Gunn hopes Clinton reaps economic Development “fruit”

By Randy Bell

When Philip Gunn took over as executive director of the regional economic development partnership called Connect West, he envisioned his job as “planting seeds.”  Now, he says, harvest time may be approaching.

“Hopefully, those seeds will produce some fruit in the days to come,” Gunn told Clinton leaders during a wide-ranging presentation during the March 17 Board of Aldermen meeting.  Gunn joined Connect West in 2024 after the group was formed to promote economic development in Clinton and other parts of western Hinds County.

The former Speaker of the Mississippi House highlighted several ongoing projects in Clinton.  Gunn said Clintonians can expect to see more vertical construction soon at the Rising Spring development near Mississippi College.

“Those two buildings will hopefully house a couple of restaurants and maybe some other types of retail.  They’re on the drawing board to be built.”

Gunn said they’ve been pursuing a variety of restaurants to locate at Rising Spring.

“There are commitments from at least two, I know, to come and put restaurants there, maybe a third.  These two that I’m referring to are very prominent and will, I think, generate a lot of excitement.”

He didn’t reveal the names of those restaurants.

Gunn said a market analysis conducted for a hotel project at Rising Spring showed positive results.

“We’re not going to have a Waldorf Astoria over there, obviously, but the analysis showed it could be a very nice hotel.”

He described it as something along the lines of what used to be known as a boutique hotel.

According to Gunn, “They don’t like that term anymore.  I think they went to ‘destination hotel,’ maybe.”  He anticipates that it might have ninety to one hundred rooms.

Also in the works in Clinton is a new grocery store, which could be located at Rising Spring.  But Gunn said a commercial development on the north side of town, CityPointe Centre, is also interested.

“We have set out to communicate with a variety of grocery store chains.  Some have looked at the Rising Spring area as a potential grocery store spot, others are looking at CityPointe for a grocery store.”

But Gunn said one thing’s for sure, “Clinton could support another grocery store.”

CityPointe Centre will be the first of the two developments to open a new business.  Its initial phase, the Arrow Post convenience store, is nearing completion on Pinehaven Drive.

CityPointe’s development agent John Coughlin said last summer that his team had secured “preliminary commitments and interest from a well-known and successful grocery store group, as well as nationally recognized restaurants.”

During his presentation, Gunn touched briefly on the data center construction at the Clinton Industrial Park.

“That will potentially be the largest economic development project in the history of Hinds County” – and he said similar opportunities could be coming to the Clinton area soon.  “That’s not the only data center interest that we’ve received.”

Gunn says he’s gotten phone calls from companies in Texas and Georgia looking at 300- to 400-acre tracts of land south and west of the city for data center projects.

Mayor Will Purdie said economic development projects located near but outside of Clinton could still benefit the city.

“I’ve had many discussions with Philip.  We take ‘a rising tide lifts all ships’ sort of view to western Hinds County development.”

Purdie said he’s actively engaged in helping Gunn with those business and industrial projects in the county.

“Even though those aren’t inside the city limits, they will have a tremendous impact and effect on the city.  People [who work there] will do business or shop in the city.  And many folks will live here in the city that work at the industries there.  It’s exciting to know that there’s interest in our area from a number of different types of manufacturing and large-scale developments.”