Have an Opinion on the Fairgrounds?

The Mid-South Fairgrounds Redevelopment Committee recently heard six proposals for the reuse of the property that is now home to Libertyland, the Mid-South Fair and the Mid-South Coliseum. Under the scenario most favored by the committee, Libertyland and the Coliseum would be torn down to make way for multi-purpose areas and mixed-use development of residential and commercial buildings. The plan appears to have over 40 acres of the 140 acre site devoted to sports and recreation. Should Libertyland and the Coliseum be torn down to make room for new development? If you have an opinion, you can provide your input by filling out a short poll.

If you think Summer Avenue is ugly...

This is for you!

The City is planning a charette for one of Tucker-Jefferson's neighbors. A charette is an intensive design process that involves the collaboration of all project stakeholders at the beginning of a project to develop a comprehensive plan or design.

As a part of the Unified Development Code that the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development is undertaking in collaboration with its consultant Duncan and Associates for the City of Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County, a form based charrette is being planned for the Summer Avenue-Broad Street-Sam Cooper Boulevard Area. The boundaries for the area are generally Summer Avenue on the north, Harvard Avenue on the south, East Parkway North on the west and the railroad on the east.

Ferrell Madden Associates, a Washington, D.C. based urban design and planning consultant, and the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development will conduct a public participation design charrette that is open to the general public. The public participation design charrette is an intensive community-based planning forum that brings together City residents, local stakeholders, business people, and government officials to collectively craft a vision for Greater Broad Street Area. The charrette format encourages individual involvement in a creative and non-threatening manner.

The charrette will begin with an introductory presentation on Friday, January 27 followed by discussion. Saturday morning beginning at 9 AM, participants will gather around tables in small groups with a team facilitator and identify important issues. These presentations permit participants to share their common goals as well as provide an opportunity for in-depth discussion of particular issues or concerns. The public participation design element will last until 2-3 PM depending on the number of participants that attend.

During the following week, the charrette team will assemble all citizen input into a draft comprehensive master plan to provide a clear, physical framework for the future. This plan will be presented to the community on Thursday, February 2 in a work-in-progress presentation. The feedback received is then incorporated into the final plan. Public participation charrettes have unequaled effectiveness in identifying and focusing citizen participation.

The Division of Planning and Development is working to complete final arrangements for the charrette and will provide further details as on the charette webiste.

For more information, contact Louise Mercuro, Deputy Division Director, Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development at 576-6601.