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The Vue: R.I.P.


cdarr

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I want to check out the work of Giarratana, but your point about the failed TN Brewery project is a non-sequitur, considering this is what it would have looked like:

east.jpg

west.jpg

It doesn't look very visionary to me.

And visionary or not, I think I'd still pick this

100SMain_turley.jpg

as the project to embrace, if I had to choose one or the other.

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^ I have a problem with them so stringently adhering to preserving the "scale" of the area. As a city and a downtown grow, it inevitably grows UP. There's an opportunity for south Main to be home to a DIVERSE array of building styles and heights, in a way that I do not sincerely believe would threaten the character of the area, but, instead ENHANCE it. It appears to me, at least, that they stick by these codes because they exist and they're scared of the unknown, not because there's a legit threat to the scale and character if these codes are altered. If anything, many of the new low-rise projects are not consistent with the scale and character of the existing area, imo. The streets and infill developments west of Main and particularly Front, near Riverside and Crump, do not preserve the character that lines Front and Main. They are distinct, and some of the projects resemble low-rise projects in other areas of the city, particularly the apartment complex with the gate. Where they retrofit an existing building, that preserves the character. But many of the new projects I don't think are necessarily examples of the harmonic redevelopment that could really enhance that area. Some of the planned projects that haven't been built the last time I was in town, though, are, I agree.

I just don't see the deleterious difference between a 10-story building and a bland 3 or 4 story box apartment (I'm visualizing a project that I can't name, but it's literally just a box).

I'd be heartened if I read reports of the community advocating for projects, instead of just opposing things. I suspect they do support many new projects, but either they don't get the word out, or the media isn't investigating far enough. But the lack of such reports is dangerous, because it can cause developers, visionaries to shy away from the area. So South Main needs to be known as much for what they support, as what they oppose. Whether it's the Powerplant, or Horizon, or what. Be as outspoken in your positive feelings as one is in their negative ones. Maybe b/c I'm not immersed in Memphis unfortunately I don't truly appreciate the attitudes of that community. I really, truly, disdain a ceiling cap on developments in any downtown neighborhood, b/c I don't the height alone is enough to taint the quality of a project in any neighborhood. Theoretically, there should be a 10-15 story development that, if designed right, would fit right in and in fact enhance the area through visual and street-level diversity.

IMO.

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Clobber, let's not forget that even though the South Main area is part of downtown, it's certainly not the central business district, just a residential neighborhood that's part of downtown.

Beyond that, I don't see anything wrong with midrise residential in South Main. I thought the particular poject in question was uninspired architecturally, but more importantly it did everything it could, short of outright demolition, to reduce the Brewery to a non-entity. Just look at the first rendering. You have to squint real hard just to find the Brewery, or at least the facade which is the only thing left. That Brewery is probably the most significant building in the area, and the project would have essentially destroyed it.

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Clobber, let's not forget that even though the South Main area is part of downtown, it's certainly not the central business district, just a residential neighborhood that's part of downtown.

Beyond that, I don't see anything wrong with midrise residential in South Main. I thought the particular poject in question was uninspired architecturally, but more importantly it did everything it could, short of outright demolition, to reduce the Brewery to a non-entity. Just look at the first rendering. You have to squint real hard just to find the Brewery, or at least the facade which is the only thing left. That Brewery is probably the most significant building in the area, and the project would have essentially destroyed it.

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just for semantics, isn't the South Main area and the South Bluff area two seperate neighborhoods? whereas South Main is an old establish neighborhood with existing low rise buildings that would sort of have a boundary on the south by central station/ GE Patterson, and that South Bluff area is undeveloped or a bunch of warehouses where the Horizon and Rivertower are. If thats the case, i don't see whats wrong with pushing the height limit in that area

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just for semantics, isn't the South Main area and the South Bluff area two seperate neighborhoods? whereas South Main is an old establish neighborhood with existing low rise buildings that would sort of have a boundary on the south by central station/ GE Patterson, and that South Bluff area is undeveloped or a bunch of warehouses where the Horizon and Rivertower are. If thats the case, i don't see whats wrong with pushing the height limit in that area
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