Downtown Memphis News & Developments (CBD, South Main, Riverfront, Medical District, The Edge, Uptown)

[jjbradleyBrooklyn]

On 3/2/2022 at 3:07 PM, VSRJ said:

Good news indeed!

Intrator secures initial funding, ready to proceed with $1.1B Pinch development

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2022/03/02/intrator-pinch-district-funding-columbia-pacific.html

This is fantastic news! I hope it gets built--that area is craving development, and has been for decades.

I imagine the building height could come out shorter than the renderings? Any type of dense development there though would be a HUGE win. Buildings in the 6-8 story range would be nice to see, even. 

Anything residential/hotel/office that is densely oriented is better than vacant lots or parking lots in that part of downtown.

[MDC26]

On 2/20/2020 at 1:44 PM, VSRJ said:

I'm a little worried about the design after reading the developer's mostly-suburban portfolio, but it beats an empty lot.

New hotel to rise on vacant Downtown corner

https://dailymemphian.com/section/businessreal-estate/article/10850/new-hotel-may-be-coming-to-downtown

 

There was an article about a new AC Hotel proposed on Poplar in East Memphis by the same developer as this previously announced project.  Said groundbreaking is supposed to occur next month for the 139 Vance hotel.  

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2022/03/24/first-memphis-area-ac-hotels-by-marriott.html

[JTM1]

On 3/25/2022 at 9:17 AM, MDC26 said:

There was an article about a new AC Hotel proposed on Poplar in East Memphis by the same developer as this previously announced project.  Said groundbreaking is supposed to occur next month for the 139 Vance hotel.  

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2022/03/24/first-memphis-area-ac-hotels-by-marriott.html

I remember this. I believe this developer was working on two other developments and he put this project on hold until he finished the other two.  Good to see this finally moving forward and it's next door to the WKND hang suite. 

Paul Young was interviewed on Behind the Headlines and he gave an update on several  projects in and around downtown. The Walk is close to breaking ground and going vertical, and the DMC is digging in on Class A office space.  He also mentioned there was a group looking for  property, near FedEx Forum, and it appears to be a group wanting to build a hotel and some other things.

Apparently Bill has been talking with someone from  the Belz family, because he brought up a hotel on the corner of Main and Beale. They own that property and they plan to build a hotel on it. 

https://dailymemphian.com/section/neighborhoods/article/27827/behind-the-headlines-paul-young-downtown-office-space

[MDC26]

1 hour ago, JTM1 said:

I remember this. I believe this developer was working on two other developments and he put this project on hold until he finished the other two.  Good to see this finally moving forward and it's next door to the WKND hang suite. 

Paul Young was interviewed on Behind the Headlines and he gave an update on several  projects in and around downtown. The Walk is close to breaking ground and going vertical, and the DMC is digging in on Class A office space.  He also mentioned there was a group looking for  property, near FedEx Forum, and it appears to be a group wanting to build a hotel and some other things.

Apparently Bill has been talking with someone from  the Belz family, because he brought up a hotel on the corner of Main and Beale. They own that property and they plan to build a hotel on it. 

https://dailymemphian.com/section/neighborhoods/article/27827/behind-the-headlines-paul-young-downtown-office-space

I listened to that too.  One other thing he mentioned is in a week or so, the city will issue an RFP for a property on Beale.  I wonder if this will be the building that has been empty forever that was going to be Wahlburgers and then Sweetie Pie's, but both failed to open.  

[JTM1]

On 3/26/2022 at 12:29 PM, MDC26 said:

I listened to that too.  One other thing he mentioned is in a week or so, the city will issue an RFP for a property on Beale.  I wonder if this will be the building that has been empty forever that was going to be Wahlburgers and then Sweetie Pie's, but both failed to open.  

Ghost River Brewery opened in that location. The RFP request is for Tator Reds, the place that is next door to BB Kings, because it closed last fall. Wahlburgers opened in the Pyramid. 

They should move the Handy Museum over to Church Park and build a plaza for it.  Then build out that section of Beale and Peabody to 4th.  

[MDC26]

7 hours ago, JTM1 said:

Ghost River Brewery opened in that location. The RFP request is for Tator Reds, the place that is next door to BB Kings, because it closed last fall. Wahlburgers opened in the Pyramid. 

They should move the Handy Museum over to Church Park and build a plaza for it.  Then build out that section of Beale and Peabody to 4th.  

I know Wahlburgers opened at the Bass Pro, I’ve eaten there. But originally, they planned to move in to the building on the corner of Beale & 4th. The deal fell through because there was plumbing issues or something. And Ghost River opened in the space next to it, where Lew’s Blue Note was, which closed down last year because of COVID.  I agree that they should move the Handy house, and build that part out. I thought they should move it back to the neighborhood it came from (Soulsville) and maybe put it right across the street from the Stax museum. 

[TheExtraEastKid]

MATA testing new Streetcars

https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/community/memphis-trolley-cars-different/522-50793080-58d8-44ec-9cc1-9608bc90fa3c

[JTM1]

16 hours ago, MDC26 said:

I know Wahlburgers opened at the Bass Pro, I’ve eaten there. But originally, they planned to move in to the building on the corner of Beale & 4th. The deal fell through because there was plumbing issues or something. And Ghost River opened in the space next to it, where Lew’s Blue Note was, which closed down last year because of COVID.  I agree that they should move the Handy house, and build that part out. I thought they should move it back to the neighborhood it came from (Soulsville) and maybe put it right across the street from the Stax museum. 

I don't know what I was thinking, but I thought you were talking about Mr. Winston's place, Lew's Blue Note. I wish he would reopen on Beale St, because the food and atmosphere made for a good night out.  I wonder what  is the issue with that building and why the DMC isn't doing more to force the owner to correct the problem? 

I would like to see the Handy house and Aretha Franklin's home  as part of the same attraction. They could create a musical village around their homes. 

[MDC26]

19 hours ago, JTM1 said:

I don't know what I was thinking, but I thought you were talking about Mr. Winston's place, Lew's Blue Note. I wish he would reopen on Beale St, because the food and atmosphere made for a good night out.  I wonder what  is the issue with that building and why the DMC isn't doing more to force the owner to correct the problem? 

I would like to see the Handy house and Aretha Franklin's home  as part of the same attraction. They could create a musical village around their homes. 

Yeah, I don't know if the owners of the building want to much in rent, or aren't willing to fix the plumbing.  I read an article and it sounded like sewer backs up, and probably have to tear everything out to get it working right, but who knows?  I'm totally with you on the Handy/Franklin houses.  I think they should both be moved to the vacant land across McLemore from the Stax museum.  Have them both together for an attraction and put other stuff there too.  

[VSRJ]

FedEx Logistics recently held its grand opening in the former Gibson Guitar factory.

'Nothing can stop us': New FedEx Logistics headquarters unveiled in former Gibson Guitar factory

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/money/industries/logistics/2022/04/05/fedex-logistics-headquarters-downtown-memphis-gibson-guitar/7224337001/

Quote

 

More than three years after FedEx Logistics announced plans to move its global headquarters into the former Gibson Guitar factory in Downtown Memphis, the company celebrated the building's grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday.

"A global pandemic might have slowed us down a little, but nothing can stop us from moving to the heart of Memphis!" Udo Lange, the CEO of FedEx Logistics, told an assembled crowd of about 200 people in the building's lobby.

In an interview, he said some people have been working in the building already, and that FedEx Logistics now plans to move the rest into the building. “We invested more than $50 million into the building and we’re bringing more than 600 people into this amazing place, right in the heart of Memphis,” he said.

 

From Downtown Memphis (photos by Adarryll Jackson):

"FedEx Logistics moved its global headquarters to the former Gibson Guitar factory building and celebrated its Grand Opening today! Welcome Downtown!"

 

Edited April 5, 2022 by VSRJ

[VSRJ]

More activity in the Edge!

Vacant Edge District building could become restaurant, apartments

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/money/business/development/2022/04/07/memphis-development-edge-district-new-restaurants-apartments/9504340002/

Quote

 

A Memphis developer is looking to turn a vacant three-story building in the Edge District into a restaurant and apartments, including rooftop dining for the eatery. 

Its Not Me Its You, LLC, a company registered in Cordova whose registered agent is Jon Hodge, submitted an application to a Downtown Memphis Commission board seeking a 10-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes incentive to redevelop the property at 633 Monroe Ave. 

The site of the projected $2.8 million project is adjacent to the Edge Motor Museum. 

If renovated, the developer wants the 11,872-square-foot building to host a restaurant tenant on the ground floor and up to five apartments between the first, second and third floors. Renderings show the restaurant could be called Heartbreak. 

 

 

[MDC26]

New article discussing progress on The Ravine and the Rise 2 development that would include 266 apartments and a 327 car garage.

https://dailymemphian.com/subscriber/section/neighborhoods/article/27916/dsg-ravine-rise-2-edge-district-glass-building-memphis-made

 

 

[VSRJ]

^ The article is behind a paywall - would any of the existing buildings be incorporated into the development?

[MDC26]

41 minutes ago, VSRJ said:

^ The article is behind a paywall - would any of the existing buildings be incorporated into the development?

Looks like the Kudzu's building will be be part of the future Rise 2 part.  It doesn't look like the 2-story building facing Union that was supposed to be the Cider house will be.  I wish they would keep that one.  The dilapidated Coleman/Taylor Transmission buildings on Union will be torn down.  On the current construction, the Glass Factory building (435 Madison) is being renovated, which will house the new Memphis Made brewery and have other mixed use space.  The article also mentioned that renovation on the Cycle House building has begun.  

[MDC26]

 

https://dailymemphian.com/subscriber/section/business/article/28179/inked-union-station-set-to-begin-demo-new-south

Will be nice infill

 

[Memphis4ever]

From these plans it appears most of the park part will be covered by a garage and building now.

[MDC26]

2 hours ago, Memphis4ever said:

From these plans it appears most of the park part will be covered by a garage and building now.

The park part is the old rail line spur.  That will remain.  The garage will be partially over a parking lot and also on an undeveloped parcel that is a sloping lot with some trees and grass.  Don't think that lot has ever acted as a park.  

[DRG901]

Interested to see what comes out of this-   City seeks proposals for N. Main Street development in the Pinch District - Memphis Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

[VSRJ]

Agreed. But I wish developers would take the initiative/see the opportunity rather than the City having to release an RFP...

City seeks proposals for N. Main Street development in the Pinch District

Quote

The City of Memphis is seeking more development in the Pinch District and has put out a request for proposals (RFP) for a development on North Main Street.

Two vacant lots totaling 0.25 acres at 369 and 371 N. Main St. are being positioned for a mixed-use development. The site sits near several area amenities. A trolley stop is directly in front of the property, Comeback Coffee is situated across the street, and the site has a bevy of zoning incentives.

The zoning for the site is mixed-use and the City emphasized in the RFP that the city is seeking a mixed-use project. The site sits in the Memphis Central Business Improvement District (CBID), the Downtown Tourism Development Zone (TDZ), and is an approved Opportunity Zone, as is the rest of the Pinch District.

The City highlighted several other ongoing projects that contribute to “Pinch momentum" near the property, including the Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid directly to the west, the Renasant Convention Center and the revitalization of Downtown Memphis to the south, and the coming St. Jude Children's Research Hospital expansion to the east. 

Read the rest of the story here: https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2022/04/26/city-of-memphis-seeks-proposals-north-main-pinch.html

Here's a satellite view of the site:

Edited April 26, 2022 by VSRJ

[James Owen]

1 hour ago, VSRJ said:

Agreed. But I wish developers would take the initiative/see the opportunity rather than the City having to release an RFP...

City seeks proposals for N. Main Street development in the Pinch District

Read the rest of the story here: https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2022/04/26/city-of-memphis-seeks-proposals-north-main-pinch.html

Here's a satellite view of the site:

This is the same lot that a developer had proposed building a skinny hotel/condo tower on about a year and a half ago (separate from Tom Intrator's planned redevelopment of the Pinch District): https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/local/2020/10/16/memphis-skyscraper-boutique-hotel-pitched-pinch-district/3679279001/

My guess is that project is no longer being pursued as the same team is currently working on getting their Blues Note Hotel & Condo development off the ground right across from Bass Pro near the A. W. Willis Bridge on property formerly owned by the County.

As an aside, the article also made a mention of the city planning to bury some power lines underground in order to accommodate future high rises in that area, so that may also play a role in that new RFP being put out there.

[MDC26]

22 hours ago, James Owen said:

This is the same lot that a developer had proposed building a skinny hotel/condo tower on about a year and a half ago (separate from Tom Intrator's planned redevelopment of the Pinch District): https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/local/2020/10/16/memphis-skyscraper-boutique-hotel-pitched-pinch-district/3679279001/

My guess is that project is no longer being pursued as the same team is currently working on getting their Blues Note Hotel & Condo development off the ground right across from Bass Pro near the A. W. Willis Bridge on property formerly owned by the County.

As an aside, the article also made a mention of the city planning to bury some power lines underground in order to accommodate future high rises in that area, so that may also play a role in that new RFP being put out there.

They may or may not.  Intrator included this property into his plans.  That other group made a plan for a building on this site.  I guess its long been known that the city would put out a RFP for the site.  Getting your plans out early may discourage others from pursuing it.  I know Intrator will submit a proposal.  The other group may.  There may be some others too, but I doubt there will be as many as there was for 100 N Main.  I don't know how close Intrator is on starting construction, but he's got to wait for all the utilities to be done.  I remember that being mentioned a long time ago.   There's utility poles all over the pinch.  

[VSRJ]

Hopefully we'll see dirt moving soon...

Tom Intrator gives first glimpse of site plan for $1.1B Pinch District development

 

Quote

Tom Intrator’s proposed $1.1 billion Pinch Development has filed for a zoning variance with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, giving a first glimpse into details of what the development may entail.

The application with the Board of Adjustment requests a height variance for the development. The current maximum height for mixed-use in the Uptown area is 75 feet.

The request from 18 Main LLC is to allow for a maximum build height of 420 feet. For comparison, the tallest building in Memphis, 100 North Main, stands at 430 feet.

“This transformational project will lead to the redevelopment and revitalization of the Pinch District,” Mike Hammond from Kimley-Horn & Associates Inc. wrote in a letter of intent to the planning department. “These parcels comprise many vacant or underutilized properties and will be developed with a vibrant mixed-use community that will create connectivity not only between the city blocks, but also existing and future developments in the Pinch, Uptown, and Downtown areas of our city.”

The plan, created by Memphis-based LRK, provides the first site-specific glimpse at what the development is expected to include. While it does not specify the full mix of uses and heights for each building, the site plan gives insight into how the Pinch would look at the ground level, with a heavy focus on retail uses.

Full story: https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2022/04/28/tom-intrator-pinch-development-site-plan-variance.html

Edited April 28, 2022 by VSRJ

[James Owen]

Some interesting news today on the hotel front. Beale Street could be getting a Hard Rock Hotel soon.

Hard Rock Hotels in serious talks to build a property on Beale Street

By Stephen MacLeod and Corey Davis  –  Memphis Business Journal

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2022/04/29/hard-rock-hotel-beale-street-discussions.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_32&cx_artPos=1#cxrecs_s

Quote

A zoning letter was filed with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development on April 28, indicating a plan to place a Hard Rock Hotel at 326 Beale Street. The filing names Hard Rock Hotels as the proposed tenant and Jerry Lee Lewis' Cafe & Honky Tonk as the current tenant. The City of Memphis owns that property, as it does most of the land in the Beale Street entertainment district.

If it comes to fruition, the full-service Hard Rock Hotel is projected to have more than 200 rooms, and Kane acknowledged he has seen renderings of the property.

The parcel specified on the zoning letter takes up the block from the corner of Beale and Rufus Thomas Boulevard to Peabody Place and Fourth Street.

The Memphis location would ostensibly also be a "City Hotel," as casino gaming is not legal in Tennessee. There are currently 12 Hard Rock Hotels worldwide that are considered a standalone “City Hotel,” and only three in the U.S.

The site being considered is the former Pat O'Brien's (current Jerry Lee Lewis' Cafe) across from Handy Park, but the zoning application would affect the entire block that includes the W. C. Handy House, Coyote Ugly, New Daisy, & a police precinct.

I kinda have mixed feelings about this one as I would've thought the lot next door to the current Hard Rock Cafe would've been the perfect location for such a development.

Edited April 30, 2022 by James Owen

[MDC26]

21 hours ago, James Owen said:

Some interesting news today on the hotel front. Beale Street could be getting a Hard Rock Hotel soon.

Hard Rock Hotels in serious talks to build a property on Beale Street

By Stephen MacLeod and Corey Davis  –  Memphis Business Journal

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2022/04/29/hard-rock-hotel-beale-street-discussions.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_32&cx_artPos=1#cxrecs_s

The site being considered is the former Pat O'Brien's (current Jerry Lee Lewis' Cafe) across from Handy Park, but the zoning application would affect the entire block that includes the W. C. Handy House, Coyote Ugly, New Daisy, & a police precinct.

I kinda have mixed feelings about this one as I would've thought the lot next door to the current Hard Rock Cafe would've been the perfect location for such a development.

I agree. I do not want that whole block cleared, especially the New Daisy theater. That’s the problem with some developers. They take a step back to take a step forward, when they could just take two steps forward. There’s a perfectly good, empty parking lot just up the street that could be used instead. If we keep tearing down stuff to build things, we will never get the density we need. Hopefully the request gets denied and that parking lot gets offered up instead. 

[James Owen]

36 minutes ago, MDC26 said:

I agree. I do not want that whole block cleared, especially the New Daisy theater. That’s the problem with some developers. They take a step back to take a step forward, when they could just take two steps forward. There’s a perfectly good, empty parking lot just up the street that could be used instead. If we keep tearing down stuff to build things, we will never get the density we need. Hopefully the request gets denied and that parking lot gets offered up instead. 

The intent of the application is to build a hotel on the portion currently occupied by the former Pat O'Brien's, and not the rest of the block - which would be completely rezoned as a result. I should've clarified that earlier.