The Mill | Starkville, MS

Best Historic Rehabilitation Project for 2014-2015 in Downtown Starkville
APA MS Best Project/Outstanding Project Award

Services

• Land Surveying
• Subdivision Platting
• Grading & Drainage Design
• Utility Design
• Construction Phase Services
• Permitting

Pickering Firm, Inc. was selected by Cooley Center, LLC to provide surveying, civil engineering, and environmental consulting at the E.E. Cooley Building and auxiliary buildings as part of a 12-acre redevelopment located on the western edge of the Mississippi State University campus.

The Cooley Building (Stone Cotton Mill), on an 11-acre site and a former cotton mill, boasts a mixed-use master plan to support an updated structure with a state-of-the-art conference center and meeting complex, while preserving the original structure which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 73,975 square-foot conference center will feature a 1,000 seat ballroom, breakout rooms and on-site catering, as well as Class A office space. A new four-story hotel will adjoin the center, along with a 450-car parking garage. Mixed-use parcels for retail, restaurant and residential development also are part of the $40 million project.

Coordination with numerous agencies was required to gain required approvals and ensure appropriate use of grant monies. These agencies included the National Register of Historic Places, MDOT, the Mississippi Development Authority and the Golden Triangle Development Authority. Additionally, environmental remediation of the building and site was performed under the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s Brownfield’s Remediation Program. The primary property remained in the ownership of Mississippi State University, while being permitted and platted under the ordinances of the City of Starkville by a private developer.