Developer Terry Young presents initial plans to City Board for Albany West, a Master Planned Community

New Albany developer Terry R. Young disclosed initial plans to build a new Master Planned Community on property his family owns near Interstate 22.

Young described the plans to the New Albany Board of Aldermen during the board’s meeting at city hall, Tuesday, June 7.

Young said the new development would be known as “Albany West” and would include single and multiple family housing, as well as retail space, restaurants and space for professional service providers. Much planning work for Albany West has already been done by architects and engineers, but Young emphasized that the conception of the development was still in its early stages.

The “main street” for Albany West would be the street now known as Virginia Way that runs west from Park Plaza Drive between Tractor Supply and El Algave Restaurant. The development is planned as a “walkable” community.

Young said the “downtown” part of the new development would be a mixture of two and three story buildings with retail space on the ground floors and residential space on the upper floors.

Free standing cottages, which could be occupied by retirees, would be built around a commons area in another part of the Albany West development.

The Albany West community would have an amphitheater for outdoor events and a chapel that could be used as an event center.

Young said he would return to city officials in future months with further details, including permitting needed to assure that the new development conforms with New Albany planning and zoning regulations.

The Tuesday night agenda included condemnation hearings for residential structures located at 604 Booker, 605, 610 and 614 Baker Street, and 609 Martin. However, the manager of several of the properties was said to be ill with coronavirus and unable to attend the hearing. Therefore, aldermen deferred action on these items until their July meeting.

New Albany Lights, Gas, and Water Manager Bill Mattox submitted pay requests for several projects he oversees including. The board unanimously approved requests for:

• $58,581 for the street lights project.
• 346, 987.50 to Roberts Construction for the Municipal Building Renovations.
• $197,925 to Eubank Construction for the Moss Hill Drive pumping station.

Additionally, the board approved a request from Mattox to purchase 18 voltage regulators for a total amount of $491,850. The regulators are from Siemans, and are for the new electric substation.

A group opposed to Mississippi’s new medical marijuana law asked to be on the board’s agenda to speak against allowing the sale of medical marijuana in New Albany. The board allowed the group 15 minutes to speak. Five speakers shared the 15 minutes. They were Kathy Chism, Scott Maxey, Lori Sharam, Sue Morrison and Bill Thurman. The same five, and several others, appeared before the Union County Board of Supervisors to oppose the sale of medical marijuana in the county on April 26, 2022.

The arguments the group made to the city board were essentially same as the ones they made in April. Several Southern Baptist clergymen spoke against marijuana at the April 26 meeting, but none of them spoke to the city board Tuesday night. A link to NEMiss.News articles about what was said at the April meeting may be found below.

The next meeting of the New Albany Board of Aldermen will be at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 5.

Anti-marijuana group at County Supervisors’ meeting in April.