The state and the owners reach an agreement on ‘fair compensation’ for the hotel that intends to expand the fairgrounds

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – More than three years after talks began, the state could soon purchase the former Regency Hotel and Conference Center in downtown Jackson.

The hotel has been at the center of controversy for years, and Jackson Municipal Court ordered it to close in 2022.

The State also sought a court order to expropriate propertyso it could be purchased to expand the Mississippi State Fairgrounds.

This month, Hinds County Judge Pieter Teeuwissen vacated a lawsuit between the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration, Grandana LLC, Jain Ping Zhu and others after the parties reached an agreement on “just valuation and compensation ” of the property.

The case is scheduled to go to trial on October 14, 15 and 16. The jury instructions had already been filed in the Mississippi Electronic Courts database.

The hotel is located on Greymont Street, opposite the fairgrounds. According to the complaint filed in 2022, the DFA said the state was seeking the hotel and its more than six-acre parcel for the “expansion, security and protection of the Mississippi Fairgrounds.”

The State had already purchased the former Dennery’s restaurant, as well as the nearby Oyo Hotel, which have since been torn down.

The lawsuit was filed after DFA, Zhu and Grandana could not reach an agreement on price.

Months after that lawsuit was filed, in October 2022, Jackson Municipal Court Judge Jeffrey Reynolds ordered the closure of the Regencyciting multiple violations of the Jackson City Code.

Among them, he said mold was prevalent in the premises and a major gas leak in the main kitchen posed a fire risk. He wrote at the time that if a fire broke out, many of the guests “would not have a clear path to safety due to multiple locked doors and a lack of operable emergency lights.”

Zhu was given 180 days to demolish the structure or bring it up to city code. The landlord was also ordered to stop bringing in new tenants immediately.

It was not known how much the hotel would be purchased for. DFA officials and an attorney for Grandana were not available for comment.

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