NATCHEZ, Miss. – The city’s development commission turned down plans to build a residential neighborhood by an historic mansion on Lower Woodville Road.
Expressing concerns about its proximity to 223-year-old Gloucester and increased traffic on such a narrow road, the Natchez Planning Commission on Thursday declined to allow the developers to go forward with their plans. They can ask the Natchez Board of Aldermen to overturn the commission’s decision.
In making the case Thursday for building houses and streets in the woodlands surrounding Gloucester, Natchez real estate broker Glenn Green said the community needs more housing geared for retirees. Builder Paul Meng told the commission he and son Charlie envision constructing patio homes and townhouses on the acreage, which is currently owned by the Biglane family with a sale pending. Kelli Foster is also involved in the development.
The developers asked the Planning Commission to rezone the area to allow such a residential subdivision.
In turning down the plans Thursday, the seven-member commission considered objections about increased traffic the new neighborhood could cause on the narrow, curvy and shoulderless Lower Woodville Road.
Questions were also raised about how compatible the new development would be with Gloucester, a mansion that was built in 1803 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It sits on a six-acre estate.
In another decision Thursday, the Natchez Planning Commission declined to approve Douglas Charboneau’s request to reopen his rum distillery on Jefferson Street next to King’s Tavern. The commission opted to get the city attorney’s advice later on whether to allow Charboneau to revive the distillery he closed in 2020.
In delaying a final decision, commission members cited an unrelated Mississippi Court of Appeals ruling against the Planning Commission revoking a permit for the Truth Lounge nightclub to be located on Franklin Street a block away. The commission in 2024 rescinded Truth Lounge’s permit amid complaints about criminal activities in or near the nightclub, but the Court of Appeals ruled Aug. 11 the commission doesn’t have such authority.
Charboneau said he plans to operate the rum distillery at the corner of Jefferson and Rankin streets and serve cocktails in King Tavern’s second floor. He opened the distillery in 2013 and operated it until its shutdown in 2020. His wife Regina will operate an eatery in the historic 1700s building’s bottom floor, which was a restaurant for many years until she went out of business.
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