An empty hotel in Mississippi’s capital city of Jackson is being eyed as a potential solution to a student housing shortage at the state’s largest historically Black university.
Mississippi Today reported Marcus Thompson, president of Jackson State University, has submitted a proposal to the schools’ governing board for the purchase of the Jackson Marriott, a downtown hotel that has been closed since the pandemic. Jackson State’s current student housing only has about 2,000 available beds, but the school has roughly 4,900 undergraduates.
The 15-story, 303-bed Marriott is currently owned by a limited liability company affiliated with a Florida-based developer named Charles Everhardt. Thompson hoped to acquire the hotel $5.25 million, about $2 million below its assessed value, and could become available to students within one to two years if a sale is transacted. However, the cost of renovations to the property has yet to be determined.
Thompson added the property could provide housing to roughly 500 students, as well as generating revenue for the university through its meeting rooms and parking spaces. Jackson State has been struggling with a student housing shortage since 2021 when one of its dorms was closed due to mechanical and electrical failures. In January, students were relocated after mold was discovered at another student housing complex.
“Housing has been a topic and an issue for our university for a number of years,” Thompson said. “We’re really excited about the possibility to bring forward a solution to the issue of housing through this Marriott project.”
Photo courtesy Little T889 / Wilkimedia Commons
;
