Raising a red flag about the stability of the bluff is a smart idea &8212; but let&8217;s not sound the alarm yet.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spent $30 million and several years to stabilize the bluff against the kind of mudslides that caused tremendous damage and even fatalities over many decades.

Now that two developers want to build a five-story condominium complex there, the project has raised questions about everything from historic preservation to land use.

Most recently, a local geologist has raised concerns about the stability of the bluff if the condos are built there &8212; concerns that led the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to place stipulations on their approval to demolish the old pecan factory on the site.

MDAH has required that a &8220;qualified geologist&8221; sign off on the project before they will give final approval for the demolition that will make way for the condos. That&8217;s not a new idea &8212; the city already required developers to have a geotechnical review of the property.

City officials say the site is stable enough for condos; critics fear a catastrophe.

The &8220;qualified geologist&8221; who will sign off on the project should be someone with extensive knowledge of the bluff stabilization project and of the condo plans &8212; but it should be someone independent of the city and of the condo project.

The condo project is a massive undertaking that could be very beneficial for Natchez &8212; but not one that needs to be derailed either by unnecessary alarm in the present or unnecessary risks for the future.