STARKVILLE, MS – Courtesy of the Dispatch
After more than two and a half years’ worth of legal challenges, The MS Supreme Court ruled to allow a section of land near the intersection of Hwy 389 & Hwy 82 to be rezoned as Manufacturing (originally Commercial) by upholding a lower court’s ruling on the matter.
and Lynn Spruill
LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins expressed his delight with the decision: “We are very pleased, although not surprised, by the Mississippi Supreme Court’s decision today,” Higgins said. “Now, we can move quickly to complete the remaining park improvements and work to start seeing the rewards of the investment this community made two years ago.”
Mayor Lynn Spruill felt relief at the case finally being decided: “It is exactly the outcome that I expected, and I think the dilatory tactics employed by those who pursued it were just not in the city’s best interest,” Spruill said. “I’m delighted that it is over and done with, and we can aggressively market this industrial park in a way that we have not been able to heretofore.”
“It is sad that we have lost valued time and new industry opportunities,” Higgins said “Key parts of the necessary infrastructure improvements were also delayed while this zoning appeal dragged on.”
The city and Oktibbeha County issued a combined $14 million in bonds in July 2017 in order to fund construction of the business park.