Love for Community Leads to Brister’s New Role as President of Downtown Jackson Partners
North Little Rock native Liz Brister moved to Jackson in 1989. She and her husband Bill have lived in their same home in Fondren North (formerly Broadmeadow) since 1993. The couple once considered moving but decided to stay in Jackson because of their neighborhood's strong sense of community. “I raised my children here. Most of my neighbors and I committed to stay and have created a strong and vibrant community,” Brister said. “That’s because we worked at it. We have worked at being a strong community and hosting events to do things together to maintain it.”
Brister’s community development and engagement work began as a board member for the Fondren Neighborhood Association (now the Fondren Renaissance Foundation). She went on to help establish the Broadmeadow Neighborhood Association (now Fondren North) to ensure her community would reap the benefits of the growing Fondren area. In 2018, Brister founded Design4Good, a real estate investment company where she purchases and renovates homes in her neighborhood. “I saw several properties in my neighborhood targeted by out-of-state investors, basically the we-buy-houses movement. I felt like I had to do something to preserve the community I love. So, I bought a house, renovated it, and sold it. I have renovated 15 homes in my neighborhood since 2018,” Brister said. All of this work plus decades of experience in corporate community relations and public affairs has established who she is today - a community-centered thought leader with fresh ideas for continuing elevating Downtown Jackson. As the new president of Downtown Jackson Partners (DJP), Brister envisions a live-work-play community where all feel welcome and invested. “I think that's part of my story and why there is a bridge from Design4Good to Downtown Jackson Partners,” Brister said. “I believe we all have to make our personal commitment to making our city better. We all have a stake in this. I’m thrilled to take that commitment and passion to Downtown Jackson.”
Downtown Jackson Partners (DJP) is spreading the word that Jackson’s downtown is Mississippi’s Downtown, a friendly reminder about the state’s center for government, business, and arts and entertainment. “We should all have a stake in Jackson’s future. It is our capital city, it represents so much of our state. We need everyone to get in the boat with us and help us row it in a positive direction. This is the message we are sharing and promulgating throughout Mississippi.” DJP serves as the management and economic development agency for the Downtown Jackson Business Improvement District (BID), the largest of only three BIDs in Mississippi. A BID is a defined area within a city where businesses collectively invest in services, improvements, and initiatives to enhance the local commercial environment. BIDs are typically funded through a special tax or levy imposed on businesses within the district and are managed by a nonprofit or private organization like DJP. BIDs are common in cities across the U.S. They promote urban revitalization and economic growth.
Nationally, states are developing live-work-play urban centers that serve as the future of economic development. “If you look at the state of Mississippi and compare it to its peers, one of the things you see is strong urban centers driving growth. That’s a national trend. Population growth is happening around urban centers.” Brister sees residential development; for example, office spaces converted for residential use, as the key to creating a thriving urban center in Downtown Jackson. “When you have residential and business together, that attracts amenities like restaurants, entertainment, and other things that make downtown an exciting and thriving place that all Mississippians can be proud of. Millennials are interested in living, working, playing in the city center, being a part of an urban heartbeat. We want to tap into that.”
Healthy neighborhoods and reliable partnerships are also critical to the revitalization and development of Downtown Jackson. The Farish Street Historic District is partially inside the BID, and the Jackson Redevelopment Authority is focused on its development via its Farish Street Forward project. According to the City of Jackson, the Russell C. Davis Planetarium is still under major renovation and is slated to reopen in October of this year. The Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership is committed to the commercial growth of the Greater Jackson area. Visit Jackson has remained committed to promoting Jackson as a tourism destination and a worthwhile place to call home. Capitol Police, with support from the state and the Jackson Police Department, has improved the overall safety and security of Downtown Jackson and the Capitol Complex Improvement District. “I want to recognize the support and partnership of those groups, and we’re excited about the state resources that are coming in to help our city become stronger.” Although water and safety have improved in Jackson, Brister says competition will be a challenge as she settles into her new role. “Competition from other commercial areas is a challenge, but we’ve got a unique product, and it's never going to change: the capital city of our state, something we’re going to build off of.”
Brister invites residents to explore and rediscover Downtown Jackson. “We need our neighborhoods and residents to visit and support downtown. Not only are we the center of our state’s government, we are also the center of its art, culture, and historical resources. They are here and must maintain a strong presence in our city center. My love of community runs deep, and I hope to bring some of that same heart to the heart of our state, Downtown Jackson.”
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