Meridian Master Plan

Meridian, MS

MERIDIAN, MS – LPK Architects made a final presentation of the Meridian Master Plan to the City Council on Tuesday, July 23, 2019. The document is intended to guide the city forward into a brighter future for all residents through sustainable, planned development, particularly in the city’s historic downtown.

The presentation was the final piece of a complex planning project that involved multiple disciplines, including traffic engineers, historical architects, community planners, businesspeople, members of the public, and professional staff from the Community Development Department of the City of Meridian.

The four-phase project started under the leadership of Mayor Percy Bland and his administration in early 2017 with phase one, Data Collection and Identifying Goals. Each member of the City Council has been involved in the process as well as other stakeholders, including representatives from downtown businesses and members of the community at large. A community design charrette that year helped identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for Meridian and the surrounding area.

Next, the Analysis phase looked at natural and built assets of our community and included the results of a traffic study. The study was conducted by the Pickering Firm, a highly respected engineering firm selected by the city to analyze traffic volume and patterns as part of the Master Plan process. 

Phase three, Concept Refinement, included input from the mayor and City Council, Lauderdale County, Mississippi State University-Meridian, the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation and local businesses, and community members and other stakeholders.

Finally came phase four, Plan Development. LPK and the administration developed a 10-year vision that provides direction over time. They designed the plan to be continually reinterpreted in light of new information that will inevitably result from the process of implementation and the development by architects, landscape architects and engineers of specific projects.

Using information from numerous studies during the process, LPK has provided a long-term framework utilizing all available resources to identify key moves that will make an immediate impact while allowing for long-term prosperity.

The Master Plan started rolling out in the spring of 2018 as LPK worked with the administration to prepare for the opening of Mississippi’s Arts + Entertainment Experience – The MAX. Implementation of the plan continues today as the city prepares for the planned Mississippi Children’s Museum-Meridian.

Those projects, along with Lauderdale County’s recent announcement of its intent to purchase of the old Village Fair Mall, show the importance of the Master Plan being a living document. It will evolve along with the city, guiding the way toward a better Meridian for all.

The gallery is empty.