NATCHEZ, Miss. – Chesney Doyle has met with the Natchez mayor and city aldermen many times in recent years as a leader in the redevelopment of downtown Natchez, but she addressed them Tuesday for the first time as the newly appointed executive director of the Downtown Natchez Alliance.
Noting she’s “looking forward to working with all of you again,” Doyle said she’s “excited to be here working in an official capacity with the city and the staff and the community at large.”
She comes “especially well-prepared to lead us into the next chapter,” said DNA President Elizabeth Greer.
Doyle led the creation of DNA, which was organized as a spinoff from the 2018 master plan that city officials adopted for revitalizing downtown Natchez. A Natchez native, attorney and documentary producer, she served as DNA board president in its early years.
Now as executive director, Doyle will manage the day-to-day operations of the the city-subsidized nonprofit association formed to enhance the downtown area by encouraging commercial and cultural developments, the renovation of historic buildings and the beautification of the city’s streetscape.
She replaces Leah Hunter, who resigned in April after one year as executive director. The Downtown Natchez Alliance since 2022 has endured administrative turnovers with the resignation of four executive directors. After Hunter resigned, Greer said the association “will not miss a beat” as it continues its mission.
Greer said yesterday that Natchez is actually “seeing major forward movement in buildings and businesses across downtown.” She recited a list of new developments that include:
– the Natcheesian pizza parlor and daiquiri bar on Franklin and Commerce streets that had a soft opening Saturday to serve nearly 600 people;
– a new restaurant set to open nearby at the Center City building on Commerce Street in late fall or early winter;
– another restaurant – The District on Main – planning to occupy the building where the Rolling River eatery was on Main Street;
– the soon-to-open Sugar Emporium on Franklin Street by Steampunk with a soda fountain and ice cream parlor;
– a winery and event venue in the old car dealership garage behind Pig Out Inn on Canal Street;
– the “Kings Tavern Complex” that’s to be refurbished for two tenants.
A major project the city and DNA are planning is landscaping around the historic Natchez train depot on Broadway Street. With $362,000 in state funds received earlier this year, the grounds and plaza are being enhanced into a park-set setting,The circa 1915 passenger train station reopened in 2024 as a Natchez visitors center with public restrooms and meeting space after a decade-long renovation process costing about $1 million.
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