By HANNAH GUNNELL
Southport Mayor Jim Cooney said the biggest accomplishment of 2024 for his town was breaking ground on a new 92-unit apartment building.
“They’ll be upscale apartments,” he said. “Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances. Studio, one and two bedroom, but mostly studio and one bedroom. I’ll sound like a realtor, but location, location, location. Southport is close to the interstate, close to the Greenwood Mall, close to downtown.”
The town’s Redevelopment Commission partnered with the developer, The Ridge Group, to help get The Jacob Apartments off the ground; giving $2.5 million for the project, which is $18 million total. They are expected to be open later this year.
Future plans for the site, located at 2110 E. Southport Road between the antique mall and the railroad tracks, also include a trail along Buck Creek behind the new four-story building. The trail would go from Dollar Tree along the creek, behind the apartments, and eventually cross the railroad tracks to get to Southport Park.
Other accomplishments of 2024 include planning the reconstruction of the parking lot at Southport’s community center, located off Derbyshire Road.
“We have to make that ADA compliant,” Cooney said. “It will still slope but not as severely. We’re going to fix some stormwater drains over there. We’ll put a ramp to get into the building, so that if you’re in a wheelchair it’s ADA accessible. Then as a safety feature, we’ll put in bollards — they’re metal poles — so if you hit the gas instead of the brake, you won’t drive into the building.”
This project is to be financed by American Rescue Plan money the town received a few years ago. Construction is expected to begin later this year.
“It’s exciting because that parking lot is a problem,” Cooney said. “The parking blocks are falling apart, and it needs new asphalt so we’re going to replace it.”
Other goals for 2025 include recruiting volunteers for all of the town’s boards. Southport has a Board of Works and Public Safety, a Parks Board, and a Redevelopment Commission. The Park Board is already full and planning a variety of monthly events.
“I’m trying to look at younger folk, and get set up to pass the baton,” Cooney said. “We need new ideas, different ideas. And we need people to step up, besides the people who have been doing it 10-20 years. People get tired after serving for so many years, and some of them are hitting retirement age and want to relax. So we have a bit of turnover on our boards.”
Any town residents interested in serving on a town board can do so by calling town hall at 317-786-5459.