In the coming year, the construction on University Drive will take form, leaving the giant hole that currently resides in the Cotton District as the Cotton District Plaza.Starkville Mayor Dan Camp, the new urbanist mind behind the Cotton District, along with his sons, Robert and Bonn Camp, planned the addition, which they say will further mold the atmosphere of the already unique area.
The Plaza, located at the corner of Maxwell Street, will cost about $3.5 million and will include a three-story building and outdoor plaza, said Bonn Camp, who serves as Cotton District liaison.
The building will house 10 two-bedroom apartments on the upper two floors, four one-bedroom apartments in the back and four commercial properties in front as well as an underground parking garage.
Beyond the building, the location’s 3,000-square-foot plaza with a large fountain will be a place residents and students can use to interact outdoors, whether they’re walking, biking, relaxing or shopping, said Cotton District office manager Robert Camp.
“We’re trying to make it our square, kind of like how Oxford has a square,” he said. “People can come hang out and interact, and it’s something that Starkville needs and the students need.”
Bonn Camp said the design of the building, which was influenced by European architecture and that found in cities such as New Orleans, will have classical design elements similar to many other buildings in the Cotton District.
“We use ideas from all over the place,” he said. “We take classical ideas from older buildings in Italy, France and Belgium and kind of present them in a more modern way. We want you to walk in and view these areas and not feel like you’re in the same old Starkville.”
Robert Camp said the building will fit with other new buildings in the area to create the feel of a square, which gives residents and visitors the feel that they’re not in a small Mississippi town.
“The best way you can describe it is we’re creating a big city atmosphere in a small town area,” he said. “We’re creating an urban setting.”
Dan Camp said the foundation is complete and the focus is on raising the walls.
Although construction was delayed by about one month, the building remains set to be completed by December 2008, he said.
“We would hope that we would have some things ready maybe by the first of September, but that may be optimistic,” he said.
The project has already earned the nickname the “Big Dig” from local residents, Robert Camp said.
When opened, the apartments, which will be higher-end spaces, will rent for between $1,000 and $1,200 per month for a two-bedroom unit and about $595 for a one-bedroom unit, he said.
The “Big Dig,” including the four new commercial spaces, will enhance the area, said Sara Smythe, owner of Lagniappe, a women’s boutique on the Rue du Grand Fromage, located across from the Plaza.
“I think it’s a good addition to the area,” Smythe said. “Anything to bring more business and make the area more attractive.