Jackson's 2026 housing plans include new apartments and land acquisitions

City officials presented plans for income-based apartment projects, land acquisitions and continued infill work, and updated the status of the 100 Homes program and related ARPA funding.

City officials presented Jackson's 2026 housing plans at a Jan. 27 City Council meeting, building on 2025 activity that included the 100 Homes program and openings of The Blackstone and The Greenwood. Community Development Director Shane LaPorte described proposed income-based apartment projects and the city’s continued pursuit of land for infill housing. City Grant Administrator Cory Mays reviewed progress on the 100 Homes program and discussed ARPA funding deadlines and additional down payment financing. The presentation emphasized using tax-foreclosed rights, donations and demolition of blighted properties to prepare sites for development. Key details: - The Pearl is proposed by Commonwealth Development Co. at Pearl and Cooper, offering 48 units for residents 55 and older and serving households at roughly 30%–70% of the area median income; the developer plans to apply for the April round of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. - The Crescent, planned by Goldencrest Development at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Mason Street, is proposed to provide 53 units and five commercial spaces serving households up to about 120% of area median income. - In 2024 the city acquired a 3.11-acre parcel at 500 Griswold Street, the former Griswold School site, zoned for single-family residential use and estimated to support about 19 single-family units linked to the 100 Homes program and the Allen Edwin Homes agreement. - The city plans to continue strategic land acquisition through tax-foreclosed right of refusal, land donations and demolition of blighted properties to prepare lots for development and infill housing. - The 100 Homes program has received 1,885 applications, fully approved 81 applicants, produced 50 buyers and has 18 homes under construction; $4.5 million of Jackson’s ARPA allocation was set aside for the program and officials noted federal timing requirements for obligation and expenditure of funds. Summary: The 2026 plan centers on adding mixed-income apartment units, developing single-family lots and continuing targeted land acquisition to support infill and neighborhood rebuilding. Officials noted active steps such as a tax-credit application, partnerships for single-family development and plans to layer additional down payment financing for the 100 Homes program, with timelines tied to ARPA spending requirements. The overall effort is intended to increase housing supply and advance projects already in progress.