Opinion ID: 1828308
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Need for Expansion

Text: ¶ 24. The chancellor found that Southaven was a rapidly developing area with a population explosion. Developments containing 4,614 residential lots had been created since 1990. Between 1997 and 2001, Southaven issued 3,782 building permits for residences. Southaven had experienced unprecedented commercial growth, including retail establishments, warehousing and light industrial projects. Southaven consisted of 34 square miles and the only vacant land left in the municipality had approved plans for development. State rebated sales tax revenues reflected strong growth, increasing 68% between 1995 and 2001. ¶ 25. Horn Lake does not question Southaven's rapid growth, but states that all municipalities within DeSoto County have had rapid growth. It further argues that Southaven has large vacant areas within the city limits, something which we have determined to be relevant. See, e.g., Extension of the Boundaries of City of Ridgeland v. City of Ridgeland, 651 So.2d 548 (Miss.1995); In re Enlargement and Extension of Municipal Boundaries of City of Biloxi, 744 So.2d 270 (Miss.1999); In the Matter of the Extension of Boundaries of City of Columbus, 644 So.2d 1168, 1173 (Miss.1994). Horn Lake points to the testimony of Southaven's planning director which revealed that, in the twelve subdivisions approved since 1997, there were 4,774 vacant lots. Horn Lake also argues that, when one compares the average of single family residence building permits over the last five years, 458, to the 4,774 vacant lots, Southaven has 10.4 years worth of vacant residential lots available for development. Furthermore, in 2001, Southaven issued its lowest number (28) of commercial building permits since 1997. ¶ 26. Southaven contends that the numbers relied upon by Horn Lake were merely estimates and not hard numbers. Indeed, every response that Southaven's planning director made to questions about the current percentage of development in Southaven's subdivisions included the word probably. [3] ¶ 27. Horn Lake also argues that there is no spillover growth or development in the PAA, such as there was in Ridgeland, and that Southaven had not presented any plans for improving the PAA or to implement municipal services therein. Southaven responds that the uncontradicted evidence showed that the owners of the PAA expected to develop the land in the near future. ¶ 28. We find that the chancellor's finding that this factor weighed in favor of Southaven was not manifestly wrong and that the finding was supported by substantial and credible evidence.