The 901: How a $62M parking plan could transform Downtown Memphis

The 901 is your morning blend of Memphis news and commentary

Ryan Poe
Memphis Commercial Appeal
May 21, 1993 - An aerial view of downtown Memphis and The Pyramid.

Good Thursday morning from Memphis, the final day of in-person early voting in Shelby County. Also among today's top stories: a local prosecutor is potentially facing prosecution herself and there's a chance of a frost/freeze Sunday. But first...

At the start of the year, for the first time in decades, Downtown Memphis was the place to be in the city. Buildings were rising, headquarters were opening and tourism was booming. Officials were so giddy about the "momentum" they were even floating the idea of spending millions of dollars to transform Mud Island River Park into an aquarium.

And then COVID-19 took out Memphis at its knees.

But with unemployment in Memphis back in the single-digits, per our Ted Evanoff, the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) is restarting the conversation about the future of Downtown. As our Corinne Kennedy reports, the Downtown Mobility Authority just approved the DMC's new, $62 million plan to address the area's parking needs, not only now but in the decades ahead. The plan will also need the green light from the Center City Revenue Finance Corporation, the Memphis City Council, the Shelby County Commission, both city and county mayors, and the city's Design Review Board.

Corinne's story has more detail about the five-project plan, but here's the gist:

  1. The plan will be anchored by the previously reported nine-level, $40 million "mobility center" on the 212-space surface parking lot north of the Orpheum Theatre on South Main, Corinne reports. The center — which is envisioned as a kind of transportation hub of Downtown — will have a 1,400-space parking garage, 13,000 square feet of retail, bike storage, showers, ride-sharing pickup/drop-offs, and scooter spaces. Those new details answer my initial concern, voiced in a column last week, about the possibility that the mobility center wouldn't extend the Main Street aesthetic.
  2. There would also be a $3 million, two-floor, 140-space addition to the 430-spaces First Place Garage on South Second Street, just south of Madison.
  3. Another $1 million would go toward “high-impact cosmetic improvements” to the Shoppers Garage at 85 N. Front St., just north of Fourth Bluff Park, as well as the addition of a dog park. 
  4. The DMC would also make Wagner Street a “festival street,” which basically means that all driving, walking and parking areas would be level, with different materials and colors designating which is which. There would also be a "switchback path" cutting down Cutbank Bluff, connecting Vance with the riverfront near Old Dominick Distillery, Corinne reports. The total cost for this piece is pegged at $6 million.
  5. The final piece of the plan is to demolish the 638-space Riverfront Garage, whose space is set to become the new home of Brooks Museum. Brooks will have 150-300 parking spaces.

And if you're wondering how the city will be paying for all of this, Corinne has the answer to that question, too:

The project will be financed through the PILOT extension fund, which collects taxes from Downtown developers that can only be used for Downtown parking and infrastructure, [DMC President Jennifer] Oswalt said.

Let's be real: This is a bold, aggressive plan that's coming at a time when people aren't feeling particularly bold or aggressive, especially with COVID-19 surging again. Hesitation is natural. One board member, Suzanne Carlson, said she thinks the plan is "transformational in a good way," but cast the only vote against it because she wants more "due diligence." And she's not going to be the only one who feels that way.

The plan should get a thorough review, but if the money is already there and reserved for parking projects, now might be the perfect time to lay the groundwork for this plan. If the county can get COVID-19 cases under control next year, these five projects could jump-start Downtown's growth while at the same time laying the foundation for its future.

Shelby County DA fires prosecutor

February 11, 2016 - Prosecutor Glenda Adams points a handgun to her head during the closing arguments in the case against Misael Chica-Arguenta. Chica-Arguenta was convicted of multiple counts of attempted first degree murder. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal)

The Shelby County District Attorney's office has fired one of its assistant prosecutors, who is now being investigated for possibly misusing "confidential information."

That assistant prosecutor is the well-known Glenda Adams, who has overseen several high-profile homicide prosecutions for the county, our Daniel Connolly reports. It's not clear what confidential information she allegedly misused, although Fox 13 quotes three anonymous, independent sources as saying she's been accused of giving private vehicle crash reports that could have helped "a select group of personal injury lawyers."

District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway of the 13th Judicial District, east of Nashville, will review the case after Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich recused herself from the investigation, Daniel reports. Here's what Dunaway had to say:

Reached by phone Wednesday, Dunaway said he could say little about the case. 

"At this point the investigation is still ongoing. I really don't want to comment on it right now," Dunaway said. "But I think we'll be able to do that very soon." 

In-person early voting ends tonight

If you're planning to vote early and in-person, giddy-up: Shelby County's 26 early voting sites close at 8 p.m. tonight ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

As for absentee voters: you're quickly running out of runway to mail in your ballots, but the U.S. Postal Service has designated one post office per Tennessee county that will expedite shipping, The Tennessean reports. Our Sarah Macaraeg highlights Shelby County's, which is in the geographic (but not demographic) center of the county:

Here's the full list of post offices in Tennessee with expedited shipping:

+ Speaking of the election: Our Sam Hardiman has a quick rundown of what you need to know to vote this year — including an overview of some of the hottest local races.

NWS: Chance of frost/freeze Sunday

As if this week's cold, wet weather wasn't bad enough (thanks, Hurricane Zeta), next week's could be even worse. The National Weather Service's Memphis office says there's a chance the area could see a frost or freeze overnight Sunday and Monday.

What else is happening in the 901

  • For subscribers: If you aren't a subscriber, our Max Garland's new dissection of a lawsuit accusing Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and West Clinic of defrauding federal and state health care programs is an excellent example of what you're missing. Also for subscribers: Our Evan Barnes looks at why the Memphis Tigers football team's defense is one of the worst in the country and what the team hopes to do about it. (Don't want to miss these stories? Please consider subscribing.)
  • Welp. This isn't a great sign: Memphis hospitals are now running surge capacity drills as COVID-19 cases climb to alarming heights, our Corinne Kennedy reports.
  • The Memphis Grizzlies will partner with Pepsi to provide more opportunities to high school and college students, part of the Pepsi Stronger Together campaign, our Jason Munz reports. Separately, Jason also reports on the latest American Athletic Conference coaches poll, which has the Tigers finishing second in the conference.
  • Up until COVID-19, Big Green Memphis had been helping schools plant learning gardens. But in the wake of stay-at-home orders, the nonprofit is pivoting in a new direction, our Jennifer Chandler reports: helping plant gardens at homes.
  • Bobby White, former chief of staff to former Memphis mayor A C Wharton, uploaded what will probably be the cutest thing you'll watch today: a video of his 6-year-old son rapping his way through the alphabet, our Laura Testino reports. The video (which you can watch here) has gone viral, with more than 200,000 shares.

The Fadeout: Bailey Bigger's latest

Bailey Bigger, who was born and raised in Marion, Arkansas, close to Memphis, just released a new song and music video, "Weight of Independence," her first since signing with the Oxford, Mississippi-based Big Legal Mess recording label. Check it out...

Like The Fadeout? Check out The 901's Spotify playlist. Want to submit a recommendation of your own? Reach me by email, address below.

Columnist Ryan Poe writes The 901, a running commentary on all things Memphis. Reach him at poe@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @ryanpoe.

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