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Graceland Redevelopment


Bears

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The developer seems pretty tight lipped about what he plans to do

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/busine...4490207,00.html

All he said was a Disneyland type development. I can't really see anything that big, but it's something for so many theme/water parks being planned in Memphis.

Any development in the area is a good thing.

Personally, I don't see why a second, real rock and roll hall of fame couldn't be organized in Memphis. That would be a good street for it too. (looking that the rockhall.com website, you would think it actually is in Memphis). They might have a trademark on the "Rock and Roll hall of Fame" name, but I don't see how one group can be the official spokesman for rock and roll.

I'm not bitter.

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I have always been baffled at how the Graceland area of Whitehaven looks. :blink: As one of most visited areas in the state, or the country for that matter, it should be a jewel. Its about time someone with good sense sees how many more people would visit if the area was better looking and safer. There's not even an Applebee's in the vicinity! That area needs fine dining and upscale shopping and hotels IMO.

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I have always been baffled at how the Graceland area of Whitehaven looks. :blink: As one of most visited areas in the state, or the country for that matter, it should be a jewel. Its about time someone with good sense sees how many more people would visit if the area was better looking and safer. There's not even an Applebee's in the vicinity! That area needs fine dining and upscale shopping and hotels IMO.

I agree. Unless your an Elvis fan, driving past Graceland is good enough.

http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4544089

I always thought Southland Mall and that rundown shopping center across the street could be turned into an Opry Mills and Gaylord Hotel and Resort. Good thing about that area is that there are acres of run down buildings and parking lots that can be developed easily. Won't take much to knock some of those buildings down. Many of the homes are in good shape though so its mostly the commerical areas that need redevelopment.

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I always thought Southland Mall and that rundown shopping center across the street could be turned into an Opry Mills and Gaylord Hotel and Resort. Good thing about that area is that there are acres of run down buildings and parking lots that can be developed easily. Won't take much to knock some of those buildings down. Many of the homes are in good shape though so its mostly the commerical areas that need redevelopment.

Good point. There is no reason why Whitehaven couldn't be a resort-type. If that's going to happen, the hospitality industry here needs to be a little bit more hospitable. The service at the fast food restaurants is horrible.

I know this is off the subject, but the area around the airport could be landscaped better too. It's so negelected.... :angry:

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I think Memphians want to brush off the whole Elvis/Graceland image without realizing the effect he's had on the world. I don't think that many visitors really care about what's in the area because they come with an extreme love for the King and if they are truly an Elvis fanatic (and there are many out there), they visit over and over again. Its kinda like Hollywood. People will visit even though its kinda considered a slum in LA. What the CFX guy wants to do is get more people to Graceland. As long as they don't make it too "plastic" and leave the mansion as Elvis left it, number of tourist won't go down.

The stuff across the street could be redeveloped into something big. Maybe another large ferris wheel could be planned there too :rolleyes: The commerical strip along Elvis Presely Blvd could be redeveloped with nostalgic 1950's style diners, old fashioned gas stations, and hotels with black and white TV's. Just a street to go back in time would be a tourist attraction in itself.

Redevelopment around the airport won't be easy. MEM doesn't have enough flights to attract many offices closer to the airport. Fedex is the biggest thing at the airport so if the area does redevelop, it'll probably be more warehouses. We can't have nice housing because MEM has about three planes either taking off or landing every five minutes so its not a place a developer would want to spend big bucks.

Many people from out of town book rooms near the airport because they think its where the business travelers stay. Imagine their suprise when they arrive and all they see are prostitutes, used car lots, and truck stops. I don't think we can get rid off the distribution centers because the pull of the super hub is too strong. I'm not sure if prosititution and crime has gone down in the airport area but if it did, I could see nicer motels/hotels and a few shopping centers coming. The airport grounds look okay but I think we should put out a huge welcome mat like LAX.

Sadly, the Greyhound terminal is being relocated into the airport area, so those people who are in transit will have a bad impression on our city unless the terminal is something that wows them. (see my post in intermodal hub on this issue).

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Article says:

The 128-room Heartbreak Hotel, which stands across Elvis Presley Boulevard from Graceland, will be demolished, along with the visitors center. In their place, Mr. Sillerman plans two 400-room hotels, convention space, an entertainment complex, restaurants, shops, an outdoor amphitheater and a spa.

Sounds awesome. This area certainly has alot of unmet tourist potential. This area is also home to Southland Mall which has been around since the 1960's and is still home to a Macy's. Compared to other malls innercity areas, Southland is pretty strong.

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Article says:

Sounds awesome. This area certainly has alot of unmet tourist potential. This area is also home to Southland Mall which has been around since the 1960's and is still home to a Macy's. Compared to other malls innercity areas, Southland is pretty strong.

Yes, Southland Mall just keeps hanging on, somehow. Built in 1965, it was the first covered shopping center in Memphis. Who would have thought that it would outlive the now-demolished Mall of Memphis (c. 1981)? It still has both of its original anchors (Sears and Macy's, ex-Goldsmiths). A friend of mine who works for Sears says that their Southland store still does remarkably well.

I have always wanted to see Whitehaven establish itself a solid, economically healthy black middle class suburb. It actually has a lot going for it - very nice mature neighborhood with large homes, interstate access at Elvis Presley Blvd and Shelby Drive, Methodist South Hospital. A new Wal Mart Supercenter was just recently constructed, demonstrating that there was untapped buying potential in the community. Major improvements to Graceland would only further improve the situation if increased tourist traffic leads to the construction of new hotels, restaurants and shops.

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