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Downtown development group cites millions invested, 2.9 million visitors in latest report
Summary
The Jackson Downtown Development Corporation told the City Council that downtown has seen rising investment, increased foot traffic and program participation; JDDC cited more than $4 million in public/private reinvestment, nearly 3 million visitors (April 2024–2025) and plans for public art and wayfinding in 2026.
Beth Anne Simpson, representing the Jackson Downtown Development Corporation, told the City Council on March 3 that downtown Jackson has made steady progress through coordinated public investment, façade grants and events that drive foot traffic.
Simpson said the JDDC has focused on infrastructure, public art and targeted grants to make downtown "investable" and to help small businesses open and expand. She listed recent outcomes including 12 new businesses in 2025, more than $4 million in combined private and public investment, 24 rehabilitation projects and one new construction project.
The presentation highlighted event programming and measured visitation: nearly 7,000 participants attended programs such as First Fridays and Yoga in the Park last year, the organization promoted more than 300 downtown events, and Simpson cited Placer.ai data reporting about 2.9 million visitor visits between April 2024 and April 2025 with an average dwell time of 98 minutes.
Simpson also described the incubator program, which she said produced 18 tenants since 2018 and a 50% tenant transition rate into larger spaces, and she noted that the city's $60,000 operational contribution to JDDC helped leverage $465,000 in additional funding. "We were able to leverage $465,000 in additional funding to put back into downtown," Simpson said.
Looking ahead, Simpson previewed five public-art projects in 2026, an upcoming wayfinding-plan presentation in April and a Tennessee ECD planning grant to study a shared-kitchen food incubator concept. She said the Central Creek development is expected to be finished by the end of 2026 and will include beautification and a walking trail.
City council members asked staff for clarification about Central Creek’s grant timeline; the presenter said the project has grant conditions tied to Tennessee River Basin Authority funding and must be underway to meet a September 2026 completion requirement.
The presentation closed with a request for continued city support to sustain the momentum of private reinvestment and expanded downtown programming.
