The Jackson City Council voted 6-0 Monday to rezone three parcels behind the Metrocenter Mall from mixed use to industrial, even though Hinds County records and the secretary of state’s office show two of the lots became state-owned after years of unpaid property taxes.
The rezoning clears a key regulatory hurdle for Christopher Jones, a South Carolina businessman who through BioCrete Global Manufacturing wants to build a small facility to make recycled plastic foam and concrete blocks behind the abandoned mall. Jones has told Mississippi Today the project would be the first phase of a larger plan to revitalize the area and could create about 200 jobs.
The Hinds County landroll shows the two parcels were struck to the state in 2023 after no bids were received at a tax sale, and the secretary of state’s office confirmed Monday that the state owns the lots. Jones faces losing a third parcel this fall if he does not pay back taxes, the landroll shows, and he has filed suit against Hinds County and the state seeking to regain the properties, Mississippi Today reported…