Riverfront Development vs. Friends For Our Riverfront

[Bears]

This kinda relates to this discussion. I'm not sure if anyone has heard about the Mississippi River Trail Its a 3,000-mile bike path following the river from Minnesota to New Orleans. Going thru Memphis, I think it goes down Second Avenue but I think it'll be nicer if it just stayed on Riverside Drive. Isn't there a pedestrian bridge on the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge? Maybe the Friends For Our Riverfront group can try to organize a Tour de Mississippi?

[Psalm 91]

I think that many of us who know the city well would like to see park improvements to create something like Chicago has for a downtown welcome mat. Downtown needs to build on the fact that it is a neighborhood and the entertainment center for the city. The area being discussed needs to be the bow that ties various parts together so that there is a coherent whole. Something that would draw more people to the river and tie the south end of downtown to the north end. Something that would make more people use the Green Belt Parks.

I think Chicago's park is excellent, but, how can we make a welcome mat out of broken up plots of land on the Promenade? The proposed parks on the Promenade are separated by streets (Second, Union, etc.) which will have to have bridges built over them. If the parks on the Promenade have trees on them, how will we get a good view of the River when it will be blocked? Take for example the park across the street from Morgan Keegan (Forrest park?), which has trees, and is not functional at all because drivers on Front cannot see the River and cannot make a connection with it. If we're going to make the Promenade a total green area, then it'll have to be slightly bare like Tom Lee Park. Having a balance of development and greenspace would add to the fact of downtown becoming more of a neighborhood versus a CBD, even though the vision for downtown should be to at least have considerable *occupied* office space.

Martyr's Park is what a park should be like. Even though it is far away from the River, it's still close enough to give it added drama. Put Memphians close to the River - if we're going to be sitting on a bluff, far away from the River, let's find a way to make Memphians (and others) connected to it.

[TennBear]

I think Chicago's park is excellent, but, how can we make a welcome mat out of broken up plots of land on the Promenade? The proposed parks on the Promenade are separated by streets (Second, Union, etc.) which will have to have bridges built over them. If the parks on the Promenade have trees on them, how will we get a good view of the River when it will be blocked? Take for example the park across the street from Morgan Keegan (Forrest park?), which has trees, and is not functional at all because drivers on Front cannot see the River and cannot make a connection with it. If we're going to make the Promenade a total green area, then it'll have to be slightly bare like Tom Lee Park. Having a balance of development and greenspace would add to the fact of downtown becoming more of a neighborhood versus a CBD, even though the vision for downtown should be to at least have considerable *occupied* office space.

Martyr's Park is what a park should be like. Even though it is far away from the River, it's still close enough to give it added drama. Put Memphians close to the River - if we're going to be sitting on a bluff, far away from the River, let's find a way to make Memphians (and others) connected to it.

I think that all of the proposals for the Promenade have included bridges connecting the blocks. It creates a walk that connects them to form a unified whole. Why do the drivers on Front Street need to have the view? Drivers on Riverside have a view, if you want people to only look at the river from their cars. You want to get poeple out of their cars and into the parks. You want them to slow down and enjoy the vista for it's own sake. Besides if all those drivers on Front Street are looking at the rive views, they are missing on looking out for other cars and pedestrians. Martyr's Park is fine. It and the Metal Museum can give visitors and local alike a view of what the bluffs looked like before they were cut back to create the port. The one thing that you seem to miss is that when you have no trees, you will have no people in the parks. The reason for this is that with the sun beating down on them, people will not want to be there. Cool breezes coming across the river, shade covered areas, and the scent of flowers are far more inviting than a barren green lawn. There are a lot of spaces for office space. Memphis is still working through the numerous vacant buildings. There are still locations where buildings can be taken down to build new buildings. We are talking about four blocks of land that does not break up or divide the downtown. It would make the Greenbelt continuous where the cobblestones leave a break in the belt. I don't understand your point of view. That is fine. You may not understand mine. I see the area as a valuable resource that would be wasted by allowing buildings to be placed upon it that would make the buildings along Front street less valuable because they would lose some of their views. It is using city authority to take away value from one person and give or sale it to another. Whereas you can say that enhancing the parks uses the city's authority to increase the value of the land owners on Front by using tax payer money. That could be just as valid. We just view this resource in different lights.

[Psalm 91]

Tenn Bear,

I don't want people to simply ride in the cars and look out at the Mississippi from Front. But if someone is driving on Front and sees an expanse of greenspace (like Tom Lee) in which they have a clear view of the River, it will make them want to get out and experience the parks you are describing. If the Promenade was totally green, I'd like flowers on it too.

My point is just to blend the two ideas from both sides. I don't want to see all greenspace, and I don't want to see skyscrapers go up to block the view of the River....what I do want is something that will help create a sense of belonging and place. If the future Law School is surrounded by a park, then that's cool with me.

I know that you're saying that building more structures on the Promenade is a waste because we have ample space in vacant buildings; and I agree with that. I know you don't want development for the sake of developing to take place. I'm not saying that either. It should be made to be a place...not another Beale Street, not another Tom Lee Park, but something in between....maybe the Memphis Botanic Gardens could move to the Promenade.

[TennBear]

Tenn Bear,

I don't want people to simply ride in the cars and look out at the Mississippi from Front. But if someone is driving on Front and sees an expanse of greenspace (like Tom Lee) in which they have a clear view of the River, it will make them want to get out and experience the parks you are describing. If the Promenade was totally green, I'd like flowers on it too.

My point is just to blend the two ideas from both sides. I don't want to see all greenspace, and I don't want to see skyscrapers go up to block the view of the River....what I do want is something that will help create a sense of belonging and place. If the future Law School is surrounded by a park, then that's cool with me.

I know that you're saying that building more structures on the Promenade is a waste because we have ample space in vacant buildings; and I agree with that. I know you don't want development for the sake of developing to take place. I'm not saying that either. It should be made to be a place...not another Beale Street, not another Tom Lee Park, but something in between....maybe the Memphis Botanic Gardens could move to the Promenade.

I don't think that there is enough space for a complete Botanical Garden, but something welcoming would be good. I mentioned the possiblity of moving the Denzel Carrousel there. Maybe a WaterGarden. It could be a traditional watergarden with ponds and water plants or a Water Fountain that shows off a display of dancing sprays of water. It should be something that can attract people. I do think that we are in agreement that it should be something that would be an attraction in and of itself.

[Justiceham]

7 million for greenspace?! The FFOR plan seems way too conservative for a riverfront Memphis's size. I'd choose the RD plan any day, it incorporates businesses, makes excellent use of color patterns, and just looks better in my opionion.

[arsenalfanth210]

I have to differ from many of the views of a "greenspace" on our riverfront, especially facing our Wolf River rather than the Mississippi itself, as Tom Lee does. My personal vision would be somewhat of a combination of the Chicago River and the Intracoastal Waterway in Miami. With highrises lining both sides of the Wolf River all the way up to the Island Drive land bridge. This would expand downtown development northward as much of the land north of the Pyramid and Convention Center is either vacant lots or decaying industrial structures. Also it would compliment the new development of the the Uptown area and the new construction at St. Jude. Honestly, I think its silly to think of the Promenade as our welcome mat since none of the bridges get close enough to have a good view of the area. Developing the Wolf River Harbor would bring a new welcome view to the city and I believe it would be more visually appealing than the current skyline, all of which lies south of the Hernando De Soto Bridge. Imagine coming over the bridge and being able to see the "old" downtown to the south and the new downtown to the north. I personally loved the feeling of driving over the causeway connecting Aventura to the beaches in Miami, with 20+-story residential buildings lining both sides. Not that I am against parks at all, I just would rather see the needed development where it counts and I believe the area around the Hernando De Soto Bridge (call it Uptown, Greenlaw, the Pinch, whatever) is the true welcome mat to the city.