East Memphis and University District News & Developments

[DRG901]

8 hours ago, VSRJ said:

Clark Tower has sold - it'll be interesting to see what improvements the new owners have planned:

Clark Tower purchased by local company, Cicada Capital Partners

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2021/08/02/clark-tower-purchased-by-local-company.html

 

I really hope this ties into whatever happens with the Carlisle mixed use at the Racquet Club site.  There was talk of making Clark Tower/Brookhaven and everything else on that block into a more walkable and connected area.  With new local owners hopefully they are all working something out.  Prime opportunity

 

Sounds like a good sign:

“The proposed renovations and repositioning of Clark Tower will complement the recently completed and proposed new developments in the immediate area, along with the many walkable area restaurants and other amenities,” Soefker said.

Edited August 3, 2021 by DRG901
Added quote from article

[VSRJ]

More development in the University District:

Board approves requests for University District apartments

https://dailymemphian.com/section/neighborhoods/article/23744/board-approves-requests-from-university-of-memphis-apartment-developer

Quote

 

The Memphis and Shelby County Board of Adjustment voted Wednesday, Aug. 25, to approve seven variance requests from ZDC Properties, which is based in Boca Raton, Florida.

At a July meeting, the board voted for a one month abeyance, giving ZDC – which does business as Houston Street Properties LLC – time to resubmit its application.

One request sought relief from a decision by the city engineering department that would have prohibited construction over a concrete drainage flume on the border of the property at 587-619 Houston St.

 

 

[VSRJ]

Great news for University of Memphis Athletics (and the community as a whole):

Memphis athletic department reveals master facilities plan: Tiger Park

https://dailymemphian.com/article/23754/memphis-athletic-complex-master-plan-tiger-park

Quote

 

The University of Memphis unveiled its master facilities plan, with details of new buildings and upgrades, for its Park Avenue campus, starting with the name: Tiger Park.

The “Vision 20/20s” plan, announced at Wednesday’s board of trustees meeting, made clear that the construction priority is the “Student-Athlete Success Center,” a 60,000-plus development anchor that will include a dining center, as well as academic and support services.

 

 

[21jump]

These facility upgrades are great. I'm waiting to see a timeline and a budget.

[VSRJ]

Interesting architecture for East Memphis. I like it!

Local developers plan to build four-story brownstones in East Memphis

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2021/12/21/developers-brownstones-east-memphis-alladin.html

 

Quote

 

November 6 Investments, which recently announced a $29 million adaptive reuse of the Greyhound building in Uptown, is also creating an infill project in a vacant lot adjacent to the group’s headquarters, at 825 Valleybrook Drive.

The build, which will be known as The Charleston, is inspired by those in bigger cities such as Boston or New York. The lot itself is small, only 10,000 square feet, so the plan is to build taller. The company expects to spend more than $6 million to complete the project. A building permit valued at $4 million was filed in July 2021 for the construction.

 

 

[MDC26]

2 hours ago, VSRJ said:

Interesting architecture for East Memphis. I like it!

Local developers plan to build four-story brownstones in East Memphis

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2021/12/21/developers-brownstones-east-memphis-alladin.html

 

 

I do like that.  I wonder how many units total.  I have a feeling the neighbors will complain about it being too tall and that it will increase traffic.  

[DRG901]

 

Carrefour at Poplar and Kirby which had been approved as a new mixed use development in 2019 has been sold to Billy Orgel and investors who plan to redevelop it in a similar way.

Carrefour shopping center sold to prominent local developers - Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian

Edited January 19, 2022 by DRG901

[TheKernel91]

This is going to be near Perkins and Poplar. The lot that's behind Soul Fish. Glad to see East Memphis get more opportunities to use space to create midrise living. I still got my eye for what they'll announce for the old racquet club. 

Edited March 4, 2022 by TheKernel91

[MDC26]

https://dailymemphian.com/section/neighborhoods/article/30550/third-church-of-christ-scientist-site-to-be-razed-35-central-memphis
 

35 Central mixed use project moving forward. 
 

 

[TheKernel91]

That building is alot bigger than I thought. That will look great in the Highland/U of M area.

Are there any updates with the mixed-use project on Highland and Poplar? Last I saw about nearby home owners had worries of increased traffic and other things.

Edited August 30, 2022 by TheKernel91

[The Guardian of Memphis]

On 3/4/2022 at 12:18 PM, TheKernel91 said:

This is going to be near Perkins and Poplar. The lot that's behind Soul Fish. Glad to see East Memphis get more opportunities to use space to create midrise living. I still got my eye for what they'll announce for the old racquet club. 

Behind Soul Fish? Kind of a weird location, but very interesting to see residential development of this nature on Poplar. Mini-Buckhead/Peachtree Rd. in Memphis is starting to shape. 

[TheKernel91]

2 hours ago, The Guardian of Memphis said:

Behind Soul Fish? Kind of a weird location, but very interesting to see residential development of this nature on Poplar. Mini-Buckhead/Peachtree Rd. in Memphis is starting to shape. 

Since building space is low, it's forcing developers to build up. I got my eye on aging buildings/businesses in the area for more opportunities like this.

Edited August 30, 2022 by TheKernel91

[The Guardian of Memphis]

On 8/29/2022 at 8:45 PM, TheKernel91 said:

Since building space is low, it's forcing developers to build up. I got my eye on aging buildings/businesses in the area for more opportunities like this.

Memphis 3.0 in full effect.

Which buildings? What do you think about the Carrefour development? It's Buckheadesque.

Carrefour at The Gateway – LIVE, WORK, PLAY, STAY at The Gateway

CRE Devco Germantown, led by Billy Orgel and Adam Slovis, buy Carrefour property at 6777 Poplar Ave. for major redevelopment. - Memphis Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

Edited August 31, 2022 by The Guardian of Memphis

[James Owen]

5 minutes ago, The Guardian of Memphis said:

Memphis 3.0 in full effect.

Which buildings? What do you think about the Carrefour development? It's Buckheadesque.

Carrefour at The Gateway – LIVE, WORK, PLAY, STAY at The Gateway

CRE Devco Germantown, led by Billy Orgel and Adam Slovis, buy Carrefour property at 6777 Poplar Ave. for major redevelopment. - Memphis Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

This one has nothing to do with Memphis 3.0 as the Carrefour property is on the Germantown side of Poplar Avenue right before you pass Kirby Road going east. That project along with the TraVure and Thornwood developments are part of an effort by Germantown to urbanize areas of the suburban city as they've basically built themselves out to where they have to go vertical.

 

[The Guardian of Memphis]

17 hours ago, James Owen said:

This one has nothing to do with Memphis 3.0 as the Carrefour property is on the Germantown side of Poplar Avenue right before you pass Kirby Road going east. That project along with the TraVure and Thornwood developments are part of an effort by Germantown to urbanize areas of the suburban city as they've basically built themselves out to where they have to go vertical.

 

The Memphis 3.0 comment was in reference to the residential piece behind Soul Fish.

The Carrefour comment is separate in that I was relating the development to looking Buckhead-like.

I'm awake over here! LOL.

 

[TheKernel91]

 

On 8/30/2022 at 10:01 PM, The Guardian of Memphis said:

Memphis 3.0 in full effect.

Which buildings? What do you think about the Carrefour development? It's Buckheadesque.

Carrefour at The Gateway – LIVE, WORK, PLAY, STAY at The Gateway

CRE Devco Germantown, led by Billy Orgel and Adam Slovis, buy Carrefour property at 6777 Poplar Ave. for major redevelopment. - Memphis Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

Here's some places left in the area that I see could get the opportunity for some mixed use/midrise apartment-office building type of development... 

1st.  The office buildings right next to Malco Ridgeway Cinema. They're low level office buildings. Tear them down, and build a 5-12 story office building. And another building with about 6-7 floors of apartments and retail at the bottom with a parking garage. I'm shocked that the Ridgeway Center across the street with Bestbuy didn't get a mixed-use development like that with apartments or office space. I know for sure if that space was available today, it would of went that route.

2. Possibly somewhere in the Ridgeway Office park. So many surface parking lot

3. The surface lot right next to the Ibank building

4. The Church and land that's across the street from the Kroger behind The Paradiso. 

5. Maybe the land Macy's furniture sits on if they close oneday.

 

6.  If the property owner sells their home here,  it'll instantly qualify. 

 

7. This land next to IP's new building 

8. There's some land owned by the Jewish Community center. It's basically soccer fields. If they decide to one day sell. Opportunity here.  I'm not sure if they own that land towards the east of the community center either. 

 

Edited September 1, 2022 by TheKernel91

[DRG901]

The area around the Paradiso and the towers/Brookhaven could really use a makeover and become more dense for sure.  And at some point I'd hope all of Oak Court Mall will be repurposed into something mixed use.  It is struggling and malls have been dying for years but the companies that own them seem to let them die a very slow death.

[The Guardian of Memphis]

Good work, Kernel!

The notion that there's not enough land is definitely not true. Only question is, will people complain because of the heights?

I think the East Memphis skyline should begin with Clark Tower and the I-Bank tower, since it's parking lot city. I just wouldn't want all the development to take away from Downtown. There is so much that can be done to add height in East Memphis. All of the locations you pointed out are good spots. I didn't know there was a movie theater on Ridgeway! 

 

[MDC26]

All this would be great. Probably won’t see all these things unless Memphis sees Austin or Charlotte like growth. 

[The Guardian of Memphis]

3 hours ago, DRG901 said:

The area around the Paradiso and the towers/Brookhaven could really use a makeover and become more dense for sure.  And at some point I'd hope all of Oak Court Mall will be repurposed into something mixed use.  It is struggling and malls have been dying for years but the companies that own them seem to let them die a very slow death.

Definitely agree. Maybe oak court can be like carrefour. If a light rail were to be on poplar we’d be good to go. Already have the rail line. 

[James Owen]

2 minutes ago, The Guardian of Memphis said:

Definitely agree. Maybe oak court can be like carrefour. If a light rail were to be on poplar we’d be good to go. Already have the rail line. 

Except that line you're speaking of is privately-owned heavy rail used to haul freight every day.

LRT aside, there are plans to implement a bus rapid transit (BRT) system over the next few years. If successful, the line might be extended eastward.

https://memphisinnovationcorridor.com/about.html

[TheKernel91]

5 hours ago, DRG901 said:

The area around the Paradiso and the towers/Brookhaven could really use a makeover and become more dense for sure.  And at some point I'd hope all of Oak Court Mall will be repurposed into something mixed use.  It is struggling and malls have been dying for years but the companies that own them seem to let them die a very slow death.

I'm not sure what happened,  but the previous Clarke Tower owners had plans to change that area into a campus like setting. I remember the city backed it too. They had renderings. It would have helped. 

https://in-rel.com/clark-tower-owner-plans-campus-setting/

Now, I'm really hoping that for Oak Court in some kind of way. Alot of the stores now do not reflect the demographic of the neighborhood and it's dated too. It's supposed to be our "Luxury Mall" or the closest thing we had to one at it's peak. It's in area of old money on all sides. It honestly could redevelop into what Green Hills Mall became for Nashville in that area. Or mixed-use. Respectively, the area Green Hills have a higher income than that part of East Memphis, and zipcode wise compare better with 38120 which is a few short miles east on Poplar closer to Germantown border where the Carrefour development is going to happen in a similar fashion.

Edited September 2, 2022 by TheKernel91

[TheKernel91]

 

4 hours ago, The Guardian of Memphis said:

Good work, Kernel!

The notion that there's not enough land is definitely not true. Only question is, will people complain because of the heights?

I think the East Memphis skyline should begin with Clark Tower and the I-Bank tower, since it's parking lot city. I just wouldn't want all the development to take away from Downtown. There is so much that can be done to add height in East Memphis. All of the locations you pointed out are good spots. I didn't know there was a movie theater on Ridgeway! 

 

Yea that Movie theater is very much out of sight unless you work nearby, or go to Benihanna.

The closet thing we have that might expand on its skyline, is the plans at the old Racquet club. (Finger cross, home owners won't cause a fuss) Depending if it goes that route and bring some buildings. One of those parking lots could be next for something if the demand continues. We can support two downtowns lol

Edited September 2, 2022 by TheKernel91

[TheKernel91]

2 hours ago, MDC26 said:

All this would be great. Probably won’t see all these things unless Memphis sees Austin or Charlotte like growth. 

In honesty, that's more likely the truth. Kind of wishing we get more daring projects. If we had that growth, it would be changing before our eyes because of demand. What Memphis developed into now have been because of the current growth rate, give or take with a few things that got built or not. If one day it change to high growth, East Memphis would benefit greatly from chnage.

 

[MDC26]

10 hours ago, TheKernel91 said:

In honesty, that's more likely the truth. Kind of wishing we get more daring projects. If we had that growth, it would be changing before our eyes because of demand. What Memphis developed into now have been because of the current growth rate, give or take with a few things that got built or not. If one day it change to high growth, East Memphis would benefit greatly from chnage.

 

And I just want to reiterate ALL.  Some higher density development could absolutely occur at some of these locations, but for all of them, we would need explosive growth.