Mall may not need public funding

Taxpayers may not have to help foot the bill for the proposed $80 million outlet mall to be built in Southaven.

Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite announced during the Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday that developers for the Outlet Shops of the Mid-South plan to apply for tourism funding from the Mississippi Development Authority instead of using the $15 million tax increment financing, or TIF, to help pay for development of the site.

Southaven and DeSoto County officials had agreed on the TIF plan, under which bonds would be issued by the city and the county to pay for infrastructure such as water and road improvements.

But Musselwhite said city officials learned just hours before the 6 p.m. meeting that before mall developers, Memphisbased Poag Lifestyle Centers and the Simkin Group, can apply for the tourism funding the city has to get the mall property, all 32.5 acres of it, designated as a “qualified resort area.”

He added that this is a requirement through the Mississippi Department of Revenue before tourism funds can be used on the project.

The board unanimously approved authorizing the mayor to move forward with the resort area application to the DOR.

“The way the mall would tie in with tourism is it would bring a lot of out- of-state people since we are in a three-state area,” Musselwhite said.

The city will learn if the state has approved the tourism funding for the 324,601-square-foot mall proposed for Church and Airways at Interstate 55 in 60 to 90 days.

Yolanda Jones ter in Hernando. “We’re very excited,” she said.

Henry Bailey Jr.