By DAVID HAMILTON

NATCHEZ — In anticipation of FOR Natchez’s final revitalization plan, most merchants and officials have said that the future of downtown Natchez looks promising.

But what about the present?

As Rolling River Bistro owner René Adams puts it, the plans to reshape downtown are great, but other, short-term actions need to be taken in order to get downtown business on its feet.

“I’m very happy about the FOR Natchez plan that (president) Chesney (Doyle) and them are doing, but we can’t wait five years,” Adams said. “We need to start working together to do something now.”

A catalyst for organizing and planning development could be the hiring of a downtown development director.

Business owner John Grady Burns said hiring such a person could benefit downtown’s growth in many facets.

“My main thing is I really wish we could get that downtown development program going. I think that would be a huge help, because we have some very seasoned shop owners … who have a lot of knowledge, who could be extremely helpful to those of us who are newer.”

As owner of the Nest — a floral and decor shop located on Franklin Street — Burns has had a stake in downtown Natchez for the past year and a half.

“Having the seasoned shop owners and the new shop owners … working together would really make (for a) bond downtown. I think that would be a huge help for downtown to really have a bond, and I think (a downtown development program) would be the best way to do that.”

The City of Natchez once helped fund such a program. Until 2009, the city committed $25,000 annually to the non-profit Natchez Downtown Development Association, which worked to preserve the historic downtown district and worked with local businesses to promote the city and attract consumers downtown.

Eight years ago, the city cut the NDDA’s funding, which went towards the compensation of the group’s director. Though the association did not dissolve right after losing funding, the NDDA eventually fizzled out due to the lack of a director and time constraints of the volunteers who made up the group’s board.

The city’s designation as a Mississippi Main Street Association member was the next domino to fall. Members of the Main Street Association receive training, promotional and other benefits for an annual fee. Natchez had been a member up until 2016.

In lieu of an organized development association, downtown merchants have organized their own group that meets every Wednesday morning.

Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce President Debbie Hudson said the group has been meeting since the third week of this past January.

“When I went around they said, ‘Debbie, we need help. We need coordination,’” Hudson said.

But while Hudson said the meetings have been beneficial, a development director would give downtown merchants some much-needed cohesion.

“We’re trying to work on how to be a group, but to be honest, they need a (director),” Hudson said.

Hudson said the director could share space in the Chamber of Commerce’s Main Street office.

“I’ve been able to help pull people together, but they need more.”

Burns, though he understands that the city is in a position where it must be fiscally cautious, said having a unified group would help businesses to approach city leaders.

“When you have concerns, it’s a lot easier to go to the mayor’s office or to the transportation office and say, ‘These are our concerns,’ and you’re a group — you’re a bona fide group coming forward instead of just one person,” Burns said.

The importance of a unified plan for downtown merchants grows, stakeholders say, as does the area’s reliance on tourism.

“If you went around to (businesses) on Main and Franklin streets, they would tell you that 50 to 60 percent of customers are from out of town, Hudson said.

Burns estimated that tourists make up an even bigger piece of the pie as his customers.

“It’s probably about 70/30, with 70 percent being tourists,” Burns said.

Having such a dependence on tourism makes sustainability difficult for a city such as Natchez, Burns said.

“I think for the size of our city and for us to depend on tourism is what is hard,” Burns said.

Burns said the population over the years has left a very large downtown with numerous vacancies. In FOR Natchez’s July presentation of a concept plan for downtown, economic consultant Randall Gross estimated that 41 percent of commercial buildings in downtown Natchez are currently vacant.

The population issue, paired with industrial stagnation, makes developing downtown and recruiting new businesses to Natchez all the more important, Burns said.

“I travel — I do a lot of talks to garden club ladies, and I’m always talking up Natchez,” Burns said. “We all have to do that to get more and more people to come.”

Both Adams and Burns remain positive about the future of Natchez. Adams lauded Downtown Natchez Farmers Market coordinator Eddie Burkes for the effort to implement the market this summer. Adams called the farmers market “probably the most positive and well-done thing for the community in a long time.”

Adams also said that getting more people downtown, both locals and tourists, would allow merchants to extend their hours of operation, benefiting the whole community.

“I’m a firm believer in a team,” Adams said. “And I’m a firm believer that when the water rises, all ships sail.”

While Adams said a group effort is needed for downtown reach its potential, she maintains her faith in the community.

“The one thing that I’m confident in — when the people of Natchez get ready to make up their mind to do something, they conquer it,” Adams said. “I’m hoping … that we all will pull together, because you have some of the finest people and the most intelligent people in our community. And working together is what it’s going to take to make it all happen.

“That’s from the mayor and board of aldermen, board of supervisors, business leaders and everyone getting on the same page.”