Artist’s rendering
The Summer Concert Series at The Mill will feature some of the nation’s best-known artists performing in the Mill courtyard, between the East and West buildings, on the campus just west of downtown Vicksburg. The Mill Group plans four weekend concerts in July and August, each planned for under 9,999 attendees. Concert dates and performers will be announced after the Village approves the Event Plan.
Can concerts and events happen at The Mill?
Yes. The Village Council approved event uses, including outdoor concerts, as part of the 2018 PUD by a 7–0 vote. That question is settled. It is not part of the current Event Plan approval.
How will each event operate?
This is the only question in the Event Plan approval. Parking, traffic, sanitation, medical and fire protection, security and insurance, measured against the industry standards the Village and The Mill Group already agreed to in writing.
No. That question was settled in 2018, when the Village Council approved event uses at The Mill, including outdoor concerts, as part of the PUD by a 7–0 vote. The Event Plan approval is limited to how those events will operate, including parking, traffic and public safety.
The Agreement allows The Mill to be built in phases and in any order, and it does not require a building to open before events are held. The Summer Concert Series is the first chance to welcome people back to the site and test whether The Mill and Vicksburg can draw visitors from outside the region.
Each concert is planned within the Agreement’s Small Event category, which is under 9,999 anticipated attendees. Larger events are not allowed until The Mill Group shows it followed the approved plan at the smaller size.
Sound caps and cutoff times with penalties, independent real-time sound monitoring, an industry-standard traffic management plan, required parking with signed off-site agreements, on-site security, medical and fire coverage, insurance naming the Village, and a compliance review after every event.
Only with the written consent of both the Village Council and The Mill Group. The Agreement runs with the land and binds future owners.
Yes. It is part of the Village’s zoning approval for the property and a public record. We are sharing it so anyone can read the terms for themselves.
| Parties | Paper City Development, LLC (The Mill Group) and the Village of Vicksburg |
| Property | 54.61 acres at 300 W. Highway St. |
| PUD approved | 2018, by a 7–0 vote of the Village Council |
The Mill is governed by a Planned Unit Development (PUD) Agreement between The Mill Group’s development company and the Village of Vicksburg. The Village Council approved the PUD unanimously in 2018, and both parties signed the Agreement. It is a public document. Below are its key provisions in the Agreement’s own words, with a plain-English explanation of each one, so everyone in the community can see what was agreed. You can view the full PUD document by clicking here.
These uses are permitted. They are not up for a vote again.
Whether the plan meets industry standards for each of these, and nothing more:
It is
It is not
The Agreement sets out each step. The “whether” was decided in step 1. The only Village vote still ahead, in step 3, is about operations.
The Village Council approves the PUD. Events, breweries, hotel and camping become permitted uses.
The Mill Group submits a detailed plan for the 2027 Summer Concert Series.
One question: does the plan meet industry standards for traffic, parking, safety and the other listed items? Whether events may happen is already settled.
Events start in the smallest size category before any larger event is allowed.
The Mill Group and the Village meet to confirm the approved plan was followed.
Quotations are taken word for word from the signed Agreement. Highlighting is ours. Where a passage is shortened, the cut is marked with an ellipsis (…). Tap a topic to open it.
Section B · Effect of PUD Approval
The Ordinance Granting The Mill at Vicksburg Planned Unit Development reclassifies the zoning of the Property to PUD and constitutes the land use authorization for the Property, and all use and improvement of the Property shall be in conformity with this Ordinance and the applicable terms of the PUD Documents as described in Section A above. Any development within the PUD that includes uses not already provided for under this Agreement must go through the approval procedures set forth in Section 82-623 of the Zoning Ordinance.
What it means
When the Village Council adopted the PUD in 2018, that approval became the land use authorization for The Mill. It is the zoning for the property.
A new approval process applies only to uses the Agreement does not already provide for. Uses listed in the Agreement, including events, do not need to be approved again.
Section E · Zoning Standards
… any of the following uses, or combination of uses, are permissible at The Mill at Vicksburg Planned Unit Development:
… b. Indoor and outdoor event spaces offering a diversity of activities, including, but not limited to, corporate events, conferences, conventions, music and entertainment performance, sports, cultural and art events, festivals, and exhibitions, weddings, and other celebrations. …
d. Breweries, beer gardens, taprooms, and/or restaurants, which may include kitchen and catering services. …
g. Hotel, motel, and/or other short-term rental units. …
l. Outdoor recreation and short-term camping rentals.
What it means
The Agreement lists the uses that are allowed at The Mill. Outdoor events, music and entertainment performances, and festivals are on that list, alongside breweries, taprooms, restaurants, a hotel, and camping.
Outdoor concerts have been part of the plan for The Mill, and known to the Village, since 2018.
Section E(b) · last sentence
Events which utilize offsite parking will require approval of the Village subject to Section F(7) below.
What it means
Events are already permitted. Events large enough to need off-site parking also need Village approval, and that approval is governed by Section F(7).
Section F(7) is the Event Plan section. It spells out what the plan must cover: operations, logistics and safety.
The Event Plan approval is an approval of operations. The event use itself was approved in 2018, and nothing in Section F(7) reopens it.
Section F(7)(a) · Event Approval and Plans
… Upon receipt of one or both of the Event Plans, the Village agrees to consider the Event Plan or Plans for approval within ninety (90) days. …
To receive approval for the event, Developer must submit a detailed plan that demonstrates compliance with Section 82-626 (2-5) and industry standards for all of the following:
- Adequate Traffic Management Plan. …
- Adequate toilet facilities.
- Adequate refuse storage and disposal facilities.
- Adequate food and sanitary food service, if supplied.
- Adequate emergency medical facilities and communication systems.
- Adequate fire protection.
- Adequate security personnel.
What it means
The Agreement lists exactly what the Event Plan must show and the standard it is measured against: industry standards and the listed zoning provisions.
The plan must also include event dates and hours and a scaled map showing toilets, water, refuse, assembly areas, food service, pedestrian and vehicle access, parking and lighting.
Every item on this list is about how an event runs. None of them asks whether events should be allowed at The Mill.
Sections F(5) and H(4)
Section F(5) · Off-Street Parking. … For events in which more than 3,000 attendees are anticipated, a minimum of one parking space for every 4 anticipated attendees is required. Parking is permitted on or off premises as a way to satisfy the parking requirements for such an event. When seeking approval for off premises parking or submitting an event plan under Section F(7) below, Developer shall provide a signed agreement with any property owner(s) providing such off-site parking to the Village. …
Section H(4) · Drives and Parking Lots. For events with anticipated attendance above the capacity for paved parking on-site, temporary on-site grass parking shall be permitted subject to an approved Event Plan.
What it means
For any event over 3,000 people, the Agreement sets the math: at least one parking space for every four anticipated attendees. An event planned for 9,000 people needs at least 2,250 spaces.
Spaces can be on site, including temporary grass parking, or off site. Any off-site parking must be backed by a signed agreement with the property owner, delivered to the Village.
Section F(6) · Sound
Decibel levels from the programming of amplified sound (e.g. concerts, performances, etc.) … shall not exceed 80 dBA at any perimeter property lines. … For all events, except the Large Events, all amplified sound programming or other sources of excessive sound must stop from 10:00 pm to 9 am Sunday through Thursday and 11:00 pm to 9 am on Friday and Saturday. … If excessive sound continues after the hours defined above, Developer shall pay to the Village a penalty of $2,500 per daily overage from one to 30 minutes, and $5,000 per daily overage of more than 30 minutes.
To monitor compliance with these requirements, Developer shall install decibel level monitoring systems as directed by a third-party sound/acoustic industry expert … to ensure an accurate reading in real time of the noise being generated at all perimeter property lines. …
What it means
Volume is capped at 80 decibels at the property line.
Music stops by 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and by 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Later hours for a specific event require Village Council approval.
Real-time sound monitors, placed by an independent acoustics expert, track levels at the property line. The Village may check them during any event.
Going past the cutoff carries a set penalty paid to the Village: $2,500, or $5,000 if more than 30 minutes over.
Section F(7)(c) · Event Sequencing
Notwithstanding approval of the Event Plans as detailed in Section 7(a) above, Developer agrees to put on events at the Property in the below listed sequence – moving from a smaller-sized event to a mid-size event to a Large Event, as follows:
- An event of less than 9,999 anticipated attendees utilizing off-site parking. (the “Small Event”).
- A mid-size event of between 10,000 to 19,999 anticipated attendees (“Mid-Size Event”).
- And, finally, a Large Event of 20,000 or more anticipated attendees.
Developer must demonstrate compliance with the applicable approved Event Plan for an event of each size before Developer can put on an event of the next larger size. …
What it means
Events at The Mill begin in the smallest category. A bigger event is allowed only after The Mill Group has shown that it followed the approved plan at the size below.
The 2027 Summer Concert Series is planned within the Small Event category, the first rung on this ladder.
Section F(7)(b) · Event Consultation
Within the earlier of ten (10) days after the event or prior to the first event of the next larger size …, Developer and the Village agree to meet to evaluate the success of the event and any failure to comply with the approved Event Plan and this Agreement, along with necessary improvements to ensure that future events comply with the approved Event Plan and this Agreement. After three (3) consecutive consultations at each event level without failure to comply with the approved Event Plan and this Agreement, consultations required under this paragraph shall be held once each calendar year or upon request of the Village. …
What it means
Within 10 days after an event, The Mill Group and the Village meet to review how it went and whether the approved Event Plan was followed. If something needs fixing, it gets fixed before the next event.
After three clean reviews in a row at a given size, check-ins move to once a year, or any time the Village asks.
These are compliance reviews of the approved plan. They are not a fresh vote on each event.
Sections F(7)(d) and F(7)(e)
Section F(7)(d) · Event Insurance. … Developer must provide the Village with a certificate of insurance … which provides liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence for death, injury or property damage arising out of any event up to 9,999 anticipated attendees; and not less than $5,000,000 per occurrence … arising out of any event involving 10,000 to 40,000 anticipated attendees. The insurance policy must name the Village, including its agents and representatives, as an additional insured.
Section F(7)(e). As set forth under Section 82-627 of the Zoning Ordinance, Developer is responsible for the actual costs (including any attorney and consultant fees) the Village incurs in its review of Event Plants under this Section F(7).
What it means
Every event must carry liability insurance, $1 million per occurrence for Small Events and $5 million for anything larger, with the Village named as an additional insured.
The Mill Group also pays the Village’s actual costs of reviewing Event Plans, including attorney and consultant fees.
Section D · Sequencing of PUD
… site plan reviews and approvals for all or any portion of the Development shall be based on the Village’s determination, in its reasonable discretion, that the proposed use and the proposed structure are in compliance with the minimum standards set forth in the approved PUD Plans and in the other PUD Documents. …
Sequences I, II III, and IV may be further broken down into sub-sequences … Furthermore, the timing of the construction of any of the structures approved as part of the PUD Plan need not occur only as part of, or in accordance with, the proposed sequencing; e.g., a structure listed as part of Sequence III may be constructed during the time period proposed for Sequence II, subject to the approval of the supplemental site plan by the Village …
What it means
The Agreement expects The Mill to come together in phases, and it allows those phases to be broken into smaller pieces and built out of the original order.
Each piece gets its own site plan review, measured against the minimum standards already in the PUD. Nothing in the Agreement requires a particular building to open before events can be held.
The Summer Concert Series is meant to show that The Mill and Vicksburg can draw visitors. That success is what supports the continued investment inside the buildings.
Sections P, R and M
Section P · Running with the Land. This Development Agreement shall run with the land constituting the Property and shall be binding on and inure to the benefit of the Village and its successors, Developer, all future owners of any part of the Development …
Section R · Modifications. This Agreement may not be modified … without the prior written consent of the Village Council and the Developer or its successors in title to the Property …
Section M · Agreement Jointly Drafted. … this Agreement is the product of the joint efforts and mutual agreements reached between the Developer and the Village. Developer and the Village fully accept and agree to the final terms, conditions, and obligations of this Agreement. …
What it means
The Village and The Mill Group negotiated these terms together and both accepted them. The Agreement binds both sides and every future owner of the property.
Its terms can change only with the written consent of both the Village Council and The Mill Group. Neither side can add new conditions on its own.
Events at The Mill were approved in 2018. The Event Plan approval decides how they operate, not whether they can happen. The complete signed Development Agreement is available in full.
This page summarizes selected provisions for convenience and is not legal advice. The signed Development Agreement is the controlling document; where this summary and the Agreement differ, the Agreement governs.