DRG901

I noticed today the site of the building on Madison is fenced off with construction equipment on it so this should be starting soon.

Announcing they aren't building an office tower is almost encouraging at this point... let's not kid ourselves and keep getting our hopes up lol.

Some pics in the MBJ of the convention center renovation See inside: Renasant Convention Center's $200M renovation nears completion https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2020/10/20/200m-renovations-to-renasant-convention-center.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_32&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s

The CA article says the plot of land this is proposed on is owned by the city, but part of his Phase 2 of 18 Main.. so

Yeah... though I'm happy to see the campus expand and add housing I was hoping for something better than this. Looks like it fell out of the burbs.

Work on this is starting. https://dailymemphian.com/section/businessreal-estate/article/17118/broad-avenue-arts-district-link-apartments

Dollar General opening one of its urban DGX concepts on Main Street (corner of Main and Gayoso). Behind the MBJ paywall: https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2020/09/23/dollar-generals-urban-variation-en-route-to-south.html?iana=hpmvp_memp_news_headline

California firm plans major renovations for apartment complexes near U of M More renovations, there's a lot of money being poured into this area right now. Behind the MBJ paywall. https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2020/09/14/forge-partners-buys-apartments-near-university.html?iana=hpmvp_memp_news_headline "California-based Forge Partners continued its Memphis buying spree this week, with the purchase of Mimosa Gardens and Williamsburg Manor for a combined $6.1 million. Currently, the properties feature window units, few amenities, and poor roofing. Forge partner Matt Campbell said renovations will include windows, roofing, central air conditioning, countertops, cabinetry, modern appliances, and the addition of amenities such as grills, bocce ball courts, and possibly swimming pools. "We're really rebuilding the properties," Campbell said. "People appreciate something that's older with the old wood floors, but they also want a new kitchen." Mimosa Gardens is located at 180 S. Highland St. and 3531 Poplar Ave., bordering the Firestone shop on two sides. Williamsburg is located just west of the Poplar Plaza Kroger, at 27 S. Prescott St. Combined, the complexes contain 82 units. The properties' high visibility, walking distance to retail, and proximity to the University of Memphis were major draws for Campbell. After the renovations, he said the units will be comparable to those in newer complexes and will be priced accordingly. Forge Partners spent $65 million on Highland Row — which was built in 2017 and contains 354 apartments and 27,500 square feet of commercial space — in March. And, in August, it spent $4.8 million on The Parkview at Memphis, a senior living facility with 129 units that opened in 1923." "We really think Memphis is a special place right now in terms of the opportunity to create a higher level of residential living experience," Campbell told MBJ in August. "We're in search of additional opportunities."

Varsity Spirit signs lease for HQ From the Daily Memphian- https://dailymemphian.com/section/neighborhoodsdowntown/article/16762/varsity-spirit-sign-lease-moving-headquarters-to "Varsity Spirit has signed a lease to move its headquarters from the suburbs to the historic American Snuff Factory despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, company officials announced Wednesday, Sept. 9. The company that owns and runs cheerleading and band camps and competitions across the U.S. will move 250 employees into 65,000 square feet of office space at 46 Keel in fall 2021."

National search underway for developer for Racquet Club site. From the Daily Memphian (subscription)- 9.3 acres of the site to is what is to be redeveloped with (hopefully) the idea to tie in the office towers/Brookhaven Circle etc into one large district. 2 acres closer to the Lexington Condos are being sold to those developers for more condos. https://dailymemphian.com/subscriber/section/neighborhoodseast-memphis/article/16680/racquet-club-east-memphis-sanderlin-superblock "The owners of the old Racquet Club property have retained JLL real estate brokerage firm to launch a national search for the kind of developer that will build an “extremely high-quality project.” The vision for a “superblock” has been discussed several years for the area bounded by Poplar, Mendenhall, Sanderlin and White Station. The potential, Wohrman said, could be “transformative” and “catalytic” not just for the district but for Memphis. The superblock vision is built on the realization that the block surrounding the Racquet Club already has nearly all the ingredients for a dynamic district. The adjacent Clark and iBank towers hold, for Memphis, a massive amount of office activity. Dozens of restaurants are inside or on the edge of the block. The block hosts two substantial grocery stores, a Kroger and Whole Foods. And Malco’s Paradiso multi-screen movie theater anchors the entertainment. Just east of the tennis club property, at the southwest corner of Sanderlin and White Station, are the Lexington’s 54 condo units. Lexington developers George Bryan and Michael Turley recently exercised an option to buy 2.3 acres of what had been a nearly 12-acre tennis club property.

^^ Dwell/Velo- those are the 2 I was thinking of.

I have mixed feelings about it. If done right I think it could be a nice project. Seems a little out of place.. but I've always thought there should be more around the park. I know many disagree with that. I love all the new things they have built, really adds a lot to it. I've always thought it was a little underutilized. I know there is another project farther East under construction and a third in between (I think) that is also proposed.

Massive Parkside at Shelby Farms project returns, with new design News on Parkside at Shelby Farms. Plans to put the hotel on hold for now, hope to see this break ground soon. Behind the MBJ paywall https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2020/09/01/massive-parkside-projec.html?iana=hpmvp_memp_news_headline "Parkside at Shelby Farms — the $375 million mixed-use project that landed a $96 million tax incentive in 2018 — will soon appear before a public body once again. Developer Bob Turner is seeking Land Use Control Board approval to break off the relatively small hotel and retail components from the previously planned mixed-use buildings on the site's southeast corner. The 300-unit apartment building and a pair of retail buildings totaling about 15,000 square feet in that corner would be the first pieces of the development constructed. A boutique hotel would follow after "the economy figures itself out," Turner said. "[We] gave the apartments more view of the park and the restaurants out front more view of the park and more open [space]," Turner said. Turner said work on the project has continued for the last couple years out of the public eye because that's the way he likes to do business. Depending on the speed of the permitting process, Turner hopes to start construction on the first phase in "a few months" and thinks it won't last more than 20 months. He said financing is "lined up."

Madison @ McLean 1544 Madison- directly across from Minglewood Hall

U of M, ‘private entity’ plan dorm-like development stretching from Central to Poplar https://dailymemphian.com/section/metroeducation/article/16521/u-of-m-private-entity-propose-student-housing-that The University of Memphis plans to partner with a “private entity” to replace a row of about 16 houses — from Central to Poplar — with a gated, dorm-style development. The five, four-story buildings would line the west side of Deloach with a total of 135 units that house 529 bedrooms, according to documents filed with the Board of Adjustment. The 5.6-acre development generally follows the campus master plan in expanding the northwest border of campus to Poplar. The new development’s south end, at Central and Deloach, would include a 2,500-square-foot commercial space for perhaps a restaurant and coffee shop.

If this pans out I really hope it leads to some type of redevelopment of the 2 older office buildings West of here on Poplar towards Hollywood. Both need some TLC, I've noticed they both are also listed for sale together with tenants on yearly leases I believe. I live around the area and always thought all these would be perfect for some type of mixed-use development.

Viaduct building could become mixed-use development https://dailymemphian.com/section/neighborhoodsmidtown/article/16445/viaduct-building-could-become-mixed-use "Developers propose converting a long-vacant, five-story office building that lords over the Poplar Viaduct into a mixed-use building of 37 apartments and ground-floor office and retail space. The building at 2701 Union Extended last housed the local ABC-TV affiliate, WPTY-TV Channel 24." "All the units will be have one bedroom and range from 651 square feet to 842 square feet. The building is a good spot for apartments because of its proximity to nearby colleges and office buildings, including the Lipscomb and Pitts Building across Union Extended, Zaki said."

I believe the group trying to save the Coliseum tried to pitch ideas to incorporate it into this with basketball courts etc if I recall correctly but the city turned it down to keep it with their own plan. I went to a lot of hockey games there as a kid. If it gets renovated would love to see that again (the Riverkings have left Southaven recently so no local team). Also I would think it would make sense to move the Hustle of the NBA G League to the Coliseum from Southaven if it ever becomes possible. Who knows what'll happen though. I was originally one for tearing it down thinking it's not needed but if all of this pans out I'd love to see it back to active use.

Ah gotcha. I couldn't remember all the details. And last year I went into one of those buildings during a festival on Tiger Lane and they had a flea market going on at the same time where I bought some old vinyls and concert posters, ha. Not sure what else goes on there at the moment.

The Coliseum has been closed and not used since 2006. It's a very hot issue in Memphis, many want it renovated in some form and many have been in favor of tearing it down. It is not ADA compliant (part of the reason it shut down- the other reason is a non-complete clause with the FedExForum having concert events over 5000-6000, some number in that range). In the past few years there have been groups that have cleaned it and shown it to potential investors for something to happen down the line. I'm sure something will come of it eventually, especially if everything around it in this project gets built. The large area in the middle between the Coliseum and Central Avenue that is west of the Liberty Bowl was built in 2010 on the site of where the Fair was always held. "Tiger Lane"- it's the main tailgating area for football games. That is staying as is. A lot of parking has been lost but there is still some close to the Stadium. I originally heard there was supposed to be parking garages built somewhere around for stadium events, not sure about that according to these plans though. And a lot of renovations have gone into the Liberty Bowl itself the past 5 years or so- new seats, new scoreboards and things like that. If this gets built I think it would be great for restaurant/bar options close by as well as hotels for big events like the Liberty Bowl game etc.

Poplar Plaza redevelopment has been approved. From the Daily Memphian https://dailymemphian.com/section/business/article/16153/planning-board-approved-poplar-plaza-redevelopment "Owner Finard Properties plans to demolish the two buildings anchoring the center’s most prominent corner, at Poplar and Highland. The larger one, facing Poplar, now houses Petco, Party City and the corner space vacated in 2017 by Spin City. The building originally housed Lowenstein’s department store. The smaller building, facing Highland, houses Mister Hats, the UPS Store and AT&T. In nearly the same footprints, Finard plans to build mixed-use structures. Parking will be underground, commercial space on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors."

City prepares to sell huge property in heart of Midtown The city is starting to take request for proposals next month to redevelop the police precint on Union between McLean and Cooper. Info behind the Daily Memphian paywall. https://dailymemphian.com/subscriber/section/business/article/16139/city-prepares-to-sell-huge-property-in-heart-of "The site features frontage along Union that stretches more than 100 yards between Jack Morris Auto Glass on the east and a SunTrust bank branch on the west. The site is deep, extending a block south to Linden Avenue. The back of the property fronts Linden between Idlewild Elementary and an apartment building. The asymmetrical boundaries also extend west. Another drive accesses Barksdale Street four houses behind the SunTrust branch. The city plans to issue a request for proposals as early as September, then allow developers 90 days to respond and get their financing in order, Antonio Adams said. He is General Services division director for the city." The city will commission a market-value appraisal and does not plan to simply accept the highest bid for the property, which has a tax appraisal totaling $2.7 million. “We’ll take into consideration, when we award it, the highest and best use, not necessarily going to take the highest price,” Adams said. City officials want the winning bid to be consistent with long-range plans for Midtown and the surrounding neighborhood, he said. Interest has been high. Commercial real estate brokers have been inquiring about the property with Adams’ office once or twice a month for a couple of years, he said. The property is big enough for a restaurant or two fronting Union and perhaps apartments, a hotel or some other use on the back side, Massey said." Massey believes city officials have already indicated informally that they think the highest and best use for the property is a mixed-use project. “That’s what their Memphis 3.0 plan says,” he said, referring to the city’s latest long-range plan to guide development. “Apartments are definitely going to be a part of it. It is just how you deal with the front.”

That is actually complete or very close to it. And I would love to see the dairy plant redeveloped at some point.

Work has started on this. https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2020/08/10/mclean-boulevard-apartment-project.html?iana=hpmvp_memp_news_headline "Demolition began Aug. 5 on the existing building, which will be replaced with seven apartments and a 1,000-square-foot retail space. The project is set to be completed in early 2021, according to architect and project manager Austin Magruder, of PKM Architects." "Grinder Haizlip Construction is the general contractor on the project, which will be named, The Altana."

I see a Tempo as well as an Embassy Suites?