Lost Rabbit residents are upset over a potential development. See why

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Lost Rabbit residents are upset over a potential development. See why

When Lost Rabbit began building homes more than 15 years ago, residents said were promised a designated green space for recreational use. Residents are now pushing back at preliminary plans to build houses on this space.

Lost Rabbit, dubbed by residents as the “Town of Lost Rabbit,” is a subdivision on the edge of Madison overlooking the Ross Barnett Reservoir. Over the past 15 years, the community has grown to include more than 200 homes, a town center, a general store, a craft ********* bar and a marina.

Lost Rabbit Zillow Zestimates

Homes in Lost Rabbit, according to

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, typically range in size from 2,000 square feet to upward of 4,000 square feet and range in price from around $400,000 to more than $1 million.

Green space debate

The residential development’s three-acre waterfront green space was promoted during initial planning and has been at the center of debates in the past decade. In the past, developers have wanted to develop the land for residential use, but the land has nevertheless remained an undeveloped community space.

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A sign depicting Lost Rabbit development plans includes a designated green space.

Now, a similar debate is brewing. Lost Rabbit residents are pushing back against developers who want to build new houses on the green space.

On Thursday afternoon, Lost Rabbit residents presented their case to the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District Shoreline Development Committee. Roughly three dozen residents squeezed into the Timberlake Campgrounds registration office in Brandon, which serves as the meeting space for the PRVWSD committee meetings.

Some residents sat and some stood close together in the small, hot room to show the board that the Lost Rabbit community was taking this matter seriously. A handful of residents stood outside the office, still making their presence known.

Once the meeting started, Board President Kenny Windham told the crowd that while the green space was not on that afternoon’s agenda, he would let the residents present their argument.

In total, five Lost Rabbit residents spoke to the board, asking that the greenspace remain undeveloped for community use. According to Donna Taylor, member of the Lost Rabbit Residents Committee, the greenspace was designated as “Shoreline Park” in the original Lost Rabbit master plan, and is the last flat, shaded waterfront space available for community events, fishing, birding and walking.

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Residents of Lost Rabbit are pushing back against plans to build houses on a three-acre plot of land that currently serves as a community green space.

The land in question sits on the reservoir’s edge on Old Trace Road. About 10 years ago, developer Terry Lovelace bought the land when “Phase B” in the development began.

Specific residential development plans remain unclear, but the residents are asking that the board vote “no” to any and all requests to build on the land. Residents also ask that committee consider transferring the three acres to resident hands to ensure no future building plans pop up.

In a press release announcing the planned presentation at Thursday’s meeting, residents said they felt misled by the developers.

“The Town of Lost Rabbit was originally designed as a Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) — a walkable, community-focused design with small-lot homes, front porches, rear garages, commercial space and dedicated usable greenspaces,” the press release reads. “Residents argue that developing this greenspace would not only break past commitments, but also fundamentally alter the character and vision of the neighborhood.”

Lost Rabbit residents caught off guard

Greg Ward, who is a longtime Lost Rabbit resident, spoke to the board Thursday, saying he and other residents were “caught off guard” when they learned of the new development plans. Ward lives close to the greenspace and said that land has always been a promised recreational area.

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“We have that area to go to for recreation. That’s what it’s for,” Ward said. “Y’all are a state agency appointed to preserve the recreational areas of our reservoir and basically that’s what we’re asking y’all to do today.”

Thursday’s meeting kept an amicable tone as the board members listened to the residents present their case. Concrete development plans have yet to be presented in any capacity, but Adam Choate, the board’s executive director, told residents that a building permit could be on the agenda for the March meeting.

If approved by the Shoreline Development Committee, the building permit would then have to be approved by the full PRVWSD board.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger:

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