- Video shows City Spokesperson, Aaron Dimick, and Jackson Chamber President, Ryan Tarrant, discussing recent update regarding the development of downtown Jackson's Hayes Hotel.
- February 25, City Council unanimously voted to approve the sale of the Hayes to a new developer, CollierGibson, for $25,000.
- Dimick says the previous developers were not working within the timeline the City was hoping for.
Tuesday night, Jackson City Council has approved the sale of the Hayes Hotel, in Downtown Jackson, to a new developer for $25,000. The Hayes Hotel was originally built in 1926, and has been vacant since 2003. According to a recent press release from the City of Jackson, CollierGibson of Dayton, Ohio, will be taking on the project. The developer plans to renovate the 10-story building to include 109 market-rate apartments, as well as commercial and office space.
Most previously, the City was working with a developer based out of Milwaukee, J. Jeffers. The City of Jackson says that they started looking in a different direction after the latest extension with J. Jeffers expired on December 31, 2024. CollierGibson, according to the City of Jackson, expressed interest in the project and presented a comprehensible and achievable plan. Their renovation is set to be $35 million, and will feature apartments, restaurants, and an entertainment space. The company plans to start construction this summer, with a target completion date of 2027.
WATCH: Previous coverage of the Hayes development
Driving into Downtown Jackson, you see a longtime part of Jackson's skyline: the former Hayes Hotel. Ryan Tarrant, President and CEO of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, says the building stands as a sign of good things on the way. "When I first came to Jackson County and drove through downtown and you see buildings like the Hayes, I have a little different take on what that is. I see the opportunity there."
Dimick says, "We knew, eventually, there would be the right developer to come around and understand the promise we have here in Jackson and want to be a part of that." According to Dimick, the previous developer, J. Jeffers, did not work within the timeline the City was hoping for. "Between the end of 2022 and 2024, there were three different extensions of the development agreement," explains Dimick.
We requested a statement from the former developers, J. Jeffers. They replied on February 27. The statement reads, in part:
J. Jeffers & Co. has worked diligently in partnership with the City of Jackson for the last three years. In that time, the Hotel Hayes project has endured the most significant rise in interest rates in decades. Jeffers has battled through inflation, supply-chain issues, and rapidly rising construction costs. Through it all, J. Jeffers & Co. has stuck with the City in their shared vision for the redevelopment of the Hotel Hayes into 99 apartments with ground level commercial space for local businesses...
...The Hotel Hayes building has sat vacant for decades. Multiple developers have tried and failed to get a redevelopment plan for the building off the ground. After expending almost $2 million in out-of-pocket costs, investing countless hours of staff time over a period of years, securing the first ever historic certification for the building, winning many millions in grant and other sources of funding, J. Jeffers & Co. remains the most capable developer with the most actionable and shovel-ready redevelopment plan that has ever existed for the Hotel Hayes.
Tarrant says momentum with the plan for the Hayes will benefit Downtown Jackson. "I think when you start talking about market-rate apartments and the commercial opportunities that are going to be there on that main floor, I think, 'That's a lot of foot traffic downtown that benefits all the downtown businesses.'"
Some of that $35 million development cost has already been covered, thanks to efforts in 2024.
WATCH: Local officials explain some of that funding
Local officials are hopeful that this is finally the start of a new life for the Hayes. "Over the past 21 years, this is definitely the closest we've been," says Dimick.
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