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Sears Crosstown redevelopment

tnse

By tnse
in Memphis

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gatesofmemphis Unincorporated Area

gatesofmemphis

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I think developing the building in phases (like they do in greenfield developments) rather than as one mega-all-at-once development is the best bet with Sears Crosstown. Each development will create the value for the next phase. The building itself was built in phases. Why can't it be redeveloped like that as well.

is there any economic reason it has to be done at once?

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Clobber Burg

Clobber

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I think developing the building in phases (like they do in greenfield developments) rather than as one mega-all-at-once development is the best bet with Sears Crosstown. Each development will create the value for the next phase. The building itself was built in phases. Why can't it be redeveloped like that as well.

is there any economic reason it has to be done at once?

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jmduke Whistle-Stop

jmduke

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To sort-of clear up a previous discussion about the residential/commercial makeup of the Sears Crosstown area, the building sits at the north end of a commercial district that runs south along Cleveland toward Methodist Hospital. The residential area to the east across Cleveland/Watkins is the Evergreen Historic district. On the north and west side of the building sits Speedway Terrace. Evergreen is a really nice area while Speedway has both well-kept homes and those that aren't so great. I wouldn't call the general area run down at all.

If you're interested in seeing how truly immense the place is, take Claybrook south from N. Parkway. Right before it bends west into Forrest Ave., there is a little turnaround on the east side of the road that goes almost up to the old RR tracks on the north side of the building. The north side is contoured to fit next to the former tracks and extends west past the Claybrook/Forrest bend...it's a very long building.

I think demolishing the old parking garage on the SW corner of the site and building a mixed-use development on the south side along Autumn that connects to the original structure could work. Parking could be on the west end for the retail/office component with access off Claybrook and Autumn and on the north side for the residential component with access from Cleveland/Watkins. The original structure could house residential on the east side, with retail on the lower floors on the south side with office space in the upper floors. A similar structure could be built on the south side adjacent Autumn Ave., with mixed retail (lower) and either office or residential (upper). The buildings could be separated by a pedestrian common area where the gap between the garage and the current building is and there could be a couple of elevated walkways to connect the buildings (similar to downtown). If light rail were to ever be built and use the old railroad right-of-way, this area would be a perfect stop. Road access would be easy by way of Autumn, which connects Cleveland and Bellevue and by Claybrook which provides a direct link to Poplar.

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mandrws1 Hamlet

mandrws1

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As you might know from this thread and other Sears Crosstown threads, never has happened in Boston, Seattle, Minneapolis, and I believe Chicago.

Were we to concede, which I definitely do not, that Memphis is so much different than those cities -- poorer, more dangerous, etc., etc.

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sleepy Burg

sleepy

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I don't think those two characterizations/opinions have anything to do with it. The difference in those cities and Memphis is space. There has to be a really good reason or high demand to redevelop an old building like that when there is so much available land in the area at relatively cheap prices. If I were a developer and could build new at a much cheaper price than redeveloping monster old buildings, then I would. I think its just economics. If there was a really high housing demand, then rest assured buildings like this would already be redeveloped as housing units.
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gatesofmemphis Unincorporated Area

gatesofmemphis

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I don't think those two characterizations/opinions have anything to do with it. The difference in those cities and Memphis is space. There has to be a really good reason or high demand to redevelop an old building like that when there is so much available land in the area at relatively cheap prices. If I were a developer and could build new at a much cheaper price than redeveloping monster old buildings, then I would. I think its just economics. If there was a really high housing demand, then rest assured buildings like this would already be redeveloped as housing units.
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Rural King Town

Rural King

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Based on his previous track record and the fact Cates plunked down over 3 million dollars for the property I think we will all probably be pleased by what will come of the building. Buying a building or property is the most important step for any development, without possession the most ambitous plans are useless.

I look forward to seeing what his plans are for the Sears property. Its potential could go in several directions.

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sleepy Burg

sleepy

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I might have to go take pictures of its sister building in Boston to give you guys an idea of how it could look post-renovation. All of the pics of the Landmark Center you can find online really suck.
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tennreb Whistle-Stop

tennreb

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I think a Super Target would be great on the ground floor. The city would have to upgrade Cleveland Ave to make it a faster and more attractive route from the southern end of Midtown up to the Sears. A Best Buy could do really well there if coupled with the Target.

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Rardy Burg

Rardy

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I think a Super Target would be great on the ground floor. The city would have to upgrade Cleveland Ave to make it a faster and more attractive route from the southern end of Midtown up to the Sears. A Best Buy could do really well there if coupled with the Target.
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Rardy Burg

Rardy

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Nothing new really, but there's another article in today's CA about this project

Cates, head of Crosstown LLC -- which bought the landmark Art Deco structure for $3.5 million -- said he is assembling a local team of the "best and brightest" people from a host of fields, including architecture, engineering and real estate development, among others, to determine how to redevelop the building.
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Bears Hamlet

Bears

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^I would love to see the crosstown building become like the midtown exchange in minny. I even brought it to the attention of the head of the Evergreen District. They said that it is something that they'll like to have and might even make a tour up there to sort of model Memphis' after it. Memphis' crosstown tower is 200,000 square feet bigger than the one in Minneanapolis. But here's the problem...Does Memphis have an immigrant population large enough too sustain a global exchange? I know there are alot of Indians, Vietnamese, and Mexicans in Memphis, but are their populations large enough to sustain a huge chunk of the building? Cutural diversity is hidden (if existant) in Memphis compared to other cities like Detroit, Atlanta, and New York and is a gripe of some Memphis-haters that the city is just "ghetto blacks" in the south and "redneck whites" in the north. A place like Midtown exchange might change these views. Also, there needs to be some sort of incentive for immigrant owned businesses to abandon a more centralized part of their consumer base (i.e. Hickory Hill/Fox Meadows & Germantown pkwy) to midtown.

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