detailed discussions that Mayor Dan Gibson said dealt with “confidential matters” related to selling the publicly owned property. Gibson has previously said Walmart’s cooperation is key to providing an entrance to the proposed shopping center that a Tennessee company envisions.
Horne Properties has been making plans the past two years for a Natchez retail center on the 30-acre tract where the Veterans of Foreign Wars post was located across from Natchez High School. The Board of Aldermen in February agreed to give the Knoxville-based developer another year to decide whether it’ll buy the city-owned land.
The purchase is contingent on resolving various issues, which have included ensuring the proposed shopping center adjacent to Walmart is easily accessible from Seargent Prentiss Drive.
While Gibson said last year he hoped the development deal would be sealed before February, more time is needed.
The mayor has said Horne is planning a $40 million venture here that includes one prospect larger than the Hobby Lobby store that just opened at the Trace Town shopping center.
Horne has developed more than 140 properties, including shopping centers in Tennessee, Alabama, Ohio, Oklahoma and North Carolina, according to the company’s website. They accommodate such chain stores as Kroger, Home Depot, Petsmart, Staples, Ross Dress for Less – and Walmart.
The Natchez property that Horne has optioned to buy was given to the city in 2015 by the state. The Natchez Board of Aldermen subsequently put it up for sale for an initial asking price of $4.5 million.
State law requires selling the property with revenues to be divided equally between the city, the National Park Service and the Mississippi Department of Archives & History. The money is to be used for unspecified enhancements of the Natchez riverfront, the Natchez National Historical Park and other historic properties.
Gibson last year specified that $1.2 million is to be provided for projects at the Grand Village of Natchez Indians and the national park.
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