Clinton Mixed-Use Development’s New Name Springs Forth During Groundbreaking Ceremony at MC
A proposed upscale mixed-use development located directly across from Mississippi College took a significant leap forward July 30 during a formal naming ceremony in Anderson Hall at MC and an official groundbreaking on the site along U.S. Highway 80 in Clinton.
Located on 54 acres of land directly across Highway 80 from the University, the newly christened “Rising Spring” project promises to become one of the most transformative real estate ventures in the history of Mississippi College and the town of Clinton.
Mississippi College President Blake Thompson said site preparation is nearing completion and construction should begin within the next 12 months at the first easily accessible service location for hospitality on the eastbound Interstate 20 corridor. He said the cultural destination will rival anything currently available across Mississippi.
“As excited as I’ve gotten over football games over the years, as excited as I’ve been playing in the state basketball tournament, I don’t think any other thing excites me as much as this project,” Thompson said.
He originated the development’s name, “Rising Spring,” a reference to Mississippi College’s theme directed at new students – “This Is Where You Rise” – combined with that of a historic spring that rests on the property and served as an important water source for generations of Clintonians.
“In 2026, Mississippi College will be 200 years old, by far the oldest institution of higher education in the state of Mississippi,” he said. “The theme of that bicentennial will be ‘Rising to 200.’ It just seemed to be a natural fit for the spring.
“I also love the imagery of taking that old, historic spring and bringing it out of the ground again, of it rising to meet a new day. What we’re thinking about on this campus and in this community is how we rise to meet the next 200 years of our institution.
“I know we are going to have a development across the street that matches the 200-year legacy that we have on this campus.”
Mississippi College is leading the $200 million development along with public and private partner investments in the project, which has the potential to create up to 500 jobs.
Rising Spring represents a partnership between MC, the City of Clinton, and local developers to create a retail and living space unlike any other in the state that will attract retailers, restauranteurs, grocers, bankers, and hoteliers across the Southeast to Clinton.
Philip Gunn, former speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, said Rising Spring will be the finest development along Interstate 20 between Birmingham, Alabama, and Dallas, Texas.
“We’re going to make Rising Spring attractive from the Interstate,” said Gunn, a leader of Connect West, the city of Clinton’s economic development organization. “We could be a destination location for people traveling along Interstate 20. It will provide several restaurants, retail shopping, and a number of things to do.
“We hope it will be a real magnet, not only for Clinton and Hinds County, but for the entire state of Mississippi.”
Phase One of the project will extend McLemore Drive across Highway 80 from MC to “Rising Spring Village,” the development’s main entrance. The road will lead to the centerpiece of the development: a historic spring and canopy of trees preserved as an inviting “green space” for pedestrians.
“Not only will the development be an amenity for our community and our state, but the space around it will be as well,” Thompson said.
Flanking the spring would be a proposed boutique hotel with a façade that mirrors the front of Mississippi College, creating a “bookend” effect with the University’s newly fashioned main entrance directly across the street.
Rising Spring Village is anticipated to also include numerous dining options from prominent Mississippi restaurateurs, mixed-use spaces, a primary care clinic, a primary care facility, student and residential housing, and walking trails.
The project’s second phase – called “Rising Spring Marketplace“ – will take shape on the western end of the property, where MC’s practice football field now resides. Developers envision multicolored buildings – similar to the renowned cabins at the famed Neshoba County Fair – resembling the “Magnolia Marketplace” in Waco, Texas, founded by house renovation celebrities Chip and Joanna Gaines. It is expected to include additional entertainment and dining options as well.
“It will feature all things Mississippi,” Gunn said. “We would promote artists in Mississippi. They could have a place to sell their work. It will be something that promotes our state and the tremendous talent that we have in this state.”
Merchants and other occupants of the development will lease space from Rising Spring partners, who will maintain ownership of their respective properties. Thompson said Mississippi College will be a noticeable presence in Phase Two of the development.
“We’re not precluding the idea of some new, creative Mississippi College facilities on this site,” he said. “Someday, you will see advanced facilities that have the MC logo sitting beside some of the best companies in the world on the site.”
Gunn said the development should make a significant impact on student recruitment at Mississippi College.
“We’ve already talked about the increase in enrollment in our college,” he said, “but this is another marketing tool. When students come and see this, plus the development of Olde Towne, which we are not going to neglect, it will be exciting for them to have all of these resources within walking distance of campus.”
“It may be the most attractive walk-up community in the state of Mississippi,” Thompson added.
Phil Fisher, the mayor of Clinton, said the Rising Spring project will “lift up all of Highway 80.”
“It’s no longer going to look like a road between two truck stops,” Fisher said. “This project is going to raise the level of work that goes on, and I believe all of Highway 80 . . . will start improving itself and becoming better.”
Thompson thanked Fisher, Gunn, and all project partners for helping to make the project a reality, including the Clinton Board of Aldermen; a number of state legislators, including Clay Mansell, District 56 representative, and Hillman Frazier, District 27 representative; the Board of Trustees of Mississippi College; the Mississippi College Foundation Board; MC’s Alumni Association; and the many private-sector companies, consultants, and non-profit organizations, including the Clinton Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Clinton, and Connect West, who contributed to Rising Spring.
“I describe to my colleagues in other places that we do things the Clinton way,” Thompson said. "That is, we all get together and figure out the direction we’re headed in.
“We have great companies working with us. We have great development partners working with us. The property is in large part owned by Mississippi College, but it is also owned by some private developers as well. It truly takes the public-private partnership for these things to work and to be successful.”
Gunn said the state legislature was a “vital partner” in the project.
“The legislature, three or four years ago, gave us enough funds that we could begin constructing roads, sidewalks, gutters, and various infrastructure,” he said. “The legislature recognizes that Clinton is a vital asset to the state of Mississippi.
“Clinton sits on a vital artery of Interstate 20, and the legislature helped us get this project off the ground.”
He also recognized the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s role in determining traffic flow throughout the development.
Thompson recalled a conversation he had years ago with the late Leland Speed, an internationally known businessman and chair of Mississippi College’s Foundation Board, about the land’s potential.
“He said we’ve got a project across the street that is of vital importance,” Thompson said. “In fact, it may be the most important project that this institution ever takes on.
“I’m going to trust today that Leland Speed is looking down on our work.”
For more information about Rising Spring, visit rising-spring.com.
Sign-up For Our Newsletter
Get the latest news about Mississippi College delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Along College Street e-newsletter.
