Downtown Memphis is currently in the midst of $3,000,000,000 of new construction, expansion & renovation.

Here are some various current projects.

Beale Street Landing, (U/C) $30,000,000
Riverfront Park & Riverboat Boarding Facility
http://www.memphisflyer.com/imager/a_victory_lap_for_the_riverfront_development_corporation/b/original/1137240/9ac9/adtbealelanding.jpghttp://www.friendsforourriverfront.org/uploaded_images/BSLugly-744004.jpg

One Beale, (On-hold) $175,000,000
Downtown's highest profile proposal "One Beale" has been delayed since the bottom fell out of the economy and is currently in the process of being "retooled".
http://willhicks.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/one-beale.jpeg

http://www.uptownmemphis.org/images/home1.gif
Uptown Memphis is the resurgent 100-block Downtown neighborhood, just east of Harbor Town. Construction continues on 1,000 new homes and apartments, along with public improvements such as new parks and streetscapes.
http://www.uptownmemphis.org/places/map.jpg
http://www.uptownmemphis.org/green/EcoBUILD_MLGW_logo.gif
All Uptown Homes are built to MLGW EcoBUILD standards. EcoBUILD is a new voluntary "green building" program created by Memphis Light, Gas and Water to stimulate energy and environmental awareness through the promotion and use of energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly technology, materials and techniques in new construction.
http://www.uptownmemphis.org/green/Uptown_Street_2006.jpg
http://thumbs.forrent.com/imgs/fr/propertyFiles/498/909/999/resized/04_116498393208669740150010075000000.jpg featuring the 14 story Uptown Square Tower
http://www.uptownmemphis.org/uptown_square/UpSqAerial2.jpg

Horizon Luxury Apartments, (U/C) $67,000,000
Memphis' tallest building project downtown at the moment. Scheduled completion of Horizon: late 2009 (delayed, early 2010).
http://www.randrcontractingllc.com/images/projects/Horizon_Artist_a.jpg

Lincoln American Tower, Lowenstein Building, Court Annex 2, Court Square Center, (U/C) $49,000,000
Scheduled completion: late 2009
http://courtsquarecenter.com/images/photos-lat-8.jpghttp://www.preservationnation.org/assets/photos-images/preservation-magazine/todays-news-items/2009/lowenstein-300.jpg

Renovation of the historic Customs House building on Front Street for the University of Memphis Law School, (U/C) $42,000,000
http://anfa.com/project_images/web_lawschool.jpghttp://anfa.com/project_images/web_lawschool02.jpg

Metro 67
157 apartments and approximately 18,000sf of retail/office space, (U/C-renovation) $28,000,000

Courtyard Marriott Downtown, $21,100,000
Scheduled completion: late 2009

Barboro Flats, $18,000,000
Scheduled completion: September 2010

ROBERTS CLARION HOTEL, $13,000,000

HOTEL INDIGO, $11,500,000

Visible School of Music has a contract to purchase the former C&I Bank building at 200 Madison from the Greater Memphis Chamber for $1.05 million, with plans to renovate & move in by summer 2010.

Rivertown, $70,000,000
Consists of 23 buildings and 200 units spanning 19 acres.

State Place, (U/C) $49,000,000
The first condo buildings of State Place have been completed. The project will ultimately include 92 condos and 108 townhomes.

Legends Park, Poplar at Ayers, $83 million
Scheduled completion for Phase 1: December 2009
Phase I includes construction of a three-story commercial building that will include 24 market-rate apartments, 9,000sf of retail space, and 5,500sf of office space and is scheduled to be completed by December 2009.

Completed downtown projects from recent years...

Autozone Corporate Headquarters
Downtown's single Fortune 500 headquarters presence, Eight-story, 270,000-square-foot office building with refurbished 600-car garage

Tower at Peabody Place
This one is just over a decade old now so I almost wouldn't mention it, but it has been the highest profile "new" structure built downtown for Class A office space. It is currently at 0% vacancy.

FedEx Forum, $250,000,000
18,500 seat arena, Smithsonian Museum of Rock & Soul Music
http://www.markstutz.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/fedex_06.jpghttp://www.hisdowntownmemphis.com/images/fedex-forum.jpg

Cannon Center for the Performing Arts/ Memphis Cook Convention Center, $100,000,000
(2100 seat - new home to the Memphis Symphony Orchestra & renovated 250,000 sq. ft. convention center)

Memphis Ballpark Neighborhood
Eight city blocks of previously abandoned buildings, empty lots and X-rated theaters along the eastern border of downtown Memphis now thrive as a desirable urban neighborhood to live, work and play. The Redbirds’ 14,000-seat AAA ballpark anchors the $200,000,000 mixed-use development covering 20 acres. A newly created Fourth Street established a pedestrian-oriented street linking shops and restaurants, five new apartment buildings, a six-story parking garage, and a renovated 1909 YMCA building. SIZE: 20 acres, including an 8-story office building with 750 car parking garage, AAA ballpark, 385 multifamily rental units with parking garage, elementary school, and a minor league baseball museum. The Memphis Ballpark Neighborhood has been featured in numerous publications. Just a few of these include Urban Spaces No. 3, Building Design & Construction, New Urban News, Hartford Courant, USA Today, The New York Times, Developing Sports, Convention, and Performing Arts Centers, Time Magazine, Urban Land, Multifamily Executive, Architectural Record and The Washington Post.

Autozone Park, $80,500,000
14,320 seat Top rated triple A ballpark

The renovation of the 1913 William R. Moore dry goods building into Toyota Center received the Paul Gruenburg Commercial Rehabilitation Award. This historic eight-story warehouse in downtown Memphis was rehabilitated for use as a 200,000 square foot office building. The exterior of the building was renovated by repointing the brick masonry and using a chemical paint stripper to restore the brick to its original finish. The lower two floors of the exterior were completely restored. Bricked-in window openings on the side facades were reopened and new metal windows to match the profiles of the original wood windows were installed on the upper floors. On the interior, a shiny new granite, stainless steel and mahogany vestibule was constructed.
http://www.memphisheritage.org/images/Toyota_Center.jpg

Echelon at the BallPark/ Fielders Square
http://www.bridgestreet.com/BWImages/Property/FullSize/echelonext.jpghttp://portal.oakwood.com/profiles/images/0962/4329/Photos/Echelon_@_the_Ballpark_pool___962.jpg?width=400&height=300

First Horizon National Corporate Headquarters, $36,000,000+ in renovations
The exterior and interior renovation of a 1963 Modern office building creates a strong corporate image and fulfilling work environment for First Horizon. The restored 25-story building and adjoining three-story structure create a unified urban presence with exterior details and materials paying homage to the original design. A landscaped roof-top courtyard takes advantage of city views. Sophisticated interiors in keeping with the modern design aesthetic define executive offices on two levels.
http://z.about.com/d/memphis/1/0/d/2/-/-/firsttn.jpg

Westin Hotel/Beale Street, $30,000,000
http://m.travelpn.com/images/memphis/hotel/0/077374/Exterior_F_2.jpghttp://craigmont1989.com/images/westin.jpg

Memphis Downtown Marriott Hotel Expansion, $50,000,000
http://images.hotel-rates.com/hotels/MEM_MARD-exter-1.jpghttp://www.harconforming.com/images/uploads/upload_Memphis_Marriott_JPG_713039244.jpg

Crowne Plaza Memphis, renovation
Renovations to the 230-room former Wyndham Garden Hotel Memphis are completed. Renovations to the property included some improvements to all 230 rooms and the 5,000 square feet of meeting space.
http://www.dilos.com/picture/hotel/91249

Goodwyn Condominiums, $9,000,000 renovation
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/1033.jpg?id=1033&maxWidth=200

Memphis Grand Central Station
http://www.weeklywire.com/ww/01-20-98/memphis_cvr-3.gifhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Memphis_Central_020427.jpg/476px-

Over $60 million in new developments on Mud Island are completed, making room for 1,000 more residents. Over 3,000 Memphians already reside on the Island that measures just under 1 square mile.

Harbor Town Landing, $14,000,000
http://hbrnet.hw.net/Images/thumb_13453_tcm10-35446.jpg

The historic Kress Building, home to the first Kress retail business in the nation, has reopened as a 47-suite annex of the Marriott Springhill Suites. The renovated four-story Kress, which was built in 1896, also has five meeting rooms, two board rooms, and ground floor restaurant space that opens onto Main Street and across from the newly renovated Court Square. This $6 million renovation project added 50,000-sf of space to the Marriott Springhill Suites. The Center City Revenue Finance Corporation awarded the property a 15-year PILOT last year.

Today East Memphis is the largest submarket of Class A office space with very low vacancy, the center of Memphis business. The East submarket has approx. 100 office buildings approaching 10 million square feet.
http://colliervillephotography.com/lba-site-05.jpg

Here's a brand new one for East Memphis...

Triad Centre III, (U/C) $35,000,000
Memphis' first LEED certified building scheduled to open fall '09.

...And a proposal for East Memphis.

Grandview Condominiums (proposed)

Here are some completed projects from East Memphis...

999 & 949 Shady Grove
Each is approximately 154,000 gross square feet at six-stories. They are located in Ridgeway Center, Boyle's 204-acre, multi-use development at Poplar Avenue and Interstate 240.
Major tenants are Morgan Keegan, Sedgwick CMS & Suntrust Bank. A 4th building is in the works. Boyle Enterprises have also anounced they will be expanding their presence to the downtown market. No proposals are available as to what they might build.

The Marsh Center
Approximately 153,750 gross square feet at six stories.

The following buildings are not new, but are part of the "new" home for Memphis' newly acquired Fortune 500 company, ServiceMaster, relocating from the Chicago area. They have a 3 building campus in East Memphis & a 2 building campus in the 385/ Nonconnah submarket.

850 Ridge Lake Blvd. (ServiceMaster)
This approximately180,000 square foot build-to-suit office facility is anchored by ServiceMaster Consumer Services Company in the East Memphis business district.
889 Ridgelake Blvd. (ServiceMaster)

775 Ridgelake Boulevard (Informa Economics Headquarters) 125,000 SF
http://anfa.com/project_images/RidgelakeExterior1.jpg

International Paper Corporate Headquarters - Tower III
One of East Memphis' Fortune 500 Headquarters

Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corporate Headquarters @ Humphreys Center
194,000-square-foot, five-story masonry and ribbon glass building
http://www.baptistnurses.org/images/global/sectionheaders/contactus_main.jpg
United States Postal Service Southern Headquarters @ Humphreys Center
http://www.coopercarry.com/_images/portfolio/305/1.jpg

The Colonnade Building
90,000 S.F. Speculative Office Building
Owner: Highwoods Properties
http://www.montgomerymartin.com/projects/colonnade-building0-large.jpg

Renaissance Center
Eight story plus partial basement, 190,000 SF
http://www.burrcole.com/renaissance%28bwb%29.jpg

The Lexington Condos & Racquet Club
http://www.ripwalker.com/images/services/Lexington.jpg

First Capital Center
The former Oak Hall Building in East Memphis is now the First Capital Building. Renovations to this 60,000 square foot building included interior work for retail and Class B office space, as well as the building’s exterior, which now features a new stone and glass facade.
http://www.montgomerymartin.com/projects/1108-large.jpg

Grove Park Center
Office Building / Retail, Size: 60,000 SF
The renovations to this property are complete, state of the art updates inside and out.

Clark Tower
Its last major renovation was in 2004. It continues to be leased as Class A office space. With 649,000 square feet (60,300 m2) of leasable space, it remains the largest commercial office building in the city. Also, it is the tallest building in Tennessee outside of a central business district, dominating the East Memphis skyline.
http://www.pauldagys.com/architecture/whitestationS.jpghttp://douglasgreer.com/index_files/image361.jpg

White Station Tower
BGK Group is in the middle of a $1.35 million upgrade to White Station Tower which includes high-speed elevators, an upscale deli and touchscreen digital directories. So far, White Station Tower's owner has renovated the commons area and added a new fire alarm and safety system, among other improvements at the 276,229-square-foot East Memphis office high-rise. It will also upgrade signage, the lobby and mail area, as well as open a new ground floor eating option, Drake's Deli.

St. Francis Hospital recently completed renovations to its emergency department and its Chest Pain Emergency Center, $10,600,000

Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women
The only freestanding women’s hospital in Memphis and one of only a handful of such hospitals in the country. Opened in 2001, Baptist Women’s Hospital offers labor and delivery, gynecological surgery, a newborn intensive care unit (NICU) and the Comprehensive Breast Center and is a regional referral center for high-risk pregnancies, mammography diagnostics and urogynecology.
Baptist Women’s Hospital was one of only three hospitals in the nation the American Hospital Association recognized for its quality efforts. The Quest for Quality Prize™ honors organizations that are committed to enhancing quality of care, patient-centeredness, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness and equity as the basis of a comprehensive, quality-oriented health care system and have made progress toward making this vision a reality that other hospitals can emulate.

The Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board approved Royal Phoenix Development LLC’s application to build a 300-room luxury hotel, possibly a Hilton brand, near the FedExForum. Southaven, Miss.-based Royal Phoenix Development president and CEO Marlon Phoenix said the project will cost approximately $77,000,000 and is scheduled to open in late spring 2011.

http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/7538.jpg?maxWidth=200

...

This submarket, dubbed the "Technology Corridor", has the second largest volume of inventory among the seven submarkets, with over 40 buildings approaching 4 million square feet of space. It's location is south of East Memphis, west of Germantown & Collierville and north of Olive Branch, MS. That puts it in the middle of the most affluent parts of the Memphis MSA.

Thomas & Betts Headquarters
227,000 square foot, masonry and glass building. Boyle worked directly with Thomas & Betts to create a worldwide center at Southwind that will eventually grow to 650,000 square feet of highly integrated office space wrapped around a 5-acre lake. Significant state and local incentives including the TIIPS program and a tax freeze were structured into the transaction.

Lenox Park is a 7 building, 4 story complex comprised of Class A office space. Originally it was 3 buildings, but has since added 4 more.
http://www.montgomerymartin.com/projects/lenox-park0-large.jpghttp://www.elitebb.com/images/photo_bildings.gif

More development is on the way. Clark & Clark which developed Lenox Park, bought 112 acres across from the FedEx World Headquarters and plans to develop 1.6 million square feet of office space there at a cost of $200,000,000.

Hyatt Place
The new state-of-the-art Hyatt Place in Germantown is one of four prototypes for the emerging brand. The 81,000 sf property features 120 guest rooms, meeting rooms, swimming pool and fitness center.
http://www.montgomerymartin.com/projects/1148-large.jpg

Belz has completed one 80,000 square-foot building of its Champion Hills development and has signed leases for 16,000 square feet. The 14 acre project will eventually consist of five office buildings totaling 240,000 square feet.
http://www.belz.com/PropertyImages/ACHMPOF01_Prime.jpghttp://www.belz.com/PropertyImages/thl_achmpof01_photo6.jpg

Schilling Farms has a reported price tag of $350 million which includes 116 acres of commercial with 1.26 million square feet, 43 acres of office with 749,232 square feet, and 123 acres of light industrial with 2.41 million square feet.

Helena Chemical Company., Inc. Corporate Headquarters @ Schilling Farms
A four-story, 104,000-square-foot "Class A" office headquarters facility on a 6.4-acre site.

3400 Players Club Parkway
83,000 square foot professional office building overlooking Southwind Golf Course.
http://www.montgomerymartin.com/projects/667-large.jpghttp://www.highwoods.com/Images/photo/property/add02-9276b321-72dc-473f-8831-513deeb08df1.jpg

AOC Resins Headquarters - In Progress | Piperton, TN
New 48,000 sf Alpha Owens Corning World Headquarters. The building is expected to achieve a LEED Silver Rating from the US Green Building Council.
http://www.montgomerymartin.com/projects/1083-large.jpg

Comcast Headquarters Corporate Office | Memphis, Tennessee
The new 61,000 sf Comcast Headquarters building at Southwind Corporate Office Park is a composite structure of tilt-up concrete wall panels and structural steel. The building includes masonry accents and EFIS trim for aesthetic purposes.
http://www.montgomerymartin.com/projects/1166-large.jpg

Lynnfield Centre
45,340 SF (proposed) 2 story, class A, office building to be built on WS Lynnfield Rd. & SS QUince Rd., across from Lichterman Nature Center and near St. Francis Hospital.

:applause:

Great thread.

Highland Ave./ University of Memphis Area

Founded in 1912, the University of Memphis is a comprehensive metropolitan research university that is recognized nationally and internationally for its academic, research, and athletic programs. With more than 20,000 students, the U of M offers more than 254 areas of study for those seeking bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. It also offers the juris doctor (law) and education specialist degrees.

Liberty Bowl Stadium Renovation, Phase 1- $5,000,000 (Gate 4 Reconstruction, Expanded Home Locker Rooms, Relocation of Visitor Locker Rooms, Media/ Conference Space, Female Restroom Expansion, American Disability Act Compliance).
Additional Renovation Phases will continue for the next 4 to 5 years.
Capacity: 63,000 seats, Built in 1965 (previous $20,000,000 renovation in1987)

Officials cut the ribbon Wednesday on what they hope will be a bright new future for Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, thanks to a number of upgrades. The locker room renovation cost over 1.8 million dollars, while the gate 4 project cost over 3 million dollars. One of the first things visitors will notice as they walk into the stadium are new ramps designed to make the building more accessible to the disabled.
The disabled will also find that new seating changes will make it easier to see activities on the field. All around the stadium, special care has been taken to make bathrooms more accessible to wheelchairs and other devices.
Meanwhile, in another part of the stadium, there are large meeting rooms that can be used for sports-related interviews or rented out for profit. Fans will also find that the stadium now has listening devices to help folks who need them hear games. And when you visit the Liberty Bowl, be sure to check out the new concession stands and locker rooms.
Officials said plans have already been made to do more renovations in the future.
In December of 1983, city of Memphis officials named the playing surface Rex Dockery Field in honor of the late Tiger coach who was killed in a plane crash.
Included in the 1987 stadium renovation were the addition of the sky-suites located on the east side of the stadium, approximately 12,000 seats in the stands and a stadium club to accommodate donors. In addition, several areas of the stadium were vastly improved, including the lighting system, playing surface, handicap seating area, concession stands and restroom facilities.
The largest crowd to witness a Memphis home football game at the Liberty Bowl was the record-setting 65,885 who attended the Tigers’ stunning upset of No. 6 ranked Tennessee in 1996.

The New University Center @ U of M (U/C)
$50 million, 169,000-square- foot facility includes a 350-seat theater, a ballroom, a post office, the campus's first 24-hour computer lab, a copy center, offices, conference and meeting rooms, a sky-lit atrium and offices for the dean of students, judicial affairs and student organizations.
http://saweb.memphis.edu/uc/images/banner3.jpg

The Living Learning Complex
The $26 million project will house up to 496 students in “neighborhoods” that will each accommodate 18-22 students.
The buildings are expected to meet LEED Silver Standards in terms of sustainability and “green” design.
https://memphis.edu/images/patterson.jpg

Highland Row
Mixed-use retail and residential community to be created adjacent to the University of Memphis campus. Shop, dine, and even live in this fabulous uptown location. Approximately 270 rental apartment homes and 35 “for sale” townhomes will be offered including contemporary space planning, upscale amenities and designated, secure parking.
http://www.koseneandkosene.com/highlandrow/highland.jpg
http://www.pm-lifestyle.com/lifestyle_center/new/highland/shared_assets/E-Mail%20PDF-4-19-06_Page_1low.jpghttp://www.pm-lifestyle.com/lifestyle_center/new/highland/shared_assets/E-Mail%20PDF-4-19-06_Page_2low.jpg

The Laurels (L),$13,200,000
The five-story, 40-unit condo development
http://thelaurelsmemphis.com/images/ext_render.jpg

University of Memphis School of Nursing and School of Audiology/Speech-Language Pathology
http://anfa.com/project_images/web_CHF01.jpghttp://anfa.com/project_images/web_CHF02.jpg

The Stratum on Highland
Mixed-use infill student housing project located near the University of Memphis comprised of student apartments, first-floor retail, and a 266-space parking garage.
http://thumbs.forrent.com/imgs/fr/propertyFiles/573/052/1000/resized/04_123557997403085430150010075000000.jpghttp://www.montgomerymartin.com/projects/945-large.jpghttp://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/7441.jpg?id=7441&maxWidth=300

FedEx Institute of Technology @ University of Memphis
http://www.scup.org/asset/48797/zone.jpg

Holiday Inn University of Memphis
•82 two-room suites•Medallion Restaurant and Lounge•Central Grill Snack Bar
•Fitness center•Meetings & banquets up to 1,000 guests•18 conference center quality meeting rooms•Conference services available
http://www.wilsonhotels.com/properties/hiuom_files/page10_1.jpghttp://www.wilsonhotels.com/properties/hiuom_files/page10_2.jpg

John S. Wilder Tower & Michael D. Rose Theatre and Lecture Hall @ University of Memphis
http://www.campusexplorer.com/media/376x262/University-of-Memphis-Memphis-D8DFAA41.jpghttp://www.memphis.edu/enews/images/photos/rosetheatre.jpg

Trezevant Manor Assisted Living Center & Independent Living Center, 2 phases- 518,500 SF
http://anfa.com/project_images/web_trez03.jpghttp://anfa.com/project_images/trez01.jpg
http://anfa.com/project_images/web_trezplace02.jpghttp://anfa.com/project_images/web_trezplace01.jpg

Midtown Memphis

http://www.twistedsun.net/desktop_thumbs/joes.jpg http://propimages.apartments.com/646/323286_32.jpg

Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, $85,000,000
The 100,000-square-foot community center -- with a pool, basketball courts, worship area, meeting spaces and fitness center -- also will include an AutoZone Multi-Challenge Area.
The AutoZone Multi-Challenge Area is planned as a three-story urban maze, with lasers, performance stages and mezzanines -- a sort of high-tech, kid-friendly Thunderdome with the potential to inspire participants to cooperate.
http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2009/05/07/b8kroc3.jpeg
http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2009/05/07/b8kroc2.jpeg

Cooper-Wilson Center for Life Sciences @ Christian Brothers University, 64,000 Sq ft
The Sciences complex is composed of Cooper-Wilson Center and Assisi Hall. The complex contains 22 labs and preparation rooms, seven classrooms, interior and exterior gathering spaces, and facilities for research and specialty equipment, supporting the fields of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Natural Science, Math, and Computer Science.
http://anfa.com/project_images/web_CW01.jpghttp://anfa.com/project_images/web_CW02.jpg

Metz Hall @ Memphis College Of Art, 24,000 sq ft
New residence hall is part of the larger master plan for Memphis College of Art which enables them to house 47 more students.
http://anfa.com/project_images/MetzHall_Twilight1.jpghttp://anfa.com/project_images/Metz%20Hall%20Studio%201.jpg

Levitt Shell @ Overton Park
It was built for less than $12,000 in the 1930s by the city of Memphis and the Works Progress Administration, but to relaunch the Levitt Shell at Overton Park – which the city closed a few years ago after years of inactivity and disrepair – it took a $1.3 million renovation plus the addition of new equipment, volunteers, staff, an office space and much more. It is the music venue where a young Elvis Presley played his first show in 1954.
http://www.levittshell.org/photos/08Shell28.jpghttp://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/5501.jpg?id=5501&maxWidth=300

Playhouse On The Square, $15,000,000 - 2 phases (U/C)
The centerpiece for Memphis' arts community is getting a new look! Designed for maximum audience engagement, the new playhouse will consist of 350 seats - with no seat further than 10 rows from the stage. The new 35,000 sf theater will also feature a cafe and art galleries. An existing five-story building located adjacent to the new Playhouse will house administrative offices, dressing rooms, rehearsal space and a costume shop. The top two floors will be used as office space for non-profit arts groups.
http://www.montgomerymartin.com/projects/839-large.jpg

Minglewood Plaza, $6,000,000 (2 of 3 phases completed)
80,000 sq. ft will include three retail stores and a restaurant - plus a large entrance, atrium and courtyard - all of which will comprise Minglewood Plaza.
In addition to the retail/restaurant components, the property houses Minglewood Concert Hall, a music venue that can hold 1,500 people.
http://images.evdb.com/images/vdpborder250/I0-001/001/858/163-3.jpeghttp://www.memphisflyer.com/imager/new_digs/b/original/1439759/d46d/p.26_music.jpghttp://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/4870.jpg?id=4870&maxWidth=300http://www.livedownloads.com/images/shows/um090328_01.jpg

Grace St. Luke’s (GSL) Episcopal School
42,000-square-foot multi-purpose facility, $8,000,000-$12,000,000
The school also plans a 2,600-square-foot expansion and renovation of an existing building on campus.
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/5848.jpg?id=5848&maxWidth=300http://www.montgomerymartin.com/projects/898-large.jpg

Carrier Hall @ Central Gardens (U/Renovation)
Size: 9,000-square-foot main house, 2,500-square-foot guest house/bath house, and tea house with more than 400 square feet.
Imposing grand estate built in the 1920's on 1.3 acres in the heart of Midtown. Grand rooms & halls, interior limestone arches & remarkable floors place this home in a league of its own. Features: Wine cellar, large pool (14 ft deep), eight fireplaces and restored outdoor courtyard fountain. Also, it listed on National Register of Historic Places. Memphis boasts the sixth-highest number of historic properties listed on the National Register - about 11,500 buildings.

The Pie Factory Lofts (Condos) @ Cooper-Young District
http://www.lucidcrew.com/files/images/_big_lucidcrew_25183.jpghttp://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/4351.jpg?id=4351&maxWidth=300

Midtown Medical Dialysis Center
The world’s largest provider of dialysis services has spruced up a tired part of Midtown and introduced some green architecture to the neighborhood. Germany-based Fresenius Medical Care has opened a two-story, 13,460 square-foot dialysis center at 1428 Monroe, at a cost of $2.6 million.
http://anfa.com/project_images/web_mm02.jpghttp://anfa.com/project_images/web_mm01.jpg

Midtown Memphis, (Design/Planning) $180,000,000
Mixed-use project that will include residential, retail, office, medical office, and restaurant space on a 26-acre site.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/5218.jpg

Midtown Memphis

http://www.twistedsun.net/desktop_thumbs/joes.jpghttp://urban-photos.com/gallery/albums/city_galleries/memphis//normal_memphis_8679.jpghttp://propimages.apartments.com/646/323286_32.jpg

Cooper-Wilson Center for Life Sciences @ Christian Brothers University, 64,000 Sq ft
The Sciences complex is composed of Cooper-Wilson Center and Assisi Hall. The complex contains 22 labs and preparation rooms, seven classrooms, interior and exterior gathering spaces, and facilities for research and specialty equipment, supporting the fields of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Natural Science, Math, and Computer Science.
http://anfa.com/project_images/web_CW01.jpghttp://anfa.com/project_images/web_CW02.jpg

Metz Hall @ Memphis College Of Art, 24,000 sq ft
New residence hall is part of the larger master plan for Memphis College of Art which enables them to house 47 more students.
http://anfa.com/project_images/MetzHall_Twilight1.jpghttp://anfa.com/project_images/Metz%20Hall%20Studio%201.jpg

Levitt Shell @ Overton Park
It was built for less than $12,000 in the 1930s by the city of Memphis and the Works Progress Administration, but to relaunch the Levitt Shell at Overton Park – which the city closed a few years ago after years of inactivity and disrepair – it took a $1.3 million renovation plus the addition of new equipment, volunteers, staff, an office space and much more. It is the music venue where a young Elvis Presley played his first show in 1954.
http://www.facebook.com/profile/pic.php?uid=AAAAAQAQdiPzkVrpY0qNBWmwqEJmiAAAAArYYn5xxQQ7oi27R2HGi2-_http://www.levittshell.org/photos/08Shell28.jpghttp://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/5501.jpg?id=5501&maxWidth=300

Playhouse On The Square, $15,000,000 - 2 phases (U/C)
The centerpiece for Memphis' arts community is getting a new look! Designed for maximum audience engagement, the new playhouse will consist of 350 seats - with no seat further than 10 rows from the stage. The new 35,000 sf theater will also feature a cafe and art galleries. An existing five-story building located adjacent to the new Playhouse will house administrative offices, dressing rooms, rehearsal space and a costume shop. The top two floors will be used as office space for non-profit arts groups.
http://www.montgomerymartin.com/projects/839-large.jpghttps://www.playhouseonthesquare.org/images/capitalcampaign/Seating-Plan.jpg

Minglewood Plaza, $6,000,000 (2 of 3 phases completed)
80,000 sq. ft will include three retail stores and a restaurant - plus a large entrance, atrium and courtyard - all of which will comprise Minglewood Plaza.
In addition to the retail/restaurant components, the property houses Minglewood Concert Hall, a music venue that can hold 1,500 people.
The DeHart Group, operating as Mad Will Properties LLC, bought the building in February 2007 for $1.7 million and promptly converted the second floor into corporate offices. The DeHart Group is a family-owned business that operates a host of companies ranging from third-party logistics and finance to human resources and technology.
http://images.evdb.com/images/vdpborder250/I0-001/001/858/163-3.jpeghttp://www.memphisflyer.com/imager/new_digs/b/original/1439759/d46d/p.26_music.jpghttp://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/4870.jpg?id=4870&maxWidth=300http://www.livedownloads.com/images/shows/um090328_01.jpg

Midtown Memphis, (Design/Planning) $180,000,000
Mixed-use project that will include residential, retail, office, medical office, and restaurant space on a 26-acre site.
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/5218.jpg

Carrier Hall @ Central Gardens (U/Renovation)
Size: 9,000-square-foot main house, 2,500-square-foot guest house/bath house, and tea house with more than 400 square feet.
Imposing grand estate built in the 1920's on 1.3 acres in the heart of Midtown. Grand rooms & halls, interior limestone arches & remarkable floors place this home in a league of its own. Features: Wine cellar, large pool (14 ft deep!), eight fireplaces and restored outdoor courtyard fountain. Also, it listed on National Register of Historic Places. Memphis boasts the sixth-highest number of historic properties listed on the National Register - about 11,500 buildings.
http://realestate.commercialappeal.com/imageproxy.aspx?L=2217-3171697&W=395&H=282&U=http://photos.listhub.net/MAARTN/3171697/0

The Pie Factory Lofts (Condos) @ Cooper-Young District
http://www.firstreleasehomes.com/locate/2615/image/thumbnail/

Midtown Medical Dialysis Center
The world’s largest provider of dialysis services has spruced up a tired part of Midtown and introduced some green architecture to the neighborhood. Germany-based Fresenius Medical Care has opened a two-story, 13,460 square-foot dialysis center at 1428 Monroe, at a cost of $2.6 million.
http://anfa.com/project_images/web_mm02.jpghttp://anfa.com/project_images/web_mm01.jpg

good to see accurate and truthful reports concerning my city. some who post information would have one believe that the big "M" is dying. even though johnny has a comprehensive list, there are other projects planned or underway. 220,000,000 saddlecreek dev including 8 story office tower, 200,000,000+ redevelopment of the fairgrounds in the inner city, 300,000,000 proposed riverbend development in metro memphis tunica county, 3500 acre auto plant development tunica county, the proposed new 1 billion dollar bridge over the mississippi in the memphis metro (probably north memphis), the mega intermodal building location in metro memphis (fayette-shelby county.) to conclude, one overlooked area important to the metropolitan area of memphis is the casino district, its great airport and its economic contribution (2007 figure) 4.6 billion annually. this entertainment location boasts hotels ranging from 31 stories to single level. i have no pictures, but when i locate some, i will post them. for some strange reason, memphis has very few---if any--aerial views of the distant skylines of downtown, robinsonville, east corridor, midtown, etc. it is difficult to find a decent picture that pictures the pyramid to the bluffs to the medical center, st. jude, etc. i have written to some professional photographers as far back as may of this year, yet, i have gotten no replies. perhaps, it has something to do w/ angle, air traffic space, or approach. i have never seen a photo of the downtown skyline pictured from and including the I 240 business corridor. again, johnny, thank you for your extensive update on the bluff city.

good information on memphis. it would be nice to see casinos in south metro area of memphis. too, more information on the proposed highrises on the island would be nice. no doubt about the major projects and improvements in downtown. it will be interesting to see what development plans are drawn for the fairgrounds in midtown. again, thanks for the obvious effort to discuss the good things happening in memphis.

Alright, by popular demand...

Southern Memphis MSA (Mississippi)

Baptist Memorial Hospital Desoto, Expansion Tower /Renevation of ER, $175,000,000
The new 11 story tower, which opened Nov. 5, 2006, added 140 beds, bringing the bed total at the Southaven facility to 339. The number makes Baptist-DeSoto (412,000 SF) second in size only to Baptist-Memphis within the Baptist system.
http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2007/11/03/4baptist_t220.jpeg

Previous Expansions:
December 2002 was the opening of the Baptist DeSoto Outpatient Diagnostic Center and Women's Center.
In 2001, Baptist DeSoto completed three expansion projects that nearly doubled the size of the hospital and added much-needed services. A new critical care unit opened on Valentine's Day and brought open-heart surgery to DeSoto County for the first time ever. In April, the hospital's labor and delivery services expanded with the opening of the 34,000-square-foot Women's Pavilion. And DeSoto County's first radiation oncology unit, the Baptist Center for Cancer Care-DeSoto, opened in December.

391 Southcrest / Baptist DeSoto Campus, Southaven, MS
Class A Medical Office Building Size:58,036 SF

Snowden Grove Amphitheater & Town Square Centre
http://www.preferred-seating.com/images/Snowden-Ampitheatre.jpghttp://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/466656/Snowden+Grove+Park+Amphitheater.jpghttp://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/5/4/E/54E6B189-2954-428F-AFE3-FD07AB172AEA.jpg

Desoto Civic Center (10,000-seat Arena/Convention-Exhibit Hall/400-seat theatre)
http://www.jbhm.com/images/portfolio/DCCC_master_plan.jpg

Snowden Grove Ball Park & Bancorp South Sports Center Complex
http://www.midsouthusssa.com/images/baseball_fountain.jpghttp://www.midsouthusssa.com/images/Snowden%20Grove%20Overview.jpg

Multi-Purpose Arena & Holiday Inn @ Southaven
http://www.hotelplanner.com/Common/Images/Hotels/163706_13.jpg

...

...

i'm glad to see the rebuilding of the downtown first united methodist church at poplar and second; however, i hope the trinity place proposal will not be dismissed because of the replacement of the church. the presentation plans for trinity place are really beautiful, and it would add a very attractive glass and steel structure to the city's skyline. if it can't go on the proposed methodist property, what about a place on mud island at the harbor. another sensible hotel for the island would be one of those desperately needed larger-roomed hotels that, remarkably, most agree we need for tourists. herenton has plenty of time to learn of prime locations for big businesses---let him lead the way. if it is near the water, i hope the village idiots halbert, warton, warinjure, and bust a nut whal'em will follow to the river and play in the swift side. let carpenter build the boat.

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Historic Renovations on the Mall

Construction has begun on The General Washburn, the $7.8 million renovation of the historic Lawrence building at 60 S Main St into 42 apartments and approximately 5,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Downtown Developers LLC plans to complete work on the project by the end of the year.
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UrbanArt Commission is installing a public art sculpture/pavillion on a plaza at Beale Street Landing. Designed by Chicago-based artist Evan Lewis, the 52-foot tall, concrete and stainless steel structure, which will include wind-powered kinetic parts, will serve as a gateway to the $29.4 million docking facility and park. Installation of the sculpture is scheduled for fall of 2010.
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Work is almost complete at Metro67 the 157-unit luxury apartment project at 67 Madison Avenue. The units are available for lease, and the first residents have already moved in. EFO Residential Partners developed the $28 million project along with the $7.5 million renovation of the adjacent garage in the former AutoZone Annex at 60 Madison.
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Work continues on Barboro Flats at 100 South Main Street. The $18.1 million project will include 92 apartments, approximately 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, and a 215-space public parking garage (owned by the Downtown Parking Authority).The project is scheduled to be completed by September 2010.
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EmergeMemphis has received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA). The EDA grant will be used to help finance the $1.5 million expansion and renovation of the fourth floor of the business incubator's offices at 516 Tennessee Street. The renovation will provide space for up to 14 additional early-stage, high-growth companies at the site. Work is scheduled to begin this fall and to be completed in spring 2010.
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Nearby, design plans have been finalized for the U of M Law School – Confederate Park Public Access project, and work is scheduled to begin later this year. Riverfront Development Corporation (RDC) is coordinating construction of a 10-foot wide, concrete walkway along the top of the bluff behind the new University of Memphis Law School. The walkway will connect across Court Avenue with a pedestrian bridge – 200 feet in length – to Confederate Park. The project will also include an overlook terrace, landscaping, and lighting improvements. Ritchie Smith Associates designed the $1.2 million project, which is scheduled for completion by summer 2010.

In conjunction with the City of Memphis and the Memphis City Council, RDC has also recently completed a walking trail and other public enhancements at Chickasaw Heritage park in the French Fort neighborhood.

New Downtown Businesses:

Lulalyn Downtown: Art gallery, 80 Monroe Ave

SOB | South of Beale: Memphis' first gastropub, 361 S Main St

Republic Nightclub & Restaurant: 126 Beale St

Sneak Peek: Men's urban street wear boutique, 515 S Main St Ste 101

A New Hotel for Sofo (South Forum District)
http://www.downtownmemphis.com/domain/news/developer/Images/sofo.jpg

Royal Phoenix Development LLC plans to build a new luxury hotel and parking garage at the southeast corner of Linden and Fourth in the South Forum neighborhood. Project plans were approved by the Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board in August. The 11-story, 298-room hotel will cost approximately $77 million and is scheduled for completion in 2011.
http://www.downtownmemphis.com/domain/images/projects/phoenixhotel.jpg
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Plans have been announced to renovate and re-brand One Commerce Square. Forty South Main Street Corporation has named a development team that includes Commercial Alliance Management, Looney Ricks Kiss Architects, and Grinder Tabor & Grinder to overhaul the iconic, 31-story building. Work is scheduled to begin later this year and to be completed in 2010.
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/6814.jpg?id=6814&maxWidth=200
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Historic Renovations on the Mall

Construction has begun on The General Washburn, the $7.8 million renovation of the historic Lawrence building at 60 S Main St into 42 apartments and approximately 5,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Downtown Developers LLC plans to complete work on the project by the end of the year.
http://www.downtownmemphis.com/domain/news/developer/images/washburn091709.jpg
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UrbanArt Commission is installing a public art sculpture/pavillion on a plaza at Beale Street Landing. Designed by Chicago-based artist Evan Lewis, the 52-foot tall, concrete and stainless steel structure, which will include wind-powered kinetic parts, will serve as a gateway to the $29.4 million docking facility and park. Installation of the sculpture is scheduled for fall of 2010.
http://www.downtownmemphis.com/domain/news/developer/images/bsl_sculpture.jpg
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Work is almost complete at Metro67 the 157-unit luxury apartment project at 67 Madison Avenue. The units are available for lease, and the first residents have already moved in. EFO Residential Partners developed the $28 million project along with the $7.5 million renovation of the adjacent garage in the former AutoZone Annex at 60 Madison.
http://www.downtownmemphis.com/domain/news/developer/images/67Madison_address.jpg
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Work continues on Barboro Flats at 100 South Main Street. The $18.1 million project will include 92 apartments, approximately 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, and a 215-space public parking garage (owned by the Downtown Parking Authority).The project is scheduled to be completed by September 2010.
http://www.downtownmemphis.com/domain/news/developer/images/barboro091709.jpg
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EmergeMemphis has received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA). The EDA grant will be used to help finance the $1.5 million expansion and renovation of the fourth floor of the business incubator's offices at 516 Tennessee Street. The renovation will provide space for up to 14 additional early-stage, high-growth companies at the site. Work is scheduled to begin this fall and to be completed in spring 2010.
http://www.downtownmemphis.com/domain/news/developer/images/516tennessee.jpg
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Nearby, design plans have been finalized for the U of M Law School – Confederate Park Public Access project, and work is scheduled to begin later this year. Riverfront Development Corporation (RDC) is coordinating construction of a 10-foot wide, concrete walkway along the top of the bluff behind the new University of Memphis Law School. The walkway will connect across Court Avenue with a pedestrian bridge – 200 feet in length – to Confederate Park. The project will also include an overlook terrace, landscaping, and lighting improvements. Ritchie Smith Associates designed the $1.2 million project, which is scheduled for completion by summer 2010.

In conjunction with the City of Memphis and the Memphis City Council, RDC has also recently completed a walking trail and other public enhancements at Chickasaw Heritage park in the French Fort neighborhood.

New Downtown Businesses:

Lulalyn Downtown: Art gallery, 80 Monroe Ave

SOB | South of Beale: Memphis' first gastropub, 361 S Main St

Republic Nightclub & Restaurant: 126 Beale St

Sneak Peek: Men's urban street wear boutique, 515 S Main St Ste 101

Enjoy. :banana:

other building/renovation projects remembered: photo of the new 7 story airport garage at memphis international is now on line. it is pretty nice. drawings of the new apron and entrance for memphis international available on line. proposal for third I 40 mississippi river bridge in north memphis. will open a tremendous metro area connection from jonesboro and blytheville, ark. new inpatient hospice care facility on quince road under construction. new forensic center for medical examiner's office at poplar and orleans. the addition of a fourth floor to the new cancer research building at UTHSC, also, the addition of a mirror image 100,000 sqft cancer research center. construction of new research office building, 600,000 sqft at union and manassas. i don't know the number of floors or stories. construction of the intermodal facility at airport city. will house greyhound bus station, mata operations, and offices, bays, etc. will be the tie-in to the light rail system from international airport to points in center city. whole lot of building goin on!

Belz's Peabody Suites project put on hold -Ailing luxury hotel segment among reasons for the delay

http://www.belz.com/PropertyImages/APPCNTR01_Prime.jpg

Memphis Business Journal - by Andy Ashby

Construction at the 160-room Peabody Suites expansion Downtown has been temporarily halted due to a tough lending market, a challenging luxury hotel segment and Belz Enterprises, Inc.’s focus on other projects. “We’ve completed the demolition and are continuing to work through the design and financing,” says Andy Groveman, senior vice president at Belz. Large portions of the former Muvico Theater space have been cleared and the site is ready for redevelopment. Construction could start back up later this year or in early 2010, according to Peabody Hotel general manager Doug Browne.

“I don’t see the economy turning in a big way until we’ve started the next year, at least that’s what hotel analysts say,” he says. In October, there were 38 hotel projects under construction in the Memphis market, according to local consultant Chuck Pinkowski. Now there are eight, including a 127-room Hyatt Place on Winchester and a 131-room Courtyard by Marriott Downtown. “Anything which has been planned is on hold,” Pinkowski says. “If it’s not on hold, it’s been canceled.” Luxury hotels have been especially hard hit, with that segment’s revenues down 38% compared to last year, according to a Smith Travel Research report. Pinkowski attributes some of it to the “AIG phenomenon.” When the federal government bailed out American International Group, Inc., the insurance company used the money to pay bonuses and for meetings in luxury destinations. “They got chastised by the government for doing both of those things,” Pinkowski says. “So the whiplash effect has been other companies which were planning to go to Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton or another fabulous location, canceled their plans or changed their plans to another location.”

The current lending market is another reason. “If you’re trying to borrow $50 million or $60 million, it’s not the best of conditions and the best deal you would want for a project that size,” Browne says. Finally, Peabody Hotel Group, Belz’s hotel company, is halfway through a $450 million-$500 million, 750-room expansion at its Orlando, Fla., hotel. “That’s a huge project and I think that’s taken a lot of focus,” Browne says.

Governor announces approval for solar ‘farm’
By Richard Locker (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Tuesday, September 15, 2009

http://media2.myfoxmemphis.com//photo/2009/05/13/solar_panels_20090513110058_320_240.JPG

Tennessee won federal approval Tuesday for a $62.5 million economic stimulus grant for a solar power demonstration farm in Haywood County and solar research institute at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Gov. Phil Bredesen announced the U.S. Department of Energy's approval at his annual economic conference. The next step is an environmental assessment of the roughly 20-acre site alongside Interstate 40 in southwestern Haywood County, about 40 miles northeast of Memphis. That's where the state plans to erect 22,300 solar panels.

The money will be divided between the two components of the "Volunteer State Solar Initiative," which Bredesen hopes will position Tennessee as a center for clean-energy research, development and manufacturing, and a magnet for nonenergy companies that want to jump on the green-energy bandwagon.

Bredesen said he envisions the farm as a "test bed and showcase" for solar power products and also encouraging other manufacturers who want to emphasize their "commitment to environmental stewardship" to locate in a 1,500-acre West Tennessee industrial "megasite" the state is planning adjacent to the solar farm.
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State panel approves purchase of land for Haywood megasite
By Richard Locker (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Tuesday, September 29, 2009

http://www.haywoodcountybrownsville.com/Images/header2/map.jpg

After two hours of testimony by proponents and opponents, the State Building Commission on Tuesday approved the $40 million purchase of 3,836 acres of farmland in southwestern Haywood County for the West Tennessee industrial "megasite."

State and local officials hope to use the site between Interstate 40 and U.S. 70 about 40 miles northeast of Memphis as a red carpet for a large, job-creating industrial or business development similar to those under way at Tennessee's two other TVA-certified megasites: the Volkswagen automobile plant in Chattanooga and the Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. plant in Clarksville.Each is a $1 billion investment and promises to create thousands of jobs in its area.
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Mid-South has 'bioeconomy' potential
By Toby Sells
Thursday, August 27, 2009

http://www.westtnmedicalnews.com/photos/Full1324.jpg

A shift to a "bioeconomy" could bring 25,000 jobs in 10 years and $8 billion annually to the Mid-South, according to a new study commissioned by the Memphis Bioworks Foundation. The study was conducted by Battelle Technology Partnership Practice, the same group that concluded in 2003 that Memphis could be a biomedical hub.

The economic development group now claims that Memphis and the 98-county region around it have the potential to be a leader in producing bio-based products, which are crop-based chemicals, fuels and natural alternatives to petroleum-based plastics.

The Battelle study is a snapshot of the current agricultural, transportation and industrial assets of the region that hugs both banks of the Mississippi River in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri and Kentucky. The assets include 36 million acres of crop production space and a diversity of crops from corn and cotton to rice and hardwood trees.

Also, the rich farmland of the Mississippi Delta gives the region a strategic advantage in a burgeoning bioeconomy, said Bioworks president Steve Bares.

"You just can't grow biomass in Arizona," Bares said. "You have to go to place where it's a natural asset and we do."

The study also concludes the region has the industrial, chemical and logistics infrastructure needed to convert crops to products and get them to the marketplace.

Carolyn Hardy, president and CEO of Memphis-based Hardy Bottling Co., said her beverage manufacturing plant has several hundred fermentation tanks that could be used in the process to produce biofuels.

"We have a very expensive asset that's not being utilized for its intended purpose," Hardy said.

The study claims the region could produce 4.7 billion gallons of ethanol per year from crops such as switchgrass. Ethanol sold for $1.65 per gallon in July, which would make ethanol production in the region alone worth $7.75 billion.

Thomas F. "Bud" Hughes, a partner in Verdant Partners LLC and chairman of Agricenter International, said agriculture is now in a state of flux as crop choices are impacted by new technology and the ongoing energy debate, which is affectedd by people's changing views on the environment. A bioeconomy would give farmers and those in industry a new alternative.

"There are a lot of unanswered questions about the bioeconomy plan, but there is a lot of potential and promise," Hughes said. "But a lot of it is in the formative stages."

Memphis Bioworks Foundation

Impact: "Bioeconomy" could bring 25,000 jobs, $8 billion to region in 10 years

Focus: Turning crops into chemicals, fuels and plastic products

Asset: Bioeconomy region would have 36 million arable acres
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NuCO2 set to build its new facility in Memphis

NuCO2, which provides certified carbon dioxide and other gas solutions for the food service and hospitality industries, has selected Memphis as the location of its new national refurbishment facility.
"We selected Memphis as the location for our national refurbishment facility because it provides easy access to our customers nationally," said Scott Wade, chief operating officer of NuCO2. "The centralized location will enable us to more quickly complete the refurbishment process and deploy the tanks back into the field."
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Memphis Zoo's Teton Trek will give a sense of travel to national parks

http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2009/09/25/26teton1_t220.jpeghttp://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2009/09/25/26teton2_t220.jpeghttp://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2009/09/25/26teton3_t220.jpeg

The Memphis Zoo's new 4-acre, $16 million exhibit re-creates the western expanse of Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks.

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U.S. News -10 Hard-Hit Housing Markets That Are Ready to Rebound
After slumping, home prices in these 10 cities are expected to rise over the next three to five years

http://www.usnews.com/dbimages/master/10854/FE_PR_memphis-tn.jpg

#4. Memphis: Home prices in Memphis fell 23 percent from their peaks through the first quarter of 2009. John Moore, the president and chief executive of the Greater Memphis Chamber, says that the area's exposure to subprime loans—although limited to several specific areas—played a key role in this decline. More recently, however, foreclosures linked to subprime mortgages have dropped, and investors have scooped up distressed properties at steep discounts, he says. In addition to its pleasant quality of life, Memphis's position as an important transportation hub will keep its economy humming and housing demand strong, Moore says. "We have the largest cargo airport in the world," he says. "We are the third-largest trucking corridor, fourth-largest inland port, and on top of that we are one of only three cities in the [United States] that is served by the five class-one railroads." In addition, Moore says that Memphis's low cost of living and strong healthcare system have made it a popular destination for retirees. Moody's Economy.com projects that home prices in Memphis will rise about 9 percent by the first quarter of 2012 and 24 percent by the first quarter of 2014.

Wow, It's great to see so much investment in central Memphis!

　　On September 19, Hanzhengjie Street will host the first tourism & shopping festival. Tu Guoxi, Chief of the Administrative Committee of the Street, is going to push forward the second start of the marketplaces with over a hundred years of history. A couple of years ago, Hanzhengjie Street launched its own brand building strategy by improving the quality of shops and businesses. The street tries to seek the balance of needs of branded commodities and actual purchasing power of local citizens. This is exactly what Tu and his co-workers seek.

The Memphis Medical Center is conjoined with Downtown to the east & north and is included with the "Central Business District". Several rather large projects are currently underway.

The Edge at Monroe, $4,000,000

Here's Methodist University Hospital where Steve Jobs of Apple got his liver transplant.
http://www.methodisthealth.org/static/files/images/1247508615064/f_university06.jpg

Baptist Central implosion to make way for UT-Baptist Research Park

University of Tennessee-Baptist Research Park, (U/C) $450,000,000
Space: 1.4 million square feet of laboratory, research, education and business space
First phase: Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (completed)
Second phase: UT College of Pharmacy, scheduled completion in summer 2010

http://www.sitemason.com/files/ct7yQU/Research%20Park.jpg/main.jpg

Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center, (U/C) $327,000,000
Scheduled completion: 2010

HARRAH'S HOPE LODGE, $8,000,000

SOUTHWEST COMMUNITY COLLEGE NURSING, NATURAL SCIENCES, AND BIOTECHNOLOGY BUILDING, $16,000,000

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, $1,000,000,000 Expansion ($500,000,000 completed)

Memphis Grizzlies House @ St. Jude, $10,000,000
http://www.wilsonhotels.com/properties/mgh_files/page19_5.jpghttp://www.wilsonhotels.com/properties/mgh_files/page19_1.jpg

St. Jude (Chili's Care Center)

Radiological Science Space Renovation $15,000,000
Now under construction, Completion: 2nd Quarter 2010

VA Hospital $90,000,000 Completed
Description: Replacement of hospital bed tower and seismic upgrades including a new skin on building

Bristol Apartments on Union Ave., $20,000,000
http://www.rent.com/media/property/670/670605.jpg

MERI Works to Become World-Renowned Training Facility
TOM WILEMON | The Daily News

The reach of the Medical Education and Research Institute expands far beyond the former post office it occupies on Cleveland Avenue. The largest surgical training center in the country using donor bodies, MERI has taught new procedures in the past year to more than 9,500 physicians from the United States and abroad. Their visits and other business generated by MERI will bring an estimated $54 million into the Memphis economy, said Elizabeth Ostric, the institute’s executive director.

Solid financial support for MERI has helped keep Memphis at the forefront of medical innovations since the training center opened in the old post office in 1994. Its primary benefactors are Baptist Memorial Health Care, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and Semmes Murphey Neurologic and Spine Institute. During the past year, MERI has raised about $1.7 million. The institute began a $10 million capital fund drive about two years ago, but has since changed its fundraising strategy to make it a continuing annual effort. “We have been given a lot of different (types of) donations,” Ostric said. “Some have been cash so we could finance the refurbishment of this building and make for more lab space so that we could actually train more students.” Companies have also loaned training equipment, such as a da Vinci robotic surgical system and an O-arm, a system manufactured by Medtronic Inc. that allows simultaneous multidimensional monitoring during surgical procedures. “Our vision is to be the leading hands-on medical education and training institute in the world,” Ostric said. “It’s important to keep that new technology coming all the time.”

Last year, MERI spent $700,000 to expand its 27,000-square-foot facility with another 2,000 square feet. This year, it purchased an adjacent building at 1381 Madison for $800,000. The city of Memphis within the past month approved plans to reroute an alley between MERI and the adjacent building so a parking lot can be expanded and gated. “What we will eventually do is we will knock down that building,” Ostric said. “As donations and tuition permit, we will actually expand our teaching facilities there.”

Full Article: http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=46712

Memphis Mental Health Institute, $26,800,000
http://memphis.medicalnewsinc.com/photos/Full798.jpg

UT Hamilton Eye Institute, $11,000,000

Madison 19, $2,500,000

UT Health Science Center Cancer Research Center, $21,000,000
101,000-sf, four-story medical sciences research facility for the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. The new facility, to include laboratory and office space for 36 reasearchers and their support staff, in-house conferencing and library rooms, and meeting space.

Research Center Next On UTHSC Building Agenda
TOM WILEMON | The Daily News

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/7248.jpg?id=7248&maxWidth=200
OPEN SITE: The translational research building for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center will be built on a vacant lot south of the Cancer Research Center and linked to that building with an elevated walkway. -- PHOTO BY TOM WILEMON

A center where scientists from different fields of medical research can share ideas toward common goals will be the next new building slated for construction on the University of Tennessee Health Science Center campus. The university on Thursday will ask the Tennessee State Building Commission’s blessing to proceed with the $49 million translational research building project on a vacant lot at the northwest corner of Union Avenue and Manassas Street. Construction could begin as early as next year. “In relatively short order, we hope we have the proverbial green light to move forward with that project,” said Kennard Brown, UTHSC executive vice chancellor and chief of staff.

Next in line
UTHSC received the blessing last year from the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees to fund the project with state bonds. Trustees also approved using bond money for a new clinical building, which will be next in the construction lineup. The buildings will be the second and third projects following the $49.6 million College of Pharmacy, which is already under construction. In total, UTHSC’s goal is to invest between $160 million and $200 million in campus upgrades as part of a five-year plan. The translational research building will be connected by an elevated walkway to the Cancer Research Building, which opened in 2007. “What we want to do is kind of model it after the Cancer Research Building,” Brown said. “It will be kind of thematically designed, where we’re not going to put a particular department of basic scientists in there. We’re going to build it around three major research themes: cardiovascular and neurological diseases and then some infectious diseases. We will have science investigators from departments like physiology, pharmacology and from the department of medicine. It’s not going to be one particular unit of investigators in there. It will be a multidisciplinary open laboratory shared space.” In the cancer research building, interested collaborative efforts under this model have included dentists working with pathologists on oral cancer investigations, Brown said. The five-year plan calls for adding another 100,000 square feet of research space. “To recruit world-class scientists to come to Memphis to research cardiovascular disease or do neurological research, you need those kinds of facilities that people can practice their craft in,” Brown said. “For a basic scientist, it doesn’t matter how much compensation you offer them. The first question they have is, ‘Where’s my laboratory?’ For people to do world-class research, you really need state-of-the-art world-class facilities.”

More changes
With the new clinical building, the campus will see a dramatic increase in clinical space going from 5,000 square feet to 150,000 square feet. The university’s plan is to put the new clinical building at the southeast corner of Dunlap Street and Union behind the Scottish Rite of Freemasons building. The university is seeking to acquire property related to this project. Some old buildings on campus will be demolished to make room for the changes, including the Beale, Randolph and Feurt buildings. “Randolph at the corner of Madison and Manassas is basically off line,” Brown said. “We have for all intents and purposes shut it down. No utilities. I think to the casual observer who drives by that building it looks like a pretty structurally sound building that’s there. But it is empty, has no power and we’ve got demolition plans for it.” The UTHSC will have to wait on state funding for other components of the building plan, including renovations for office space, an educational annex and a new student center. Before state bonds will be issued for the translational research building and the clinical building, UTHSC must present business plans for how it can pay the debt obligations. It will rely on federal research grants for the translational building. The debt service on that building is expected to be about $4 million a year. The university is still developing a business model for the clinical building. “For the clinical facility, it’s a little more complicated dynamic,” Brown said. “We’re being very, very deliberative and trying to be conservative in modeling before we go to the commission.”

Medical Center Light Rail Extension, $53,000,000
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Memphis Business Journal - by Michael Sheffield

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The recession may have crippled most new development across Memphis, but a drive through the city’s medical corridor tells a different story. There is currently $1.5 billion worth of development under way in the medical corridor ranging from a parking garage at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center to the $450 million UT/Baptist Research Park that will house the Memphis Bioworks Foundation’s offices. Also under construction is Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center’s 650,000-square-foot hospital that includes a 12-story tower and a new emergency room. That project is budgeted around $327 million. Other projects in the area include the $8.5 million Harrah’s Hope Lodge, which will provide cancer patients and their families with a short-term stay facility. Le Bonheur is also building FedEx House, a short-term stay facility for its patients and their families, budgeted at around $8.5 million. The 30 known projects in the medical corridor are all in different stages of development, but what those projects show to Memphians and people visiting Memphis is a commitment to the growth of the second largest industry in the city, says Leigh Anne Downes, director of life science business development for the Greater Memphis Chamber. “Anytime a company comes to town and sees cranes in the air, they know the area is viable,” Downes says. “New development not only says the organization is investing in the community, but the community is investing in the organization.”

Beth Flanagan, director of Memphis Medical Center, says the city’s reputation precedes it in national circles, but the development going on in the medical corridor also serves as a conversation starter and an excitement generator at the same time. She says the challenges will be to create the work force to staff the hospitals and research center that are being developed. Memphis Bioworks Foundation, which also runs the Memphis Academy of Science Education and Education, is working to grow that talent from the ground up. “They can start with the charter school and go up to graduate degrees to create that work force,” Flanagan says. “Then you have organizations like Innova (Memphis, Inc.) to help with the patents and marketing plans. All of those pieces are in place.”

Le Bonheur’s expansion — which is on track to be completed by spring 2010 — will enhance the infrastructure of the area, says Cato Johnson, the hospital’s senior vice president of corporate relations. The bigger developments not only help attract other development and business to the area, but also enhance the quality of care for the existing population, Johnson says. “Those are major additions to the Memphis landscape as it relates to health care for this community,” Johnson says. “We also shouldn’t forget that Memphis itself will be a healthier community because of it. When we’re done, we’ll honestly be able to say the city has some of the best health care available.” When the UT/Baptist Research Park is completed, possibly by 2015, it will represent the latest transformation that has taken place over the last 60 years in the medical community in Memphis, says Bill Tuttle, vice president of planning for Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corp. Baptist donated its former Downtown hospital for the project, which Tuttle says represented an $80 million gift. Baptist also donated the land where the University of Tennessee is building its new pharmacy school. Tuttle, who has “been running around the medical center all my life,” says the development is definitely a great thing for the city, but what goes on in those buildings is more important than the mere presence of them. Tuttle says with the right staff in place when development is completed, no one can fathom how far the city can go. “You can’t put a limit on research talent and brain power,” Tuttle says. “When you look at Bioworks and the biomedical industry, it allows us to integrate well with other entities and parlay some of our existing strengths beyond just medical and science.”

One of those industries is FedEx Corp., which Downes says helps the existing companies meet federal medical shipping regulations. Companies that ship devices, vaccines or body tissue often have a federally mandated 72-hour window to get products to clients. Having FedEx in the city has made all of that possible. “If you have a product, it either came from Memphis or was shipped through Memphis in some capacity,” Downes says. More importantly, she says, is the fact that it will create high-skilled and high-paying jobs, keeping the talent the city is currently growing and attracting new people. “Biotech isn’t replacing what Memphis is known for, but it is enhancing the work force and opportunities for work in Memphis,” Downes says. “You can’t help but be excited about that.”

Interstate System
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Soon to be comissionedhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/I-269.svg/88px-I-269.svg.pnghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/I-555.svg/88px-I-555.svg.pnghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/I-22.svg/70px-I-22.svg.png

Memphis Aerotropolis: Cleared For Take Off
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In August 2006, Memphis I'ntl Airport (MEM) jetted into a multiphase, $300,000,000+ construction program designed to not only upgrade & facilitate operations at the WORLD's BUSIEST CARGO AIRPORT, but also freshen it up a bit. MEM produces $28,600,000,000 for the local economy each year. It is home to the FedEx Express World Hub & UPS's 3rd largest facility. MEM Air Traffic Control directs over 1,000 aircraft operations per day.
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New Air Traffic Control Tower (U/C) $61,000,000
Due to significant air traffic growth over the past 30 years, combined with traffic density and complexity continuing to increase at Memphis International, the existing control tower must be replaced to meet the activity demands and working-space needs. The current tower was commissioned in 1977.The new tower will stand 336 feet tall which is approximately 150 feet taller than the current tower.
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Memphis International Airport - Y Modification
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Roadway Entrance & Landscaping Project
$24,000,000

Reconstruction of Runway 9/27
$48,000,000

Seven-story Parking Garage & Rental Car Facility
$130,000,000

Built on the North -or "front"- side of the airport, the lower 2 levels will house car rental companies, and the remaining floors will contain 4,500 long-term parking spaces. The garage will connect to the terminal by canopy-covered, moving sidewalks on the lowest level.

Also in progress:
Main Terminal Aircraft Parking Apron Replacement Study.

Previously (2006):
Memphis International Airport Flying High: Named a Gateway Hub to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Best Northwest Hub in 2005.
Memphis International Airport is now a gateway airport. This means certain pre-cleared general aviation operations, including corporate aircraft, charter flights and on-demand operations can fly directly to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) from Memphis.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) only allows general aviation flights in accordance with the DCA Access Standard Security Program into DCA. The program was developed last year. It allows up to 48 general aviation flights into DCA per day and addresses the special aviation security needs in the National Capitol Region by maintaining strict security measures. Each flight requires advance notification, including background checks for all passengers and criminal history checks for crew members. Memphis International Airport is one of just 15 airports nationwide with gateway clearance.

Memphis International Airport also has been named “best Northwest hub in 2005” by Northwest Airlines ground operations as part of the annual recognition the department gives to stations for outstanding performance each year. The assessment of station performance is based on critical measures of safety, operational reliability, customer service and budget.

Rail
All six Class I rail systems serve Memphis, Tennessee, and all have intermodal yards in Memphis or West Memphis, Arkansas.

BNSF Intermodal Terminal
100 acres - 225,000 lifts per year - BNSF offers 48-hour COFC service and 36-hour TOFC service to California.
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UP Intermodal Terminal
600 acres with four tracks totaling 29,000 ft. -with a capacity of 375,000 conatainers per year.


Memphis Intermodal SuperTerminal
Will be located on 1000 acres in Southwest Memphis near DeSoto County and will consolidate five Class I rail yards.
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TRANSPORTATION UPDATES

BNSF railroad's new intermodal yard will give big lift to cargo, local economy
By Wayne Risher (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Friday, September 4, 2009

If a seaport were built on dry land, it would look a lot like Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad's new Memphis intermodal facility.

Giant cranes loom over vast expanses of tracks, roads and parking, soon to be piled high with oceangoing shipping containers.


Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal
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Scott Jenkins, operations manager at Burlington Northern Santa Fe's new $200 million intermodal hub on Lamar Avenue, eagerly awaits the facility's anticipated startup next month. "There's no other facility like this in the United States," he says.

Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal
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BNSF officials say the expansion provides potential for 1 million lifts a year. The current yard did 318,000 lifts, nearly full capacity, in 2006.

Virtually completed and tentatively set for an October startup, it's also a $200 million vote of confidence in the city's strategic importance in moving consumer goods across the nation.

Officials at BNSF, the nation's No. 2 railroad, say they have redefined state-of-the-art, combining environmentally friendly container-handling equipment with high-tech operations and security.

Global-positioning-system technology will direct movement of trucks, trains, freight and people around the 185-acre site. Truck drivers will gain entry by putting thumbprints in a biometric reader.

Production cranes -- 90 feet high and 270 feet across -- straddle six, 8,000-foot-long sets of track, two truck lanes and space for containers stacked four wide by four high.

The electric cranes will replace diesel hydraulic cranes that are significant polluters; their expansive reach will eliminate a major amount of interior truck movement of containers, known as hostling.

"There's no other facility like this in the United States," said Scott Jenkins, Memphis intermodal facility manager for BNSF.

The hub has taken shape over the past couple of years along the north side of Lamar Avenue between Perkins and Shelby Drive.

The site was sparsely populated last week, except for an occasional truck on its way to the smaller, existing intermodal yard. Jenkins said federal inspectors were certifying cranes for operation, and training sessions for crane operators were scheduled for this week.

The expansion nearly doubles BNSF's intermodal capacity in Memphis and provides on-site potential for 1 million lifts a year. A lift is an intermodal container loaded to or unloaded from a rail car.

The current 50-acre yard did 318,000 lifts, nearly full capacity, in 2006, but volume has declined as the world economy has contracted.

The new hub positions BNSF to benefit from a rebound in shipping, when it comes.

"That's the big deal. If you built a regular intermodal facility on this footprint, you'd probably get 500,000 (lifts). There's nowhere else to go," Jenkins said.

"Obviously, it puts us in a real good position. We know (volume) is going to come back. It's a matter of having capacity when it does."

Industry analysts aren't sure how quickly volume will grow. In research notes on BNSF in July, Morgan Keegan analysts wrote that "the common theme of the rails seems to be that the timing of a potential pickup in volumes from these levels is highly uncertain. Furthermore, the growth in volumes, when it does occur, is expected to be rather muted for at least a period of time."

BNSF is taking advantage of Memphis's geography and infrastructure to bolster intermodal business, viewed as a greener alternative to long-haul trucking. Union Pacific, Canadian Northern and CSX also are using newer intermodal hubs here, and Norfolk Southern will build the next one, in Fayette County.

Jim Covington, Greater Memphis Chamber vice president of logistics and Aerotropolis, called BNSF's hub "a very impressive investment in this economic period."

He added, "The idea that all five of these railroads have picked Memphis as a coordinated location for these yards is a confirmation of our logistics geography. It means there are a lot of smart people out there who think that Memphis is a rail center."

Marty Lipinski, director of the Center for Intermodal Freight Transportation Studies at the University of Memphis, said, "That the railroads are willing to invest that kind of capital is a feather in our cap."

Down the road, BNSF will bring jobs and economic growth to its immediate vicinity and the Memphis area, Covington said.

"The yard supports all kinds of different industries in the surrounding area," he said. "You've got warehouse and distribution jobs. You've got drayage jobs where trucks move goods from one facility to another. All of that's going to pick up."

Lipinski said, "It's important to have the added capacity because there's such a strong linkage between the West Coast ports and Memphis, both Seattle-Tacoma and Los Angeles-Long Beach. So many of our local warehouse distribution companies depend on those connections to move goods."

BNSF Memphis Intermodal Facility

Location: 4814 Lamar

Container movement capacity: 600,000 a year, up from 325,000

Container storage capacity: 4,000, up from 300

Strip tracks: six 8,000-foot-long tracks, up from two 1,300-foot-long tracks

Employees: Remains at 75 to 100

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Rolling to the future at Canadian National rail yard

$100 million revamp lauds retiring CEO, boosts hub's gateway role
By Wayne Risher (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Friday, September 25, 2009
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The Canadian National Railway Co. marked a $100 million upgrade of its second-largest U.S. rail yard Thursday by naming it for retiring president and CEO E. Hunter Harrison.Harrison, 64, began his railroad career as a laborer at the old Frisco Railroad Capleville yard in 1963.

The Canadian National Railway Co. noted its $100 million yard renovation by naming the 433-acre site in Southwest Memphis for E. Hunter Harrison, a Memphis native who is retiring as president and CEO of the company.

With horn blaring, locomotive No. 2297 smashed through a banner stretched across the tracks to celebrate the switch to Harrison Yard. The 433-acre site, formerly known as Johnston Yard, had gone 60 years since its last major renovation.

Harrison said a 1948 redesign corrected serious safety problems but left the former Illinois Central yard badly configured for a growing CN network.

During the dedication ceremony, Harrison said his great-grandfather, whom he never knew, lost a leg in an accident at the IC yard in an earlier, more dangerous era.

The Memphis native and Kingsbury High School product said that between Harrison Yard, 297 Rivergate in Southwest Memphis, and the nearby Intermodal Gateway Memphis, CN has invested nearly $150 million in Memphis in four years. "This gateway is critical to us. It has tremendous strategic value," Harrison said. As CN's second-largest classification yard behind Chicago, it's key to serving the Gulf Coast region. "We think Memphis going forward is going to play a vital and larger role than it has even in the past," Harrison said.

Added executive vice president Claude Mongeau, who will succeed Harrison on Jan.1: "This project transformed an aged, inefficient rail yard into a state-of-the-art, effectively designed major terminal capable of handling existing and future traffic quickly and efficiently. Today's yard can handle nearly double the traffic the old facility could in a 24-hour period."

Harrison said business and political leaders and members of the public can help grow the city's logistical strengths by continuing to support improvements in the area's transportation infrastructure.

Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton said, "This railroad has played a key role in our economic progress. We are facing the new age of railroads and the CN has positioned us to share the new opportunities. Today, the CN helps position Memphis at the center of the green transportation movement as well."

Harrison said he'd worked for a bakery and a gas station and as a paperboy before he heard about the Frisco Railroad paying good money. A student at then-Memphis State College, he got a job as a carman-oiler at Capleville.

Harrison has led CN since 2003.

He was president of the Illinois Central when it was bought by CN in 1998 in the first of $10 billion in acquisitions of smaller railroads.

He said he's proud of the worst-to-first turnaround at CN since it went public in 1995. It has gone from losing millions to as much as $1.3 billion a year in free cash flow, and he expects it to generate $700 million in free cash flow this year despite the recession.

"I am extremely, extremely bullish on railroads going forward," Harrison said. "The country is begging for a more efficient rail system. We're more environmentally friendly. We're more energy-efficient."

He said problems including highway congestion, budget constraints and labor shortages "all point to big railroads."

"I was very touched and I was very appreciative of that, and I think my wish would be that people would say, 'You know, there was a guy that was a driver of efficiency and productivity and because of that influence, this yard is going to be even better. We're not going to walk on his reputation and let this yard be an underachiever.'"

Harrison Yard by the numbers: 2 underpasses, 5 new bridges, 12 receiving and departure tracks, 45 classification yard tracks, 57 miles of track, 203 turnouts/switches, 459 employees, 3,100 freight car capacity, 8,706 retarders (rail brakes), 171,000 railroad ties, 240,000 tons of ballast, 342,000 tie plates and anchors & 500,000 railroad spikes.

Port of Memphis
The Port of Memphis is the fourth-largest inland port in the United States, and ranks number one in the nation in foreign import tonnage. More than 30 international freight forwarders operate in Memphis.
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Mirimichi Golf Course
The worlds first ‘Eco-Friendly Golf Course’ has opened in Memphis, Tennessee. A brainchild of singer and green celeb Justin Timberlake, the Mirimichi Golf Course is the first golf course in the US to receive the Audubon International’s Classic Sanctuary certification and hopes to gain Platinum LEED certification by opening day.
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Moreover, Mirimichi features a 9-hole, Par 35 executive course called Little Mirimichi, which will open in September; an 18-hole putting course; and a practice facility that includes a driving range and a chipping area.
Mirimichi staff hope to educate the community about the course’s eco-friendly measures, the most obvious of which won’t be seen until 2011. That’s when a 43,000-square-foot clubhouse will open. It will be the first Platinum LEED-certified golf clubhouse in the world, a facility that uses recycled materials to construct it and solar energy to power it. Rich Peterson couldn’t yet put a price tag on the building, but he said it should reach “eight figures.”
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Greater Memphis Greenline, Inc. wants to see Memphis and the Mid-South be covered in a network of greenways. The CSX Greenline is the first step toward that goal. It is a 7-mile long, 10-foot wide, paved trail from Tillman St. and Walnut Grove to the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy building on Farm Road. The Greenline is an example of what is called a "rails-to-trails" project.

SHELBY FARMS is the largest urban park in the United States. At a size of 4,500 acres (18 km2), it covers more than five times the area of Central Park in New York City with 843 acres (3.41 km2).
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SFPC Master Plan In Progress
Construction Management of the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy Master Plan. The project, designed to enhance the park's 4,500 acres, will include improved and expanded trails, eight new entrances, a park restaurant and cafe, performance spaces, activity areas, other facilities and a significant amount of landscaping. The centerpiece of the project will be the expansion of Patriot Lake to nearly three times its current size to accommodate activities such as sailing, rowing and windsurfing.
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The MEMPHIS ZOO is home to more than 3,500 animals representing over 500 different species. This includes Giant Pandas, being 1 of only 4 zoos in the nation to have them. Created in April 1906, the zoo has been a major tenant of Overton Park for more than 100 years. In 2008, the Memphis Zoo was ranked "#1 Zoo in the U.S." by TripAdvisor.com. Since the early 1990s, the Memphis Zoo has invested over $80 million for renovation and expansion, making it one of the finest zoological parks in the nation.
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Future Exhibits:
Teton Trek- Four acre exhibit featuring grizzlies, timber wolves, elk and trumpeter swans. Scheduled to open in fall of 2009.
Zambezi River Hippo Camp- A new home for the Zoo's hippos. Also featuring Nile crocs, okapi and flamingos.
Chickasaw Bluffs- Concept exhibit that weaves a boardwalk trail through 17 acres of forest land.

Great city! Thanks for posting all this amazing project info. Best wishes from Toronto. :)

i never thought in my life that memphis would be represented on this forum haha.

however, many of these projects have been completed way before this thread's conception.

i never thought in my life that memphis would be represented on this forum haha.

however, many of these projects have been completed way before this thread's conception.

Most are current or in various stages of development. A sizable portion may reach back up to a few years, but only a handful are from the earlier part of the decade and maybe even a couple from the late 1990's. Some places may have been featured because of major renovations/ expansion, etc. Also, I think it is wise to showcase prior & relative development for the World Forum. For more day to day development news please view "Memphis Development News" in North America > Southeast Forum. It contains much more current development as Memphis economically out performs most northeastern U.S. cities.

Goodlett Farms/ Shelby Oaks (NE I-40 Corridor)
The Northeast Memphis office submarket has 2 million square feet of space. Its overall vacancy is 9%
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7130 Goodlett Farms Parkway
225,000-square-foot Class A office building contains offices & a call center for Regions Bank. The 7100 building (not pictured) contains offices for AT&T and the new corporate headquarters for Hunter (ceiling fans, etc.).
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Smith & Nephew Headquarters
New 286,000 S.F. Corporate Headquarters
Architect: Hnedak Bobo Group
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New WKNO digital media center, $10,000,000
The 39,000-square-foot building will feature two television studios -- including one with HD production equipment -- an edit suite and digitally equipped FM studios. The site will also house WKNO's offices
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Summer Trees Place
The Master Plan for this 42 acre parcel of land was designed to take advantage of the wetlands as an amenity. The building contains approximately 500,000 square feet of office space, clustered around a canal with pedestrian walkways and plazas. This unifying open space theme will act as the precedent for future development of the entire 300 acre site.
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Pyramid deal with Bass Pro 'moving forward,' City Council told

By Amos Maki
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Bass Pro officials have been determining what needs to be done with the old arena before it can be transformed into a $100 million regional attraction that would include a retail shop devoted to outdoors goods and a conservation exhibit focusing on the Mississippi River.
Lipscomb said Tuesday that the city will have to make a “significant investment” of up to $19.7 million to bring the structure up to code and meet state seismic updates, but that those improvements would be funded with a mix of federal grants.

Washington firm chosen to redesign entry to Civil Rights Museum

By Michael Lollar
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A Washington firm that has been involved in design projects involving memorials to Holocaust victims and to terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center has been chosen to redesign the entry to the National Civil Rights Museum.
Those listening posts with audio and video clips would "help put you in the moment," company co-owner Tracy Revis said when the firm presented its ideas. The most dramatic proposal was to move a 7,000-pound bronze sculpture, "Movement to Overcome," from the lobby into a landscaped courtyard, then remove interior walls of the museum's second floor to create what Revis called "a gracious spacious place." The Howard + Revis proposal also called for enlarging the museum's 100-seat auditorium to 300 seats.
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National Civil Rights Museum Expansion
Two historic buildings adjacent the original Lorraine Motel have been restored and expanded as part of “Exploring the Legacy,” a major addition to the National Civil Right Museum in Memphis. New exhibition space chronicles the months and days before and after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Plaza, a new outdoor promenade, connects the expanded museum complex with the revitalized South Main business district and provides a community park for reflection and contemplation.
SIZE: 15,000 sq. ft.

A New Hotel for Sofo (South Forum District)

Royal Phoenix Development LLC plans to build a new luxury hotel and parking garage at the southeast corner of Linden and Fourth in the South Forum neighborhood. Project plans were approved by the Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board in August. The 11-story, 298-room hotel will cost approximately $77 million and is scheduled for completion in 2011.

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Plans have been announced to renovate and re-brand One Commerce Square. Forty South Main Street Corporation has named a development team that includes Commercial Alliance Management, Looney Ricks Kiss Architects, and Grinder Tabor & Grinder to overhaul the iconic, 31-story building. Work is scheduled to begin later this year and to be completed in 2010.
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The Tunica area is now the third largest gaming region in the United States, after Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Its booming effect on the local economy has spurred population growth in unincorporated parts of the county outside Tunica proper.
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The Gold Strike Casino Resort
Its 31 story hotel tower was previously the tallest building in the state of Mississippi, but has since been surpassed by 1 or 2 projects on the Gulf Coast. The hotel tower offers 1,160 guest rooms overlooking the Mississippi River. According to property officials, its newly renovated 10,000-square-foot ballroom can accommodate 650 people, banquet style, or more than 1,000 people, theater style.

Harrah's Casino & Resort Tunica
In October 2007, Harrah's officials announced that Grand Casino Tunica would undergo a $45 million renovation of its hotels and casinos, which included the resort being renamed Harrah's Casino Tunica.
The largest casino between Las Vegas and Atlantic City, offering 140,000 square feet of gaming area. 60 exciting table games, more than 2,000 slots, one of the South's largest poker rooms. Three luxurious hotel towers, A world class 45,000 square ft Convention Center, 2300-seat State-of-the-art event and entertainment center, RV resort, Bellissimo - a full-service spa and salon, The Links at Cottonwoods, our Hale Irwin-designed golf course, Willows Sporting Clays and Hunting Center, Three outdoor pools, One indoor pool, Tennis courts, A variety of great restaurants, Mid-South Business Center, Paula Deen themed suites and more.

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Sam’s Town, one of Tunica’s largest casino properties, encompassing 1.5 million square feet on 272 acres. In January 2008, the hotel is set to undergo a $9.2 million renovation of 365 of its 850 guest rooms and suites.
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Apparently this next project is on hold or defunct, but imagine the future development potential.

A new development on the horizon is the $1.9 billion Myriad Botanical Resort set to include six planned casinos, 1,000 casino hotel rooms, a 150,000-square-foot convention and exposition center with a 600-room hotel, a 5,000-seat entertainment arena, an 18-hole signature design golf facility, a health club and spa, private label restaurants, retail shops, botanical gardens and a water/snow park.
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Improvement projects prepare to take off at Tunica airport

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More than $10 million in construction at the Tunica Municipal Airport could get under way this year (2009) on projects ranging from the airport’s long-discussed new terminal to a transportation courtyard and new fire station.
The airport has received funding from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, including an expected $1.25 million in stimulus funding for construction of the fire station.
The airport is expanding its apron with $1.5 million from the FAA.
The airport is 30% ahead of its passenger pace from last year, when more than 59,000 passengers passed through the airport.
Once the terminal is completed, Nash says, the next step would be to build an air traffic control tower, which would be budgeted at $1.5 million-$1.8 million.

Tunica Air Center Executive Terminal @ Tunica Municipal Airport
The new Tunica Air Center FBO is an executive facility with over 11,000 square feet of terminal space. This world class facility includes first class amenities to support businesses and gaming tourism. In 2003, Tunica County opened a 7,000-foot expanded runway and new Corporate Air Center at Tunica Airport (UTA). Installation of ICS/MALRS, PAPI and AWOS was completed in 2004. A canopy at the corporate air terminal provides for easy access inside the terminal. Air traffic control tower, hangars (private and corporate), commercial apron concrete - 320,000 square feet, commercial terminal, and expansion of the runway to 8,500 feet are some of the improvements completed in 2005. Developed primarily as a charter airport, Tunica Airport expects to become a first-class regional airport providing cargo and scheduled passenger service.
Memphis International Airport is located 30 miles north of Tunica. It boasts nine major airlines, three commuter airlines and 300-plus daily passenger flights. The Memphis International Airport is ranked as the number one cargo airport in the world as it is the home of the Federal Express Super Hub, a major United Parcel Service hub, NWA, RPS and Emory sort facilities. Daily direct flights to Amsterdam are available on KLM.
Tunica Airport hosted the Tunica Air Races in June 2005. This event is only the second location in the U.S. and east of the Mississippi River allowed to race airplanes.
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Tunica Museum
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Paul Battle Jr. Arena & Expo Center
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Henderson Health & Wellness Pavilion
State-of-the-art Health Promotion facility features the latest in Cybex aerobic machines, including treadmills, recumbent and upright bicycles, and steppers. The health and wellness pavilion houses one of the largest array of weight training equipment in the mid-south. We feature 19 Cybex variable resistance weight machines, a 12-station Cybex modular weight training station, over 2400 pounds of Olympic style free weights, and over 2700 pounds of free weight dumbbells and barbells. The health and wellness pavilion includes 2 racquetball courts, with equipment rental available, a 30'x60' aerobics room with a suspended floor and we also house a 1/8-mile indoor rubberized track.
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Henderson Aquatic Center
Mississippi's largest natatorium. The 39,000 sq ft. state-of-the-art Aquatic Center features a 2000 sq. ft. children's play pool with spray features, and an 8-lane, 50 meter, Olympic competition pool, with 17 ft. diving well, 1 and 3 meter springboards and 5, 7.5, and 10 meter platforms & grandstand seating for 350 people.
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Tunica River Park & Museum
This 24,000 square foot museum is centered on the life of the Mississippi river and its history.
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great job w/ descriptions on memphis metro growth. i heard yeasterday that the isle of capri casino will be renovated, the name changed, and more progress. it is sort of sad that a few are so envious over the many positives in metro memphis. go, johnny, go.

a question was asked re: medical, walkable, etc. if jr doesn't answer, i'll try. he's the man on description. thanks for the interest.

I'm in the midst of deconstructing the 1st page of this thread. It contains too many linked photos that take forever to load. I now keep an extensively updated thread in the southeast development sub forum and another at skyscraperpage in the City Compilations.

Weston Cos. is developing Tournament Trails for Kemmons Wilson Co. The first 73,000 square foot building of what will be a four-building development is already complete. It is about 60% leased. Tournament Trails will eventually consist of 400,000 square feet. When complete, the $44 million office park will consist of four office buildings. The second building scheduled to be built is five stories consisting of 125,000 square feet and will be south of Building I. The two final buildings will be another three-story 73,000-square foot building and another five-story 125,000-square-foot building to the east of the first two buildings.

Here is a showcase of various completed projects:

FedEx Express World Headquarters
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FedEx World Technology Center
Consolidating 20 divisions and 3,000 IT employees into a single campus, the FedEx World Technology Center encourages corporate interaction and fosters teamwork. Located on 118 acres in a pastoral suburban setting, the campus is anchored with a central services building and eight adjoining two-story structures connected by indoor and outdoor covered walkways. To enhance the corporate environment and aid in recruitment, the campus includes a banking center, coffee bar and fitness center.
LOCATION: Memphis, Tennessee
CLIENT: FedEx Corporation
SIZE: eight two-story office buildings and one central services building totaling 900,000 square feet, located on 118 acres in a rural suburb.
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According the Mike Harris, senior vice president for Highwoods, the company’s developments of Southwind Office Center and Shadow Creek, which are just off of Hacks Cross Road, now consist of seven buildings totaling 500,000 square feet. Harris says the company has the ability to build another 325,000 square feet at those sites.

Shadow Creek I
Located within Southwind, this 3-story, 80,806 rsf building offers exquisite views of holes #1 and #9 of the TPC at Southwind Golf Course.

Shadow Creek II
This 3-story, 80,806 rsf building is the second phase of the Shadow Creek at Southwind Office Development and features a wood paneled lobby with marble floors and expansive views to the courtyard.
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Southwind Office Center A
A 62,000 rsf, 3-story building located adjacent to the #2 green at the TPC at Southwind golf course.

Southwind Office Center B
This 62,000-square foot, three-story building offers unparalleled views of the TPC at Southwind golf course.

Southwind Office Center D
Prominent location at the corner of Tournament Drive and Players Club Parkway, in the heart of Southwind, this 3-story, 64,129 rsf buliding.
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Germantown Town Center
Located in the affluent suburb of Germantown outside of Memphis, Tennessee, Germantown Town Center will be a 45-acre, high-density mixed-use development that blends residential, office over retail, restaurants, a hotel, department store, and junior anchor retail. Totaling 1.3 million square feet, this phased development includes 300,000 sf of retail and restaurants, 300 residential units, 165,000 sf of office, a 250-room hotel, three parking decks, and some surface and angled street parking in the first phase.
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YMCA & The Madison Apartments @ Schilling Farms

Life Time Fitness
115,000-square-foot center
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Fairfield Inn & Suites Hospitality | Olive Branch, MS
Construction completed a month ahead of schedule on this new four-story, Fairfield Inn and Suites. With 110 rooms, outdoor pool and fitness center, this property is now open for business.
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Liberty Bowl Stadium Renovation, Phase 1- $5,000,000 (Gate 4 Reconstruction, Expanded Home Locker Rooms, Relocation of Visitor Locker Rooms, Media/ Conference Space, Female Restroom Expansion, American Disability Act Compliance).
Additional Renovation Phases will continue for the next 4 to 5 years.
Capacity: 63,000 seats, Built in 1965 (previous $20,000,000 renovation in1987)
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Officials cut the ribbon Wednesday on what they hope will be a bright new future for Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, thanks to a number of upgrades. The locker room renovation cost over 1.8 million dollars, while the gate 4 project cost over 3 million dollars. One of the first things visitors will notice as they walk into the stadium are new ramps designed to make the building more accessible to the disabled.
The disabled will also find that new seating changes will make it easier to see activities on the field. All around the stadium, special care has been taken to make bathrooms more accessible to wheelchairs and other devices.
Meanwhile, in another part of the stadium, there are large meeting rooms that can be used for sports-related interviews or rented out for profit. Fans will also find that the stadium now has listening devices to help folks who need them hear games. And when you visit the Liberty Bowl, be sure to check out the new concession stands and locker rooms.
Officials said plans have already been made to do more renovations in the future.
In December of 1983, city of Memphis officials named the playing surface Rex Dockery Field in honor of the late Tiger coach who was killed in a plane crash.
Included in the 1987 stadium renovation were the addition of the sky-suites located on the east side of the stadium, approximately 12,000 seats in the stands and a stadium club to accommodate donors. In addition, several areas of the stadium were vastly improved, including the lighting system, playing surface, handicap seating area, concession stands and restroom facilities.
The largest crowd to witness a Memphis home football game at the Liberty Bowl was the record-setting 65,885 who attended the Tigers’ stunning upset of No. 6 ranked Tennessee in 1996.

I read on the Liberty Bowl Stadium's Wikipedia article that in 2007, a new stadium was planned by then-mayor Willie Herenton. The Liberty Bowl does look similar to the now-deceased Tampa Stadium. That new stadium was planned for a potential NFL franchise, but Memphis is already located within 500 miles of 6 NFL teams. Building a new stadium and/or getting an NFL franchise to Memphis is highly unlikely. Also, the stadium has few or no luxury boxes. Because of these issue, we should be thankful about the recent upgrades to the Liberty Bowl Stadium.

a new stadium was planned by then-mayor Willie Herenton.

Yeah, but it's not a good idea now. Major upgrades is the responsible choice for the city. We offered up the Liberty Bowl in the 90's for the expansion franchise that became the Jaguars and now Jacksonville has a mess on its hands with the new stadium they built. Memphis dodged a bullet on that deal. Yeah, around here you get a lot of Saints, Cowboys & Titans fans and that's ok. We're already paying for a NBA franchise which is thankfully doing a lot better this year. I'm not a fan of using public money to subsidize pro sports franchises.

You can still catch good college football games in the area with Ole Miss, Arkansas State, U of Memphis, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl & Southern Heritage Classic. I once read in local media that the new Phased $30 million Upgrades will ensure her service for up to 30 more years. Also, the Liberty Bowl's surroundings are gearing up for major beautification & redevelopment...

The city of Memphis is moving forward with a $175 million plan to transform the Mid-South Fairgrounds into a multipurpose public space, complete with athletic facilities, shopping, parks and housing.

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Memphis airport officials unveil plans for ground transportation center
The Commercial Appeal | By Wayne Risher

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This illustration shows the Memphis International Airport Ground Transportation Center that will be built starting in March.
Photo courtesy of the Memphis Shelby County Airport Authority

Airport officials unveiled plans Wednesday for a new ground transportation center that amounts to a new front door for Memphis International Airport. They said the center, which combines passenger parking and rental cars next to the terminal building, will create a dramatic and attractive new first impression for people entering the airport by way of ground transportation. The seven-level center will be sheathed with perforated metal panels, reminiscent of a large airplane wing. It will be accented by screened lighting and adorned with a 40-foot-tall airport logo: a jet with a contrail shaped like a musical note. Most of the 1960s terminal building, with its distinctive champagne glass design by architect Roy Harrover, will no longer be visible from the entrance road.

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This illustration shows a walkway and courtyard in the planned Memphis International Airport Ground Transportation Center, which will be constructed starting in March. Photo courtesy of the Memphis Shelby County Airport Authority.

"Memphis is transportation and Memphis is music, so it makes perfect sense," said Convention and Visitors Bureau president Kevin Kane, who joined business and community leaders for an unveiling of project plans and renderings at Hilton Memphis. "I think the design is spectacular. It has that classic modern look you're beginning to see at world-class airports around the world," Kane added. Architect Marty Gorman, president of Memphis Heritage, had a different reaction. "The classic terminal building, with its strong axial automobile approach, is totally blocked by this seven story behemoth! Most unfortunate," Gorman said in an e-mail. Available land and functionality dictated the new building would become the airport's most visible entry feature, along with a 336-foot-tall air traffic control tower that's under construction.

Airport officials wanted to combine passenger parking and rental cars in one building to save on construction costs and eliminate shuttle busing for rental car users. The logical spot for the building was a long-term parking lot between the existing three-level parking deck and the control tower. "Great care has been taken to make this a highly attractive facility, the nation's most functional and passenger-centric facility, a green approach to ground transportation and a complement to the existing airport infrastructure," said Airport Authority president and CEO Larry Cox. The center will house rental car counters, service functions and up to 1,250 rental cars on the bottom two floors. There will be 4,500 public spaces for passenger parking on the upper five floors. A landscaped, atrium-like corridor with sidewalks and moving walkways will connect the new building to the terminal, where escalators will lead up to the baggage claim level. Flintco Inc. has an $89.4 million contract to build the center, starting in March and finishing in 2012. Authority chairman Arnold Perl said, "The new Ground Transportation Center will transform the experience for the traveling public. It will further enhance the customer service experience, which ranks third already according to J.D. Powers for medium-sized airports." Greater Memphis Chamber chairman Tom Schmitt applauded the focus on customer service and said he thinks it will give the airport a second "wow factor" architecturally, in addition to the terminal building. "I like it. It projects the right image and it's looking forward. It's making something that works already, even better."

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The rise of America's Aerotropolis: New Air Traffic Control Tower topped off
Commercial Appeal | Wayne Risher

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The last structural piece of a 336-foot-tall tower -- a platform decorated with a Christmas tree, American flag, contractor Flintco Inc.'s logo and an Iron Workers Local union banner -- was lifted into place shortly after 11 a.m. A radar and antennas will be installed atop the tower in mid- January, bringing it to finished height. It will be one of the tallest in the country; in the South, only the airports in Atlanta (398 feet) and Orlando (345 feet) have taller towers. The 24,000-square-foot building attached to the base of the tower will house training rooms, administrative offices and an expanded terminal radar approach control with space for future growth.

The tower and an adjoining radar control building are scheduled to be commissioned in early 2011. Featuring seismic safeguards and the latest security and air traffic simulation capabilities, the new tower is 150 feet south and 100 feet west of a 185-foot tower that has been in service since 1977. It will provide air traffic controllers better views of the airport's farthest reaches. The existing tower will be torn down to complete the project, bringing total cost to about $72 million, the FAA says.

Gusting winds delayed the topping off just over an hour from the scheduled time. Flintco, the general contractor, waited for wind speed to drop before a crane operated by Barnhart Crane & Rigging hoisted the tower's "penthouse," steadied by two guide ropes. Flintco built the two-level, 850-square-foot tower cab on the ground to make sure the components fit together properly before they were disassembled and lifted into place section by section.

Main Street’s ‘Big Hole’ Reaches Symbolic Milestone with Barboro Flats
ANDY MEEK | The Daily News

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Previously: Today’s topping off ceremony for what once was a giant hole at 100 S. Main St. represents a milestone. By next summer, the property will be the site of a parking garage and 92 apartment units. The mixed-use development owned by 100 South Main Partners and the Downtown Parking Authority. The ceremony also brings the finish line in sight for what’s been a much-anticipated and long-delayed redevelopment of a centerpiece of Downtown’s Demonstration Block. That’s how the Center City Commission refers to the two-block stretch of Main Street that extends from Union Avenue to Gayoso Avenue.

Full article: http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=46711

NOW OPEN
Construction of an 8-story, $21.1 million, 131-room Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Downtown Memphis with approximately 23,000sf of commercial space.

East Memphis' Triad Centre III prepares to open

Triad Centre III is the third in a three-building office complex totaling nearly 400,000 square feet of Class-A office space. It offers a prime office location in the heart of the Poplar corridor, the center of business in Memphis. This seven-story office building will feature an impressive front entry and thru-lobby with granite floors, mahogany wall panels, and barrel vaulted ceiling.

The $30 million project includes an 821-space parking garage that will serve both the new building and its older sibling office buildings, now known simply as 6000 Poplar and 6060 Poplar.

The older buildings will be renamed Triad Centre I and II in a rebranding of Highwoods Properties' 10-acre complex at Poplar at Shady Grove.

Smith & Nephew completes $14M acquisition of site for new HQ
the Commercial Appeal | By Toby Sells

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Smith & Nephew Inc. completed the $14 million acquisition of what will become its Memphis headquarters on Friday and is ready to begin improvements that will bring employees to the site by late summer. The medical device maker bought the four-story, 285,315-square-foot building that once housed the headquarters of Harrah's Entertainment at 7216 Goodlett Farms. Harrah's left Memphis for Las Vegas in 2008.

The company said the entire project will cost $42 million in real estate, renovations and new equipment. Renovations will begin this winter. "This is not a simple real estate transaction. We will transform this property into the crown jewel of Memphis' biomedical strategy," said Joseph M. DeVivo, president of Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics. "Not only does this property represent the future for Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics, but I believe it will be a catalyst for future investment in our community by other biomedical companies."

The company is expected to move numerous nonmanufacturing jobs to the new site from its Brooks Road location. Management has repeatedly stated that the company will not move out of its Brooks Road location. The move will also allow the company to consolidate some of its U.S. business operations, such as information systems, to the Brooks Road campus. It would also free space for more manufacturing operations at Brooks Road.

The second phase of the Goodlett Farms project would include renovation of a warehouse to laboratories, conference rooms and auditoriums where visiting surgeons will learn how to implant Smith & Nephew's devices. The expansion project will create 160 jobs with annual average wage of $93,427, according to documents the company filed with Shelby County. Matt Kisber, Tennessee commissioner of economic and community development, said the purchase shows Smith & Nephew's continued commitment to Memphis and Tennessee.

Shelby County Interim Mayor Joe Ford said the move will be a further boon for the county and for Memphis. "You could not have asked a company to reward a city like Smith & Nephew has done," Ford said. Larry Jensen, president and CEO of Memphis-based Commercial Advisors LLC, represented Smith & Nephew in the deal. Harrah's was represented by Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle.

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Methodist/LeBonheur Hospital - Germantown, TN

Memphis Business Journal - by Michael Sheffield

Interior at Methodist Germantown’s new Women’s and Children’s Pavilion
http://assets.bizjournals.com/story_image/662871-0-0-1.jpg ALAN HOWELL | MBJ

Shortly after Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital opens its new 218,000-square-foot Women’s and Children’s Pavilion Feb. 12, the hospital will begin the next phase of its $121 million renovation project: improvements to 100,000 square feet of space that previously housed the women’s care facility. Those improvements will include construction of a new 16-bed intensive care unit and expansion of adult surgical space, the hospital’s pharmacy and cardiovascular department. The renovations are scheduled to be completed late this year, says William Kenley, CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown. Once the project is completed, Kenley estimates the hospital will hire up to 100 new non-medical staff employees. It currently has 1,200 employees. He says changes to the existing hospital represent a shift in philosophy from designing hospitals from the caregiver’s perspective. “We’ve involved the patients in the design process and we’re incorporating a lot of things that will make this an asset to them,” Kenley says.

The structure will be the first LEED-certified hospital in the city, says Donna Hess, project manager for Methodist Germantown, and includes LEED features like low volume toilets and shower heads. The hospital recycled 89% of the waste products from construction. Ed Scharff, associate principal and lead designer in the Memphis office of TRO Jung Brannen, which designed the project, says the project was designed to reach LEED silver status, but the hope now is to hit LEED gold. “The goal was to provide a relaxed, low-stress environment in keeping with the neighborhood feel of Germantown,” Scharff says. “We didn’t see it as a very high-tech, polished, slick building, but depending on where it finishes, it’ll be the first in the city.”

Workers replacing four U.S. 63 bridges, soon to be U.S. Interstate 555 (Memphis-Jonesboro/ Paragould CSA [population=160,000]

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the Jonesboro Sun | By Michael Wilkey

TYRONZA — Construction workers moving orange cones and white gravel into place are the precursors of things to come over the next two years as four bridges will be replaced along U.S. 63. Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department District 10 engineer Walter McMillan said workers with Robertson Contractors of Poplar Bluff, Mo., began work earlier this month. McMillan said the $7.3 million project will replace bridges near the Travelair Motel and a bridge, halfway between Tyronza and Marked Tree. From there, a bridge near Deckerville at the Poinsett-Crittenden county line and a bridge near Interstate 55-U.S. 63 will be replaced, McMillan said. McMillan, based in Paragould, said the Marked Tree-area projects will be completed first. “We will have detours,” McMillan said. “As they are working on one bridge, the traffic will be switched over to the other lane of traffic [on the 4-lane highway].” The detoured road will create a 2-lane road through the construction area, McMillan said.

Tyronza Mayor Marion Bearden said the project will make travel better throughout the area. “It is very much needed, but it will be difficult for the construction on such a busy stretch of highway,” Bearden said. Bearden said she has concerns over the narrowing of a road near the U.S. 63-Arkansas 149 exit because of the orange cones being placed. “You really have to watch it there,” she said. “I am just afraid about people who do not know the area.” Marked Tree Mayor Dixon Chandler said the construction along U.S. 63 near his community is needed. We’ll be glad to have it,” Chandler said.McMillan also discussed a related project — a proposed access road across the St. Francis Sunken Lands near Payneway. That work is now in its environmental study phase, and the bridge project is expected to be completed by late 2011.
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DeSoto County, MS Officials Eye I-269’s Potential

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ERIC SMITH | The Daily News

Interstate 69 is dubbed the “NAFTA Highway” after the North American Free Trade Agreement because it will course through the central U.S. from Canada to Mexico, connecting the continent’s three nations. One of the highway’s key links is Memphis, where the road will intersect with I-269, a beltway that when complete will loop around the area’s outlying communities and provide easier access for vehicles – passenger and freight – traveling into or out of the region. The southern leg of I-269 will stretch for 30 miles across DeSoto County, prompting officials there to begin planning for the road’s effect on potential commercial real estate development. No one understands the importance of I-269 for the county’s economic development more than Jim McDougal, director of the DeSoto County Planning Commission, who has been thinking about this project for the past six years. McDougal envisions the DeSoto County portion of I-269 as more than just another road project that causes urban sprawl, although that is one of the chief concerns surrounding the highway. Instead, he sees the road as an “international trade corridor,” where local, regional, national and even global companies will set up shop by building their distribution centers, transportation hubs and office headquarters. “Obviously it is a tremendous complement to our transportation and logistics industries in the area, but I think it also presents enormous opportunity for us to look at being a location for North American corporate offices,” McDougal said. “We’re right in the center of this whole logistical corridor, and what could be a better spot for dealing with all the commerce in the entire eastern half of the country than right here?”

International opportunities
McDougal’s concept moved closer to reality late last year when the county’s board of supervisors issued a request for qualifications from planning, engineering and architectural firms to create a master plan for the international trade corridor. The study will examine a corridor that encompasses two miles north and two miles south of I-269’s length – 120 square miles or 76,800 acres. A selection committee received seven submissions and narrowed the list down to two teams, each composed of multiple planning and design firms from around the country. The DeSoto Planning Commission on Feb. 25 will recommend a team to the board of supervisors, which will announce the winning bid at its March 3 meeting. The selected team will be tasked with conducting the entire international trade corridor study – with creating the “next major economic and social and cultural development in the Mid-South,” McDougal said. “A highway will develop by itself whether we plan anything or not,” McDougal said. “With an international trade corridor, we have a special opportunity to become part of the whole international business conversation.” The goal, McDougal said, is to find the highest and best land uses for this mostly rural acreage that stretches through the middle of the fastest-growing community in the Mid-South. One advantage DeSoto County has, besides a favorable tax incentive program for businesses, is its proximity to areas where automakers are making investments and where other economic development has sprouted in recent years. “We’re sitting here right in the middle of the Toyota plant in Blue Springs to our southeast and the gaming industry to the southwest,” McDougal said. “We have an opportunity, because so much of our area is open and not developed, to see what kind of development we want to be there and to have a tremendous influence on it on the front end.”

Regional transformation
Though McDougal said he couldn’t yet put a price tag on the project, he has applied for several funding sources and is awaiting responses. Also, the master plan will be completed with the help of the Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the regional transportation planning group that helps cities and counties plan for their infrastructure needs and secure federal and state transportation dollars. MPO transportation planner Paul Morris said the international trade corridor study is a smart approach to preparing for a project that could transform a regional economic landscape already centered on transportation, distribution and logistics. “Memphis, whether people realize it or not, is a very, very significant player in the trade of not only America, but around the world, especially in terms of freight movement,” Morris said. “Whenever you build a nice highway, there are always people who want to develop along that corridor. The real question is: We need a vision of how that highway should develop.”

It’s ‘full steam ahead’ for construction of $21 million Kroc Center project
Memphis Business Journal - by Andy Ashby

Artist's rendering of Kroc Center of Memphis exterior
http://assets.bizjournals.com/story_image/686451-300-0-1.jpg Photo Credit : COURTESY TRO JUNG | BRANNEN

Indoor aquatic center will be part of recreational facilities at Kroc Center.
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Lobby area
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The Salvation Army Memphis has selected Montgomery Martin Contractors LLC to build the $21 million, 100,000-square-foot Kroc Center of Memphis at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, a solid step toward a late February groundbreaking and the end of a challenging pre-development process. “It’s been great after all the neighborhood meetings and focus groups, to be able to meet again with people and show them how we’re doing what they want,” says Stephen Carpenter, director of operations for the Kroc Center. Before starting work with the Kroc Center in 2006, Carpenter had helped co-found New Hope Christian Academy and served as headmaster for 10 years. The site, which covers 15 acres fronting East Parkway and runs from Fairview Middle School to the Fairgrounds entrance, has been cleared of asphalt. Construction is expected to take 16 months with a target completion date of July 2011. “We’re just full steam ahead,” Carpenter says.

The overarching project includes the building and an endowment. In 2005, Memphis was selected as one of 25 cities to receive a matching gift from the Ray & Joan Kroc Trust. The trust will donate $60 million to the project. It initially was going to donate $50 million after $25 million in private funds were raised, but kicked in an extra $10 million due to the site location and demographics. The Kroc Foundation wanted these centers put in places surrounded by various economic and racial groups. There are currently 25 Kroc Centers in various stages across the country, from fundraising to breaking ground. A small center in Atlanta opened last year and two centers in Greenville, S.C. and Augusta, Ga., are at about the same stage as the Memphis one. The Memphis center will be within walking distance to residents in Orange Mound, Vollentine-Evergreen, Cooper-Young, Beltline and Chickasaw Gardens. “For us, you can’t get any better than the Fairgrounds,” Carpenter says.

The project’s land and building costs will total $30 million, leaving $55 million in the endowment for programming and events. Carpenter expects the endowment to have a long life since the nonprofit Salvation Army is fiscally conservative. TRO Jung | Brannen and Fleming/Associates/Architects PC partnered on designing the Kroc Center. TRO was responsible for most of the exterior design and site work; Fleming handled most of the interior design. Ritchie Smith Architects is handling landscape architecture, while Flintco, Inc., was involved in some pre-construction work.

Brett Ragsdale, senior associate with TRO Jung | Brannen, says one design challenge came from the building site facing the large educational buildings of Christian Brothers University to the north and smaller residential structures to the west. “We wanted to be contextual and to do that, we had some large masses which relate to the schools, but we tried to break it down to the scale of the houses across the street, using red brick to relate to residential across the street,” he says. Also, figuring out how to configure the building was challenging, since the Fairgrounds’ future is in a state of flux, especially land to the south and east of the Kroc Center. Initially, the Salvation Army thought it was going to receive 25 acres from local government, but that was scaled back to 15 acres when it was determined it would have to purchase the land from the government. “That challenged us because we couldn’t really cut a lot of programs or space, so we had to try and fit everything on a 15-acre site,” Ragsdale says. “We also didn’t know what was going on around us.” The Kroc Center will be built for four main components: arts, education, recreation and worship. “That’s true for every Kroc Center under way across the country,” Carpenter says. “But how those are defined depends on the individual community.” It will have a 300-seat auditorium that can function as a chapel or theater.

Ground broken on first section of Wolf River Greenway
the Commercial Appeal | By Don Wade

On a chilly morning better suited to riding a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill inside a health club, three cycling friends with homes in Downtown, Bartlett and Germantown stood in the cold to watch the symbolic ground-breaking of the Wolf River Greenway. “This is wonderful,” Joyce Hudak, who lives Downtown, said this morning moments before Memphis Mayor A C Wharton, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, City Councilman Bill Boyd and others used gold-painted shovels to turn dirt under the bridge near the intersection of Walnut Grove Road and Humphreys Boulevard. “I hope they see it through to completion." Her friends, Brenda Ross of Bartlett and Cathy Distretti of Germantown, agreed. Together, the three middle-age women represented how the eventual 22-mile greenway, which will run along the north side of the Wolf River from Mud Island to Houston Levee Road, will sew the community together with so many green threads. “We’re building trails to connect our people,” Wharton said before about 250 onlookers. “That makes it one Memphis.”

Previous projections for when the 22-mile trail would be completed have ranged from 10 to 15 years. The ground-breaking today took place at the site of the first segment (part of Phase II), a 1.3-mile path between Walnut Grove and Shady Grove roads, adjacent to Humphreys Blvd. Citing current civic “fiscal constraints,” Boyd said, “I would hesitate to put a time limit” on when the greenway would be completed. Wharton did not hesitate. “We had all the various links (planned) going back to 2004,” the mayor said. “It will go a link at a time. It’s not going to happen overnight, but I would think over the next six, seven years it will be completed link by link.”

Construction of the first link, which will cost around $1.4 million, is to begin in a few days. On Thursday morning at 10, there will be another symbolic groundbreaking at Farm Road and Mullins Station for Shelby Farms Greenline, a rails-to-trails project on an abandoned stretch of CSX Railroad right-of-way secured by Shelby County largely with privately raised money. Phase I of the Greenline is a $2.4 million, 6.5-mile path that will connect several Midtown and East Memphis neighborhoods with Shelby Farms Park’s 4,500 acres. Rick Masson, executive director of Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, said it is “absolutely realistic” to finish the greenline and the greenway within the mayor’s six-to-seven-year projection.

Masson believes the completion of the respective trail systems will enhance Memphis in multiple ways. “It will greatly improve our self-image,” Masson said. “But it’s more than self-image. It will help make us healthier and get along better.” Cathy Distretti can’t wait to start pedaling on the new paths. Yes, she’s aware some people are concerned about crime on isolated stretches of the trails. But she has read where in other cities with greenways crime in those areas actually has gone down. Besides, she and her friends will do what they do now when they have to share the road with motorists – turn the wheels together. “We always ride in a group,” she said. “There’s safety in numbers.”

Playhouse on the Square Readies for Building’s Debut
JONATHAN DEVIN | Special to The Daily News

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MUSICAL FEATURES: The orchestra pit is one of many amenities at the new $13 million Playhouse on the Square. -- PHOTO BY JONATHAN DEVIN

In anticipation of its grand opening production of “Pippin” Jan. 29, the new three-story Playhouse on the Square near Overton Square held its first preview event this week. The new theater is the culmination of five years of fundraising and more than a year of construction. “We wanted to give the community an opportunity to come in and see what we are doing,” said Whitney Jo, POTS’ managing director. “Originally we thought (the building) would be a bit further along, but it’s going to get there in time for the opening of ‘Pippin.’ The stage and some of the public areas were still under construction when about 100 artists, all of whom had previously donated art to POTS’ annual art auction, became the first guests Wednesday. Jo said POTS had reached its fundraising goal of $13 million for the project, $8.5 million of which covers construction. The rest covers architect fees and the purchase of the property at the corner of Union Avenue and Cooper Street. POTS will continue to raise another $3 million to fund an endowment to cover staff increases and other ancillary expenses. David Burns of the John Morris Agency in Chicago designed the theater. The same agency built Chicago’s noted Steppenwolf Theater after which the new POTS was designed. Jo said she and Jackie Nichols, POTS’ executive director, were pleased the construction funds were raised in five years, noting that construction would not have begun until the funds were secured. Some of the funds are long-term pledges, which will be paid off over the next four years. “We started building this theater in a recession,” Jo said. “We did have our moments when we plateaued in fundraising. We got stuck at $3 million forever, then we got stuck at $6 million forever. “But Jackie has never started something that didn’t happen. The community got with us too and said if Jackie wants it to happen, it’s going to happen.”

The city of Memphis handled demolition of the vacant Kate’s Antique Mall, which formerly occupied the site and had become a home for vagrants. The city also donated to POTS a pie-shaped parcel of land at the corner that extended onto the property. The theater was built into the concrete footing of the former antique mall in order to sidestep codes that mandated new construction to be 25 feet or more away from the curb. The new theater walls reach the sidewalk. POTS also asked for and received a height variance in order to build a tower to house the theater’s fly space, which allows wall-size pieces of scenery to be lifted over the stage. In the end, the variance wasn’t needed as plans for the tower were downsized to save money. said they also reduced plans for an “extravagantly green” park-like rooftop terrace complete with grassy lawns, which would have added about $100,000 to the cost. Instead, the terrace features potted plants and a storm water recovery system.

The house includes 347 seats on two levels, 100 of which are in the balcony. The balcony offers six boxes with two seats each. The former POTS had 258 seats. The stage features trap doors in the floor with a basement underneath and an orchestra pit that is wheelchair accessible by elevator. “Our orchestra no longer has to play in a hallway,” Jo said. “When the building’s foundation was poured we all went down there and cried because we could see our musicians having light and space.” The building also offers expanded gallery and party space.

The five-story building immediately behind the new POTS on Union, which was also purchased by the theater, had no major structural changes, but now serves as administrative offices, rehearsal space, storage space, costume shop, dressing rooms, a green room and will eventually have a first floor café. POTS staff moved into their new offices in December. In February, the other buildings in POTS’ campus will shift as well. Circuit Playhouse, POTS’ non-residential community theater, will move from 1705 Poplar Ave. at Evergreen Street to the existing POTS theater at 51 S. Cooper St. The old Circuit Playhouse will be renamed the Evergreen Theatre and will be leased to TheatreWorks for $1 per year. TheatreWorks at 2085 Monroe Ave. will operate in its current building and in the Evergreen Theatre. POTS’ Varnell Education Building at 1711 Poplar will continue to be the site of its youth acting programs.

Graceland set for $250 Million redevelopment
Owner wants to make most of area around mansion
The Commercial Appeal | By Tom Bailey Jr.

The man who controls Graceland says he's returning to Memphis next month to re-map the future of the tourist mecca. CKX Inc. has said they will spend $250 million improving 100 acres surrounding Graceland. In the second or third week of January, Robert Sillerman said last week, "We are having an all-hands meeting in Memphis.'' One of his companies, CKX Inc., bought controlling interest of Elvis Presley Enterprises for $100 million in 2004. Several years have now passed since CKX acquired 100 acres surrounding Graceland and first talked of a $250 million redevelopment of the entire area. The work would include demolition of the old visitors center and Heartbreak Hotel and replacing them with larger, better facilities and hotels with convention space and improved public spaces. Sillerman describes next month's event as a two-day design charrette, or intensive planning session. Participants will include members of a master planning firm, architectural firm, design firm, "feasibility people," audio-visual experts and a project manager, he said in phone interview. "We're taking a look at in what phases that should be developed," Sillerman said. "What needs to be developed first and how best we achieve maximization that pays homage to what is there. "But also provide a whole new perspective on where we are going."

Although CKX and Elvis Presley Enterprises are counting on city, county and state support for items like improvements to Elvis Presley Boulevard, the planning session at Graceland will be private. "The meeting with government officials, such as they are, will take place individually," Sillerman said. Within 90 to 120 days after the planning session, "we'll have a very specific idea of what it is we'd like to do," he said. "We have continued to pursue ahead on the exploration side and the development side rather aggressively," he said. "We've actually engaged additional consultants."

The City of Memphis continues to be involved but is waiting on CKX, said Robert Lipscomb, who heads the city's Division of Housing and Community Development. Asked what happens next, Lipscomb replied, "Them coming back with something more definitive." Sillerman agreed, saying city officials "cannot respond to our request now any more positively than they have. "But they need now to get specifics. They need to know exactly what the economic impact will be. How many hundreds or thousands of jobs will be created and what's the project's impact on all of the things that contribute to what makes this so attractive as a development." The government's role will be "to do something with Elvis Presley Boulevard," Lipscomb said. That would include widening and making the street more visually appealing, especially between Graceland and the I-55 exit. Both Sillerman and Lipscomb cited the difficult economy, with Sillerman adding that banks aren't lending money "the way they were." Still, said Lipscomb, the project is hardly mothballed. "A deal like this takes time. It's a huge investment on the private part and a huge investment on the city's part."

Recent financial setbacks to some of Sillerman's ventures aren't affecting progress with the Graceland project, Sillerman said. He made a fortune buying and selling entertainment and media companies (He owns the "American Idol" franchise), but he's recently experienced some well-publicized losses in real estate. The Wall Street Journal published a story earlier this month about the failure of his new Caribbean resort, Temenos, in Anguilla, British West Indies. Sillerman told the Journal he didn't expect to get back the $180 million he lost on Temenos, which is half-built and closed. And he candidly told the Journal, "I think that I exhibited an element of hubris" because resort development "was not my area of expertise by any stretch of the imagination." The Journal also reported that a Sillerman company purchased 18 acres on the Las Vegas Strip for a new casino-hotel, but the project never started and its $475 million mortgage is in default. Those setbacks are "completely unrelated" to the Graceland project, Sillerman told The Commercial Appeal. Graceland, he said, "is an extension of what we already know works. "Heartbreak Hotel, despite the fact it was built as anything but a luxury hotel, maintains the highest occupancy of any hotel in the state of Tennessee," he said. "What we're talking about is an extension of something that has proven to be successful that will be undertaken by the type of experts who can fulfill the vision." While the Caribbean resort is not comparable to the Memphis enterprise, Sillerman said the lesson he takes from Temenos "is to make sure I'm surrounded by people or experts in their particular area. "That's why the design charrette will be populated by literally the top people in each of their fields within the United States." Sillerman still plans "additional stuff" related to Elvis in Las Vegas, although nothing as grand as a casino-hotel complex. "I continue to believe the world in general and Las Vegas in particular is under Elvis. So we're going to take advantage of that. But Graceland will not take a backseat to any Vegas enterprise, he said, adding, "Our No. 1 priority is Memphis."

Medical corridor development projects air of viability in Memphis community
Memphis Business Journal - by Michael Sheffield

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The recession may have crippled most new development across Memphis, but a drive through the city’s medical corridor tells a different story. There is currently $1.5 billion worth of development under way in the medical corridor ranging from a parking garage at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center to the $450 million UT/Baptist Research Park that will house the Memphis Bioworks Foundation’s offices. Also under construction is Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center’s 650,000-square-foot hospital that includes a 12-story tower and a new emergency room. That project is budgeted around $327 million. Other projects in the area include the $8.5 million Harrah’s Hope Lodge, which will provide cancer patients and their families with a short-term stay facility. Le Bonheur is also building FedEx House, a short-term stay facility for its patients and their families, budgeted at around $8.5 million. The 30 known projects in the medical corridor are all in different stages of development, but what those projects show to Memphians and people visiting Memphis is a commitment to the growth of the second largest industry in the city, says Leigh Anne Downes, director of life science business development for the Greater Memphis Chamber. “Anytime a company comes to town and sees cranes in the air, they know the area is viable,” Downes says. “New development not only says the organization is investing in the community, but the community is investing in the organization.”

Beth Flanagan, director of Memphis Medical Center, says the city’s reputation precedes it in national circles, but the development going on in the medical corridor also serves as a conversation starter and an excitement generator at the same time. She says the challenges will be to create the work force to staff the hospitals and research center that are being developed. Memphis Bioworks Foundation, which also runs the Memphis Academy of Science Education and Education, is working to grow that talent from the ground up. “They can start with the charter school and go up to graduate degrees to create that work force,” Flanagan says. “Then you have organizations like Innova (Memphis, Inc.) to help with the patents and marketing plans. All of those pieces are in place.”

Le Bonheur’s expansion — which is on track to be completed by spring 2010 — will enhance the infrastructure of the area, says Cato Johnson, the hospital’s senior vice president of corporate relations. The bigger developments not only help attract other development and business to the area, but also enhance the quality of care for the existing population, Johnson says. “Those are major additions to the Memphis landscape as it relates to health care for this community,” Johnson says. “We also shouldn’t forget that Memphis itself will be a healthier community because of it. When we’re done, we’ll honestly be able to say the city has some of the best health care available.” When the UT/Baptist Research Park is completed, possibly by 2015, it will represent the latest transformation that has taken place over the last 60 years in the medical community in Memphis, says Bill Tuttle, vice president of planning for Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corp. Baptist donated its former Downtown hospital for the project, which Tuttle says represented an $80 million gift. Baptist also donated the land where the University of Tennessee is building its new pharmacy school. Tuttle, who has “been running around the medical center all my life,” says the development is definitely a great thing for the city, but what goes on in those buildings is more important than the mere presence of them. Tuttle says with the right staff in place when development is completed, no one can fathom how far the city can go. “You can’t put a limit on research talent and brain power,” Tuttle says. “When you look at Bioworks and the biomedical industry, it allows us to integrate well with other entities and parlay some of our existing strengths beyond just medical and science.”

One of those industries is FedEx Corp., which Downes says helps the existing companies meet federal medical shipping regulations. Companies that ship devices, vaccines or body tissue often have a federally mandated 72-hour window to get products to clients. Having FedEx in the city has made all of that possible. “If you have a product, it either came from Memphis or was shipped through Memphis in some capacity,” Downes says. More importantly, she says, is the fact that it will create high-skilled and high-paying jobs, keeping the talent the city is currently growing and attracting new people. “Biotech isn’t replacing what Memphis is known for, but it is enhancing the work force and opportunities for work in Memphis,” Downes says. “You can’t help but be excited about that.”

Casino developers to wager $75MYear-long construction project may begin this summer

Memphis Business Journal - by Michael Sheffield

220-room hotel at Isle of Capri has been shuttered since 2002.
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The owners of the recently announced Sportsman Casino and Lodge in Tunica plan to invest up to $75 million in a project that could begin construction this summer and be open by the end of the summer of 2011. The project, which is being developed at the site of the former Isle of Capri casino near Sam’s Town Casino and Hotel on Casino Strip, is renovating the 220 hotel rooms left by Isle of Capri when it closed in 2002. A new casino will be built on the property and include about 50,000 square feet of gaming space.

The tentatively named Sportsman Casino and Lodge is being developed by Oxford, Miss.-based Abston-McKay Ventures LLC and Minnetonka, Minn.-based Lakes Entertainment, Inc., an offshoot of the company that originally developed Grand Casino properties in Tunica, Biloxi and Gulfport in the late 1990s.

Lakes Entertainment, which sold its Grand properties to Caesars in 1998, left the Tunica market after the Stratosphere in Las Vegas (which the company had a 45% ownership stake in) went bankrupt in 1998, says Tim Cope, president and CFO of Lakes Entertainment. He says the company rebuilt itself and began developing and managing properties in Michigan, California and Oklahoma for Native American tribes. The company also recently entered into agreements with Penn National Gaming to invest in and own up to 10% of four newly approved casino projects in Ohio, as well as a potential project in Kansas. “In the mid ’90s, we were the fastest growing gaming company in the country, managing more properties than anyone else, with half of them being for Native American groups,” Cope says. “We provide that expertise and we’re looking to develop and manage our own projects.”

Kevin Hunter, CEO of Abston-McKay, says the combination of Lakes Entertainment’s experience in the Tunica market and a local ownership group that includes Orr Family Properties, which owns the land the casino will sit on, will separate this project from previous attempts to start new casinos in Tunica — most notably Myriad Botanical Resort and Solid Gold Casino and Hotel, both of which failed to materialize. “Tunica is a market with its own personality and is one of the earliest and most successful gaming markets outside of Las Vegas,” Hunter says. “We’re working with the group that changed Mississippi to a resort market and that really sets us apart.”

The site was the location where Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., built its original Tunica property in 1993. Harrah’s sold it in 1999 for $9.5 million to Isle of Capri, which invested about $60 million in infrastructure upgrades before it closed in 2002. The property had further upgrades after the casino closed in order for the hotel on the property to be leased, but a deal never materialized and the property was shuttered for good in late 2002.

Abston-McKay and Lakes Entertainment already have made some infrastructure improvements to the property in advance of announcing the project. The group is working with New York-based Chapdelaine Investments and Global Hunter Securities out of New Orleans on financing.

Succeeding where other ventures failed will be a challenge, says Webster Franklin, CEO of the Tunica Convention and Visitors’ Bureau. But he adds that having a reputable gaming management company like Lakes Entertainment involved is an asset the other proposed developments didn’t have. While Solid Gold is long gone, Franklin stops short of saying Myriad is completely dead because its developers are still seeking investors. Franklin says Sportsman Casino is making other smart moves by building on a space that was previously a casino, which cuts down on construction expenses like the addition of new levee crossings, sewage systems and new roads. “They’re maximizing their potential for success by being in a cluster of a casino strip,” Franklin says. “Also, (Lakes Entertainment CEO) Lyle Berman has an established name and reputation in Tunica.”

The project will give Tunica its long-discussed 10th casino, which would come at a time when industry analysts are predicting the local industry could see total revenues dip below $1 billion for the first time. But, Franklin says, Tunica has traditionally exceeded industry expectations and has seen its numbers remain relatively strong during the recession. “I think we’re where we are because of competition,” Franklin says. “As long as the owners keep putting money into the quality of their properties, another casino could only enhance what we have to offer down here.”

The project will create at least 200 permanent jobs and hundreds of construction jobs. Cope says the plan is to hire local architects and contractors. And Lakes Entertainment, he says, looks forward to its return to Tunica County. “That’s one thing we’ve learned,” he says. “There are a lot of good folks in Mississippi.”

Visible School gets $250,000 grant from Assisi Foundation

By Wayne Risher

Visible School landed a $250,000 grant from The Assisi Foundation of Memphis to help with a $1.25 million renovation of its new campus at 200 Madison.

The grant will be matched dollar for dollar by an anonymous donor, generating $500,000 towards relocation of the 10-year-old music and worship arts college Downtown from Cooper-Young.

The school has more than 100 students pursuing careers as musicians, technicians, music business professionals and in music ministry. The renovation of the former C&I Bank building is expected to be completed in time for the 2010-2011 school year.

The Assisi Foundation began in 1994 with proceeds from the sale of St. Francis Hospital. It has awarded more than $100 million in grants in areas including health and human services, education and literacy, social justice/ethics, cultural enrichment and the arts.

is anyone aware of the project start date for the phoenix hotel located in the south main district? and, is there any fact behind the recent "go" on the "tweeked" one beale project. will it contain approximately 600 rooms? thanks for info.

is anyone aware of the project start date for the phoenix hotel located in the south main district? and, is there any fact behind the recent "go" on the "tweeked" one beale project. will it contain approximately 600 rooms? thanks for info.
As far as I know, both projects are on hold indefinitely. It may be a while before we see those two get constructed, especially during these tough economic times.

i keep hearing so much about 2010 being a big year for building projects. there seemed to be such a determination for a minority group to oversee the hotel project, now i wonder if they are able to secure the money? both the ex-mayor, sandford, and wharton have talked openly and often about the need for large hotels in downtown; yet, it seems that there is food dragging on getting rooms ready for these conventions, etc. the beale street landing seems to be a project that is disconcerting, because of the supposed lack of funding. main street is looking for a major tenant of 500 employees, in order to bring traffic to the development area; however, the money spent on consultants, who stated a year ago that the very first things needed on main street to increase traffic was the re-establishment of two-way traffic. yet, it was shot down by ccc and the mayor for the alleged lack of money to place the infrastructure in the form of signage, signals, etc. it seems, at this point, things arent't completed on any projects, but there is always money for consultants and committees. the announcement regarding the greenway was exciting, however, it was embarrassing to say it would be completed in 20 years time. some of these things just don't add up. i hate to be so negative sounding, but it is a bit ridiculous.

thanks to you jford for your timely and helpful information answering my question.

jr, i wondered if you can provide some technical advice. if you go to bill cobb urban photos aerial views, select memphis, etc., is there a technical way or a program for pc that would allow construction of a complete picture of downtown. i know that many of the buildings in the medical center are probably not going to work; however, some of the midtown structures, east memphis, and the poplar corridor pictures might, if i can figure math of angle and distance, and a few other issues.

just thought you might know. by the way, i had already posted, before i saw your posts re: pyramid. the information is encouraging. i thought the pinch district development was already planned, as far as housing, apts, and small retail development. i want so badly to open a mid to highend grill in that area. an establishment w/ piano bar, huge bar, outside courtyard and atrium. possibly 24 hours daily, high end brunch on weekends. toying w/ atrium supper club w/ dancing (classic styles.) most of the menu would be seasonal, low country southern french.

...is there a technical way or a program for pc that would allow construction of a complete picture of downtown?

Not that I know of KingChef. I'm no buff on graphic/ imaging software.

Askew Nixon picked to design $75M casino
Memphis Business Journal - by MIchael Sheffield

http://assets.bizjournals.com/story_image/891081-300-0-1.jpg Photo Credit : LEE SWETS | MBJ

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Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects has been selected by Abston-McKay Ventures LLC and Lakes Entertainment Inc. as lead architect for the $75 million Sportsman Casino and Lodge in Tunica. Design on the recently announced project is expected to be complete by October; construction should start late this year. The property could be open by the end of 2011. For Askew Nixon, the project represents one of its largest deals in recent months and may signal a recovery in the architecture industry. “It was pretty grim for the first two and a half months (this year), but we’re starting to see some things come in,” Askew says. “A lot of our big clients like FedEx and the University of Memphis are starting to crank up some things that were on hold.” Askew’s perspective echoes the American Institute of Architects’ Architectural Billings Index, which rose to 44.8 in February, up from 42.5 in January. A score below 50 indicates a decrease in billings. March numbers are due next week.

Oxford, Miss.-based Abston-McKay and Minnetonka, Minn.-based Lakes Entertainment are co-developing the project, which will be located at the site of the former Isle of Capri casino near Sam’s Town Casino and Hotel on Casino Strip. Askew Nixon will redesign the 220-room hotel left by Isle of Capri when it closed in 2002. The casino will be a new building Askew Nixon is designing as part of the project. Lee Askew, a principal with Askew Nixon, says the project represents a return to casino architecture for the firm, which designed Sam’s Town in Tunica in 1993 and has worked on smaller projects at Tunica casino properties. Askew Nixon also has designed casinos in Louisiana and Illinois. Kevin Hunter, CEO of Abston-McKay Ventures, says the company considered firms “inside and outside the city of Memphis” before choosing Askew Nixon. “We went with them because (Askew has) a great vision of this area and world-class credentials in the gaming industry,” Hunter says. “There are a lot of people throwing out ideas on this project and he’s keeping us pulled together to keep the focus on this project.”

Askew says the new casino will include more than 40,000 square feet of gaming space on one level, a 1,200-seat theater and “one of the largest buffets in the area.” Plans are in place for a 5,000-square-foot VIP players lounge, new swimming pools, a poker room and retail space. The number of hotel rooms will increase to 230. The project received site approval from the Mississippi Gaming Commission last month.

Askew Nixon isn’t the only local firm finding business in casino projects. Hnedak Bobo Group Inc. was recently named lead architect on the $500 million West Valley Resort near Glendale, Ariz. “We’re really going to gut it so everything will be brand new, from wall surfaces to fixtures and carpeting,” Askew says. “You won’t even know you’re in an older building.” Lakes is an offshoot of the company that originally developed Grand Casino properties in Tunica, Biloxi and Gulfport in the late 1990s. Lakes sold its Grand properties to Caesars in 1998 and left the Tunica market shortly thereafter. Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. bought the Grand properties (along with Horseshoe) in 2004 and 2005. Ironically, Harrah’s original property in Tunica was located at the old Isle of Capri site until 1999.

Scott Barber, division president of Harrah’s Entertainment, says he doesn’t know enough details to speculate on the possibility of success for Sportsman, which will join nine other casinos currently in operation in Tunica County. “We’re the biggest and baddest and we weren’t successful at that site, so they must know something we don’t,” Barber says. Askew says with architects and engineers combined, the firm will have about 15 people working on design. Salt Lake City-based Okland Construction Co. Inc. will be the general contractor on the project. Subcontractors have not been chosen.

Hunter says even though the development process is “lengthy and involved,” Sportsman is proceeding as planned toward the 2011 opening target. “We want to move as quickly as possible, but we also want to make the right decisions,” Hunter says. “What you don’t want to do is get in a hurry with a project of this magnitude. We want to make sure it’s high quality.”

Pyramid, Bass Pro Talks Move to Lease Terms
BILL DRIES | The Daily News

City of Memphis leaders and executives from Bass Pro Shops meet Tuesday to begin talking lease terms for The Pyramid. Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. included a draft lease in an April 13 letter to Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris and president Jim Hagale.

A city delegation was in Nashville Monday to review the project for the State Building Commission. The commission’s executive committee approved an extension of the use of revenue from the Downtown Tourism Development Zone (TDZ) to include The Pyramid. The resulting tax increment financing will help finance the public infrastructure improvements around the site. Before Monday’s expansion of how the tax money within the zone was used, it could only be used to retire the debt of the Memphis Cook Convention Center over 30 years. The financing is in its eighth year.

Tuesday’s meeting in Memphis will also include representatives of developers Poag & McEwen. The firm is involved, Wharton said, because Bass Pro executives want to see some kind of plans for developing the surrounding Pinch District. The outdoor retailer plans to build a super store within The Pyramid and develop other attractions, including a hotel either inside The Pyramid or attached to the former arena. Other items on the agenda are defining terms in a lease agreement, a list of landlord contributions for the city to accomplish, a task list for Bass Pro Shops, construction standards and timelines for construction as well as the flow of money into the project.

The goal of both sides is to complete the deal and sign a lease in the next month. A signing could come as early as an April 29 meeting in Springfield, Mo., at Bass Pro Shops headquarters. The meeting there is scheduled to “draft the final versions of the lease/development/improvement agreements,” according to the city’s letter.

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Developer begins talks on revitalization of historic Pinch District
The Commercial Appeal | By Amos Maki

Pinch District businesses like Red Fish Gallery, where a pedestrian pauses to window shop, could get a boost if Poag & McEwen Lifestyle Centers follows through on plans to develop a retail district near The Pyramid.
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2010/04/24/25pinch1x_t607.jpeg Photo by Mike Brown

A portion of the Pinch District adjacent to The Pyramid could be transformed into a retail and entertainment hub that complements Bass Pro Shops' planned flagship store in the vacant arena. Memphis-based Poag & McEwen Lifestyle Centers, the original developer of Saddle Creek in Germantown, is talking with Bass Pro about developing part of the historic district. Bass Pro and Poag & McEwen have partnered previously on projects in California and Texas, and the Springfield, Mo.-based retailer approached Poag & McEwen a year ago about improving the area around The Pyramid, said Bob Rogers, chief operating officer and general counsel for Poag & McEwen, a privately owned company. "Basically, we're talking about retail, restaurants and entertainment," Rogers said. "Bass Pro for a long time has wanted a district, a major project, adjacent to The Pyramid," he said. Rogers would not describe the location of the targeted area, saying it is early in the process and there were few details he could reveal. Bass Pro and city officials are considering an initial 20-year lease on The Pyramid, with seven renewal periods of five years each. Bass Pro plans to turn the arena into a regional center with retail shops, restaurants, offices and a Mississippi River exhibit. News of Poag & McEwen's involvement came to light when Memphis Mayor A C Wharton mentioned it in a recent letter to Bass Pro officials. City Housing and Community Development director Robert Lipscomb said the city would likely have to assemble some property for the project. "Yes, we have to acquire property," said Lipscomb. "We are in discussions with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the primary property owner, regarding potential acquisition of their property. Eminent domain is not contemplated at this point."

Poag & McEwen's lifestyle centers generally combine the traditional retail functions of a mall, with extensive landscaping and amenities oriented toward upscale consumers. The centers often have a mix of uses, such as restaurants and office and residential space. In November, the State Building Commission's executive subcommittee approved a 10-year lease agreement between the University of Memphis and Poag & McEwen for a project called Highland Row. The multi-purpose commercial and residential complex on Highland south of Central would include a Barnes & Noble-operated U of M bookstore. Clues about what could happen in the Pinch District, one of the oldest settlements in the Bluff City, can be gleaned from a Center City Commission master plan for the area and the Wolf River Harbor.

After The Pyramid closed, the Pinch district lost momentum. Downtown officials say the Bass Pro and Poag & McEwen projects could help restore the area.
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2010/04/24/25pinch2_t607.jpeg Photo by Mike Maple

When Bass Pro began expressing interest in The Pyramid five years ago, and as St. Jude Children's Research Hospital continued to expand its landholdings west of its campus, the Downtown development agency in 2008 studied how to create a framework for sustainable development in the Pinch District. The study of a 23-acre, 10-square-block portion of the district includes the area directly across Front Street from The Pyramid, a likely spot for the Poag & McEwen project. The master plan calls for a mixed-use "retail and entertainment destination" on Front Street near Overton Avenue, including a hotel. Heading east to Main Street and beyond to St. Jude's campus, the plan suggests more high-density, mixed-use development, including ground-floor retail with residences above.

After The Pyramid closed and other entertainment areas like Cooper-Young and South Main Street gained steam, the Pinch lost much of the momentum it had started to develop in the 1990s. Downtown officials say the Bass Pro and Poag & McEwen projects could infuse new energy into the area. "No question in my mind," said CCC president Jeff Sanford. "The Bass Pro project will rekindle interest in development throughout the Pinch." Land owners in the area want to learn more about the project and how it would impact their properties and businesses. On Thursday, a group of 10 business and property owners in the Pinch sent Wharton and City Council members a letter asking to be more involved in the planning process. "My concern is that decisions are being made and none of the business owners or property owners are being told about what is going on or being asked for input," said Greg Ericson, president and CEO of Ericson Group Inc. at 400 N. Front. "To me, development like this is good for the city of Memphis as long as everybody is included."

Carlisle Corp. Files $1.5M Building Permit

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Carlisle Corp. has filed a $1.5 million permit application with the city-county Office of Construction Code Enforcement to renovate the former One Beale sales center at 263 Wagner Place in Downtown into the company’s new headquarters. Carlisle, whose wholly owned subsidiary Wendelta Inc. is a Wendy’s restaurant franchisee, will depart its currently leased space at 100 Peabody Place. The company’s chairman and founder is Gene Carlisle. Plans call for the company to convert the building that once housed the former Joe’s Crab Shack into a 16,000-square-foot Class A office space.

Operating as Carlisle Landing LLC, the company bought the property in 2004 and converted it into a temporary sales center for the now-shelved One Beale mixed-use development. The Center City Revenue Finance Corp. earlier this month awarded a six-year tax freeze for the project, with an extra year contingent on the presence of certain design elements, for a seven-year tax freeze.

The CCRFC incentive will save the company more than $200,000 on its projected $2.7 million redevelopment of the property. Design upgrades in documentation submitted to the Center City Commission include lighting along Wagner Street and the upgrade of a plaza garden at the end of Linden Crossing. Carlisle’s company, which currently employs 35 people at its current office, will almost double its space at Peabody Place, where its current lease expires in July.

Source: The Daily News Online & Chandler Reports – Eric Smith

Barboro Flats: Construction Update Pics

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The new Le Bonheur Children's Hospital expansion tower is shaping up quite nice.

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In the shadow of Methodist/ Le Bonheur's new $340 Million investment, development of Legends Park continues.

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Harrah's Hope Lodge (next to Sun Studio)

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Uptown Memphis digs mixed-use project
The Commercial Appeal | By Tom Bailey Jr.

Bulldozer operator Tommy West clears land on Thursday at Danny Thomas and North Parkway, north of St. Jude's, for a mixed-use project to serve Uptown Memphis.
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2010/04/29/30c4a_t607.jpeg Photo by Kyle Kurlick

A curious Uptown resident sent her e-mail at 10:34 a.m. Thursday to the Uptown Memphis official Tanja Mitchell: "What's all the digging? The earthmoving means more stores -- within walking distance -- are in store for the vast, 100-block Uptown Memphis neighborhood. Site preparation has started on a mixed-use development of commercial, residential and office buildings near the northwest corner of Thomas and A.W. Willis. The site is across Willis from the back gate of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The first tenant will be a SunTrust bank branch, for which construction should start this summer, said Alexandra "Alex" Mobley, vice president of Henry Turley Co. But the partnership of Turley and Belz Enterprises, working with the City of Memphis, is seeking to recruit a pharmacy, medium-size grocery and other tenants.

The new development sits on the southern edge of Uptown, bordered by Willis on the south, Mill on the north, Seventh on the west, and a new extension of Uptown Street on the east. The SunTrust branch will be at the corner of Willis and the newly lengthened Uptown Street. Uptown is the redevelopment of what had been one of the city's poorest neighborhoods, once anchored by a blighted Hurt Village public housing project. It's a varied-income community of public housing, market-rate homes and affordable rental units for low-income families.

Robert Barnes works on new curbs and walkways Thursday for a mixed-use development in Uptown Memphis near Thomas and A.W. Willis.
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Since work started in 2004, 268 single-family homes, 549 apartments, a 69-unit senior facility and $12 million in infrastructure have been built, Mobley said. The mixed-use site sits at the highly visible, southern entrance to Uptown, where thousands of cars a day pass through the Thomas (U.S. 51) and Willis intersection, Mobley said. Single-family homes lining the north side of Mill overlook the mixed-use site. Buffering those residents from the bank and future businesses will be a row of more dense residential housing, perhaps town homes, on the south side of Mill.

Tax-increment financing is paying for the site work, Mobley said. That lets cities obtain development bonds to fund infrastructure improvements and to use taxes generated by the development to pay off the bonds. "Our objective was to get the basic services that pretty well have abandoned a lot of areas of the inner city," Henry Turley said. "One is a grocery. We don't have a grocery deal made yet, and that would be an objective," he said. "And there needs to be a drugstore." The ideal place for a 25,000-square-foot grocery would be on the west side of Thomas, where the long-closed Chism Trail grocery once operated, Mobley said.

Proposed ‘Tiger Lane’ Features Surprises
BILL DRIES | The Daily News

Post Demolition: This rendering shows The Fairgrounds after all of the buildings and barns slated for demolition come down. It doesn’t show all of the improvements the City Council will vote on at its May 25 meeting. It does show the footprints of the demolished structures which would be used for parking

Public Green Space: This rendering shows “Tiger Lane”, the seven acre greenspace from East Parkway to the west side of The Liberty Bowl, with parking spaces on either side that could be rented for tailgating next to the lawn. It includes the option of extending Young Avenue across East Parkway, through what used to be Libertyland, intersecting with Early Maxwell Boulevard on the west side of the Mid-South Coliseum.
http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/9418.jpg?id=9418&maxWidth=250 Source: The City of Memphis

Architects and planners laying out a seven-acre green space at the Mid-South Fairgrounds again went beyond what they initially planned. But this week, they gave Memphis City Council members plenty of notice of the new ideas. ”This essentially fixes the site in its entirety,” architect Tom Marshall told the council as he reviewed plans that included more than the “Tiger Lane” green space running from East Parkway to the west side of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. “We did go further than we intended to,” he said. “This is a surprise. This is different. But we wanted to fix it.” The full council will vote in two weeks on a construction and funding resolution. The plan council members saw at executive session Tuesday has the green space as its centerpiece.

Tenants of the stadium began expressing concerns earlier this year about parking for tailgaters as they saw parking lots vanish around the Mid-South Coliseum. The parking lot demolition went beyond plans by then-Memphis Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery’s plans to create the green space as a beautification project until more long-term plans for the fairgrounds come along. Officials from the University of Memphis, Southern Heritage Classic and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl expressed concern they would be into football season in a few months with fewer parking spaces than they’ve had before.

A “halo wall” with six pedestrian entrances near the west wall of the stadium to create a pedestrian plaza is a new feature of the plan. The wall and plaza would be in the area where the recently demolished Arena Building once stood. The parking lot north of the Mid-South Coliseum has also been taken out to provide for drainage of the green space, Marshall said. Marshall said the halo wall should also handle long-term drainage problems in the Beltline area to the east of the fairgrounds. Other recommendations include a larger entrance off Hollywood Street near the Children’s Museum of Memphis to relieve some traffic congestion along Central Avenue.

There’s also a proposed road across what used to be the Libertyland amusement park that amounts to a continuation of Young Avenue across East Parkway. The road would intersect with Early Maxwell Boulevard at the western side of the coliseum. If Young is extended into the fairgrounds, all of the parts of the plan would increase the number of parking spaces there from 5,600 to 6,600. If no extension occurs and the Libertyland footprint becomes parking, the number goes up to 8,433.

In two weeks, the council should have a cost estimate that previously has been put at roughly $10 million. The work would be completed by Sept. 6 with council approval at the May 25 session. Housing and Community Development Director Robert Lipscomb said the anticipated amount needed to fund the fast track project is in the city’s budget already.

Memphis' dramatic growth as a rail hub has Chicago officials worried
By Peter Downs, Special to The Commercial Appeal

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Memphis' growth as a major rail hub is getting Chicago city leaders and Illinois politicians to launch an ambitious program to remove rail transportation bottlenecks. Seems that while Memphis was busily investing in rail, Chicago wasn't. As a consequence, shippers who want efficient service increasingly look south. "We saw competition emerging from Memphis and looked at a potential loss of 17,000 jobs and $2 billion in economic activity a year," said Joseph Clary, who recently stepped down as director of public and intermodal transportation for the Illinois Department of Transportation. "I can't tell you how much I smile when I hear that," said Dexter Muller, vice president for community development at the Memphis Regional Chamber. "They used to say Chicago spilled more product than Memphis carried."

Memphis business and civic leaders began marketing the Bluff City as a freight hub and logistics center in 1979, but real growth really began only about 12 years ago. The turning point came as more and more manufacturing moved offshore to Asia, Muller said. Products arrived on the West Coast, but most of the population that would consume those products still lived east of the Mississippi River. The cheapest way to move product across the nation is by train and there are only four places where rails cross the Mississippi River, Muller said -- Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans, and New Orleans is too far south to efficiently reach many markets, he said.

With Chicago beset by traffic jams and more of the nation's consumer markets reachable in one day's drive from Memphis than from any other city, rail carriers picked Memphis as a place to begin building intermodal facilities -- yards with specially designed cranes for picking containers off the backs of rail cars and setting them on trucks or vice versa. Starting with Union Pacific Railroad's construction of an intermodal facility that could lift 400,000 containers a year and including the expansion earlier this year of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad's lift facility to handle 1 million lifts a year and the new 300,000-lifts-a-year yard that the Norfolk Southern Railroad is building in Fayette County, rail carriers have invested a billion dollars in intermodal facilities in the Memphis area, Muller said. And giant distribution centers have followed in the wake of those facilities, bringing 170 million square feet of warehouse space to Memphis, "way outsized for a city this size," Muller said. "Our strength is that we can move product through the city much more quickly than Chicago can," he said. "Chicago is No. 1 in rail and we're now No. 3, but we're poised for growth and we're working at it." That growth spurred city officials in Chicago to sit down with rail carriers and agree on 31 projects to speed rail transportation through the nation's largest rail hub. "You could see the traffic jams," Clary said, citing freight trains that took 36 hours to go from Los Angeles to Chicago and were getting stuck in the city for another 36 hours.

They call the list of projects the Chicago Region Environmental & Transportation Efficiency Program. The estimated total cost of the multiyear program is $2.6 billion. The rail carriers that serve Chicago -- save for the Canadian National Railroad, which is not a member of CREATE -- committed $115 million to the program contingent on Illinois committing an equal amount. Despite the state's fiscal crisis, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn upped the state's commitment to $400 million in his budget proposal this year. What makes Chicago partisans especially joyful is the support they are getting from the federal government. So far, the Obama administration has committed more than $600 million to the CREATE program. "This particular administration is very open to and very supportive of the state of Illinois," Clary said. The federal support for Chicago doesn't seem to worry Muller. As Chicago eliminates its bottlenecks, "it still will make more sense to go through Memphis to get product to Savannah or Florida," he said.

Pinch, Pyramid to get $70M in fed money to prepare for Bass Pro Shops
The Commercial | By Tom Bailey Jr.

The city of Memphis plans to spend all its federal recovery act bonds -- $70 million -- to redevelop The Pyramid and the Pinch District. The money will be used to prepare the arena for Bass Pro Shops, strengthen it against earthquakes and bring new sidewalks, lighting, signs, drainage and other infrastructure to the adjacent Pinch District, Robert Lipscomb, the city's director of Housing and Community Development, said Monday. The spending also continues the city's strategy to protect the thousands of high-quality jobs at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a few blocks east of The Pyramid. If Uptown had not been improved, Lipscomb said, St. Jude would not have made its "$3 billion expansion." The city and developers have already transformed rundown housing projects flanking St. Jude to the north and south. "Now it's going to the west," Lipscomb said of the neighborhood improvements.

The federal economic recovery act provides about $70 million in subsidized financing for private and public construction projects to Memphis. "The (Pyramid/Pinch) project is an important one for the administration and the city of Memphis," city Finance Director Roland McElrath said Monday. Completion of a lease agreement is "imminent" with Bass Pro Shops, which would redevelop The Pyramid arena into a mix of retail, entertainment and offices, he said. Once Bass Pro Shops commits to remake The Pyramid, Poag & McEwen Lifestyle Centers would launch a related project to redevelop a swath of the Pinch District extending east from The Pyramid toward St. Jude. Complementing Bass Pro Shops' adaptation of The Pyramid, the Pinch District project also would be a mix of retail, restaurants and entertainment.

The federal Recovery Zone program provides two types of bonds. One is economic development bonds, to be used by governments only. The bonds would allow Memphis to pay 45 percent less in interest costs than with normal bonds. The city was allocated $27.7 million in these bonds. The other is facility bonds, to be issued by local government but used by private businesses. They are tax exempt, making the interest rate 2 to 3 percentage points lower, or saving 30 to 35 percent in interest costs. Memphis was allocated $41.6 million in these bonds.

Memphis would have financed the Bass Pro Shops and Pinch District redevelopment with or without the cheaper money, McElrath indicated. "It simply would have been a little more expensive if we didn't have the Recovery Zone bonds available," he said. The Memphis and Shelby County Industrial Development Board and Center City Revenue Finance Corp. are authorized to issue Recovery Zone bonds. On Wednesday, the industrial board will be asked to support the city's request.

Not development news, but a gig booked for legendary Memphian band, BigStar, turned into a tribute for the recent passing of frontman Alex Chilton. Comedy sitcom "That 70's Show" opens with the BigStar song "In the Street". The show took place at the newly renovated Levitt Shell in Overton Park, where BigStar recorded their hit live album in the mid-1970's. The weather was a little omnious, but Midtown came out in the thousands.

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Cranes are up at Memphis International Airport for construction of the new transportation center. This massive project comes on the heels of the structural completion of the new 340ft air traffic control tower complex (base & tower).

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The end result:
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Community Gift
Le Bonheur celebrates 58 years with new hospital
TOM WILEMON | The Daily News

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=50721

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Le Bonheur volunteers march down the parade route for the opening of the new $340 million children’s hospital on Tuesday. Photo: Lance Murphey

Bass Pro and Beyond
Hope for civic transformation with Big Three city projects
BILL DRIES | The Daily News

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=50663

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Bass Pro and the City of Memphis continue to try and hammer out a lease agreement for The Pyramid, which would include a costly seismic retrofitting to be paid for by the city. Photo: Lance Murphey

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One version from a 2008 city report of what The Pyramid might look like with a Bass Pro Shops store and other attractions. Note the location of a hotel inside the structure and an elevator to the top that is in the center with a restaurant on the top level. An alternate hotel site is the lodge building separate from The Pyramid but attached to it which would be on Front Street. The terms of a seismic retrofitting now being negotiated between the city and the retailer will be crucial to where these key features are.

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The view of the Liberty Bowl from East Parkway has been dramatically altered since the demolition of most Mid-South Fair buildings. Photo: Lance Murphey

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The $15.5 million plan for Tiger Lane began as a seven-acre greenspace at the Mid-South Fairgrounds. It now includes two new access roads as well as other modifications to the property. The project is on a tight timeline, scheduled for completion by mid-September when football and tailgating season begins at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

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A recent appropriation by the Memphis City Council will breathe new life into the Beale Street Landing project, which stalled when millions in federal stimulus money went up in smoke. Photo: Lance Murphey

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An artist’s rendering of what Beale Street Landing will look like when completed. The riverside project supervised by the Riverfront Development Corp. has one more phase to completion that would create a park atop the gift shop and restaurant and landing itself. Federal funding for the project vanished as the city transitioned through three mayors. In the confusion, RDC officials acknowledge they pushed ahead with the project instead of looking for design alternatives.

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Bass Pro Inks Deal to Lease Pyramid
‘Gateway Project’ aims to revitalize Pinch district
BILL DRIES | The Daily News

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=51045

http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/9754.jpg Daily News File Photo/Lance Murphey

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Fan Friendly
Tiger Lane rejuvenates Liberty Bowl’s football festivities
BILL DRIES | The Daily News

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=52604

Photos: Lance Murphey
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This panoramic image shows construction on Tiger Lane, left, which is west of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium at the Mid-South Fairgrounds. The $15 million project will create approximately 600 tailgating spaces and new entrance roads onto the property. Fans attending the University of Memphis, Southern Heritage Classic and AutoZone Liberty Bowl football games will have access to Tiger Lane, which is nearly complete.

Turley turning historic warehouse into mixed-use
Project to include apartments, offices
Memphis Business Journal - by Andy Ashby

Henry Turley Co. is looking to breathe more life into Downtown’s center with plans to turn a 101,868-square-foot warehouse at Second and Gayoso into a mixed-use development. The Memphis-based real estate company is planning a historic rehab of the seven-story building at 109 S. Second, which currently houses the operations of Fulmer Cos.

http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2010/09/06/story1.html

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ALAN HOWELL | MBJ
Fulmer Cos. will move distribution operations out of this Downtown building to make way for mixed-use project.

‘South Main’s Got It’
Arts district thrives despite ever-changing landscape
STACEY WIEDOWER | Special to The Daily News

The South Main Historic Arts District could be viewed as a microcosm of all of Downtown. In decades past, it experienced a heyday and a dramatic decline. In recent years, it’s made a slow but thorough comeback.

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=52408

Photos: Lance Murphey

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The South Main Historic Arts District has its share of art, but now the district is evolving into a more complete neighborhood with boutiques and restaurants.

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Part of the charm of the South Main Historic Arts District is the storefronts filled with everything from art to clothing to coffee.

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Part of the charm of the South Main Historic Arts District is the storefronts filled with everything from art to clothing to coffee.

Lucrative Elvis business considers 2 offers to buy it
By Adrian Sainz • ASSOCIATED PRESS

MEMPHIS — Elvis Presley is in play. CKx Inc., owner of the American Idol television program and 85 percent of Elvis Presley Enterprises, is mulling at least two offers to buy the company. At the same time, thousands of Elvis fans have descended on Memphis for Elvis Week, the annual commemoration of the American music icon's life and death.

http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20100813&Category=BUSINESS01&ArtNo=8130332&Ref=AR&Profile=2092&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0
A bus load of tourists heads for the front door of Graceland, Elvis Presley's home in Memphis. Interest in the singer remains strong. Last year's revenue from licensing and royalties rose 34 percent compared with 2008. (MARK HUMPHREY / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20100813&Category=BUSINESS01&ArtNo=8130332&Ref=V2&Profile=2092&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0
Visitors to Graceland view the trophy room during a tour Tuesday. Thousands of Elvis fans have descended on Memphis for Elvis Week, the annual commemoration of the American music icon's life and death. (MARK HUMPHREY / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20100813&Category=BUSINESS01&ArtNo=8130332&Ref=H3&Profile=2092&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0
Gifts from fans decorate Elvis Presley's grave at Graceland. (MARK HUMPHREY / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20100813&Category=BUSINESS01&ArtNo=8130332&Ref=V4&Profile=2092&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0
Tourists view Elvis Presley's grave in the Meditation Garden at Graceland, Presley's home in Memphis. CKx Inc., owner of 85 percent of Elvis Presley Enterprises, is considering at least two offers to buy the company. (MARK HUMPHREY / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Memphis medical district hotel to get complete facelift in $33.8M project
By Wayne Risher
Memphis Commercial Appeal

Memphis Bioworks Foundation officials hope to transform the old Medical Center Holiday Inn into a 167-room extended-stay hotel with a fresh new look in two years. Thursday's announcement of a $2 million federal grant was hailed as a taxpayer-funded stimulus for the $33.8 million project that will create 126 permanent jobs.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/sep/09/memphis-medical-district-hotel-get-complete-faceli/

http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2010/09/09/b10hotel_t607.jpeg
John Pruett Architects
Extended-stay hotel rooms would occupy floors 8-20 after renovation of the former Medical Center Holiday Inn on Madison.

Animal Kingdom
Memphis Zoo builds on recent success by preparing for future growth
STACEY WIEDOWER | Special to The Memphis News

This time last year, the opening of the Teton Trek exhibit at the Memphis Zoo marked the latest step in an aggressive expansion plan that has placed the zoo No. 4 on the list of most-visited attractions in Tennessee and No. 1 in the Mid-South.

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=53247

(Photos: Lance Murphey)
http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/10282.jpg
Grizzly bears are the main attraction at the Memphis Zoo's Teton Trek, which features a lodge inspired by the Old Faithful Inn in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park. The exhibit houses grizzlies, elk, wolves and ducks, all part of Yellowstone's ecosystem. Teton Trek turns 1 this month, and the zoo has plenty of other successes to celebrate.

http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/10283.jpg?id=10283&maxWidth=250

http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/10284.jpg

http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/10287.jpg
The Zambezi River Hippo Camp is a $16 million project that Memphis Zoo leaders hope to begin building in the next two years. The exhibit, which will house the zoo's hippos, was designed to replicate life on a sandbar along Africa's Zambezi River.

Plans Unveiled for Expanded Civil Rights Museum
BILL DRIES | The Daily News

The bare bones of an expanded National Civil Rights Museum include three times more space for the Memphis chapter in the story of the civil rights movement, updated technology for exhibits and a more detailed story of how connected the events are over three centuries.

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=53495

http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/10343.jpg
Renderings of planned renovations for the National Civil Rights Museum show a new look not only for the lobby and entrance of the 19-year-old museum but also the South Main Street entrance to the museum plaza. (Photos: Courtesy of National Civil Rights Museum)

http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/10344.jpg
Photos: Courtesy of National Civil Rights Museum

From the Wall Street Journal (applause)

After 181 Years, Local Beer Stops Playing Hard to Get
By DAVID KESMODEL

Now, the fifth-generation brewing scion and sole owner is poised to make his riskiest move yet to expand the nation's oldest beer maker. Yuengling (pronounced ying-ling) announced last week that it signed a letter of intent to buy a former Coors brewery in Memphis, Tenn. The facility would be the Pennsylvania brewer's largest and could more than double the company's overall capacity and allow it to expand distribution into multiple states beyond its 13-state footprint in the Eastern U.S.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303496104575560670493092344.html

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-BG977_YUENGL_G_20101020174802.jpg
Photo for The Wall Street Journal by Scott Lewis
Dick Yuengling. sole owner, says the Memphis deal could double output.

http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-KM917_YUENGL_D_20101019115818.jpg
Scott Lewis for The Wall Street Journal
The gift shop of the historic Yuengling brewery in Pottsville, Pa., is a stop along the daily tours of the factory.

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-BG972_Yuengl_G_20101020175445.jpg
Scott Lewis for The Wall Street Journal
Yuengling's brewery operations in Pottsville, Pa.

Memphis Int'l Airport's $637 million blueprint
Memphis Biz Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2010/10/22/airports-637-million-blueprint.html

http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2010/10/22/webAirportConstr.jpg?v=1
photo by ALAN HOWELL | MBJ
Construction workers are busy at Memphis International Airport’s $89 million Ground Transportation Center, which will include parking and rental car facility.

DRB to Discuss Plans for SoFo Hotel

The Center City Commission Design Review Board will discuss design plans for an 11-story hotel and adjacent parking structure planned for the southeast corner of Linden Avenue and Fourth Street at the DRB’s meeting Wednesday.

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=53933#53933

Rebirth of Cleaborn Homes project provides spark for architects, general contractors
Memphis Business Journal


The demolition of the 460-unit Cleaborn Homes will begin before the end of the year, with construction on a $93 million, 400-unit apartment complex beginning next July. The project, first announced in 2007, is expected to be completed by September 2015.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2010/11/19/rebirth-of-cleaborn-homes-project.html

http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2010/11/19/WebCleabornHope6RENDER.jpg?v=1
COURTESY LRK | SELF TUCKER ARCHITECTS
Artist’s rendering of proposed Cleaborn Homes Hope VI redevelopment, a 460-unit apartment community managed by Memphis Housing Authority.

Some highlights of the healthcare industry's investment & expansion in Memphis during the Great Recession.

Healthy Industry
During feeble economy, health care business thrives
Memphis Daily News

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=54389

http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/10593.jpg
Meri Armour, president and CEO of Le Bonheur, and Gary Shorb, president of Methodist Healthcare, help Le Bonheur patients untie the giant bow to open the new Le Bonheur Children's Hospital building last summer. Thanks to investments like the one made at Le Bonheur and elsewhere, the health care industry is performing well. (Photo: Courtesy of Le Bonheur Children's Hospital)

A great article on the future of America's largest urban park.

Shelby Farms: Urban oasis is a carefully planned 21st century kind of park
Sprawling 4,500-acre park's planners push ahead with $65 million in projects -- most of them funded by private dollars.
The Commercial Appeal

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/nov/28/shelby-farms-urban-oasis-a-21st-century-kind-of/

Complete 56 photo gallery: http://www.commercialappeal.com/photos/galleries/2010/nov/28/shelby-farms/

http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2010/11/18/jw0kayak_t607.jpg
Photo by Jim Weber
Shelby Farms - July 7, 2010: Kayakers with Memphis Whitewater play boatball at Patriot Lake, a regular Tuesday evening outing for the paddling club. The park conservancy plans to continue work on phase one of it's master plan next year which includes enlarging Patriot Lake from 54 to 150 acres.

http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2010/11/18/jwbridge_t300.jpg
Photo by Jim Weber
Shelby Farms - October 10, 2010: Construction continues on a 200-foot-long pedestrian and cycling bridge that spans the Wolf River connecting trail systems in Shelby Farms to the Wolf River Greenway.

http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2010/11/18/jwoverall_t607.jpg
Photo by Jim Weber
Shelby Farms - October 10, 2010: The sun sets over Beaver Lake and Patriot Lake, a pair of Shelby Farms' larger lakes. Shelby farms has over 20 bodies of water, but years of under-funding at the park has led to a degrading of the system of sloughs that connected many of the lakes. The smaller ponds have suffered from lower water levels as a result.

Complete 56 photo gallery: http://www.commercialappeal.com/photos/galleries/2010/nov/28/shelby-farms/

Court Square annex attains Memphis' first gold-level LEED certification
The Commercial Appeal

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/dec/07/greenest/

http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2010/12/06/7c1a_t607.jpeg
Roman Greene/Looney Ricks Kiss
The CA2 building used the foundation walls of the old Court Annex and the 124-year-old Lowenstein Building as a fourth wall as part of its design that achieved the city's first gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

I just saw the plans for the pyramid! When is it and the pinch district suppos to be done? My dads family lives there and I go up several times a year so that'll be something fun to do.

I just saw the plans for the pyramid! When is it and the pinch district suppos to be done? My dads family lives there and I go up several times a year so that'll be something fun to do.

When the original timeline was to "break ground" by the end of this year, the opening date was late 2011. Obviously, that's not going to happen, but Bass Pro has a reputation of near-explosive construction when they start on their end. I believe Mayor AC Wharton was quoted as saying mid-late 2012.

The plan of the project is very good and the pictures are great. Nice shot man.

-------------
Auto Traffic Hijack (http://www.squidoo.com/auto-traffic-hijack-reviews)

Pushing Up and Ahead
Downtown looks to carry momentum into new year
Memphis Daily News

"Fresh off a year capped by major office deals and new leadership atop the development agency that oversees it, it’s already clear the story of Downtown Memphis in 2011 will be dominated by forward momentum."

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=55591

(Photo: Lance Murphey)
http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/10842.jpg
Downtown Memphis has seen its share of big news, highlighted by Pinnacle Airlines Corp.’s deal to move its headquarters to One Commerce Square, far left.

If you build it, will retail follow?
Developers weigh in on plans for Fairgrounds
Memphis Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2011/01/28/if-you-build-it-will-retail-follow.html

COURTESY O.T. MARSHALL ARCHITECTS P.C.
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/webFairgroundsLookingSoutheast.jpg?v=1
Artist’s rendering of proposed Fairgrounds redevelopment, looking southeast toward the Liberty Bowl from Central Avenue

you certainly can feel the change in the community---business and otherwise---w/ all of the projects reported to the public. there are even bigger things to come, and i look forward to seeing them come to fruition. recently, i read the marcus and millichap report on investment real estate, and i was glad to see that memphis was holding pretty well, out of the 44 markets followed. new york city, d.c., and boston were at the top of the list---no real surprise---but jacksonville, las vegas, detroit, and some others were at the bottom or stagnant. i was really surprised regarding atlanta; however, atlanta may be slipping in more overall markets, as they have been fortunate to have so many years at the top. even the best fall prey to the "peter principle."

one thing i fail to understand is the fact that the horizon tower is allowed to sit in its current condition. this seems to be a really smart business move on an investor's part, or ridiculously irresponsible. the big thing, by most market accounts, gives the ball to investments into the renter's sector of the market. traditionally, i realize memphis has played a fairly tight game w/ market availability in condos and rentals; however, it would be nice to see the horizon finished, as it is so close to being ready for occupancy. too, it is shameful to see the work that has been completed to be completely ruined by the elements. it makes no sense.

i know some disagree about highrises and skyscrapers, but a city in this country is judged, in part, greatly by its skyline, old or new, single or multiple. as some urban-minded folk have stated, prospective businesses, corporate heads and representatives, scouts, etc., look at the core downtown, and they see vibrancy or they don't. it doesn't necessarily have to be a sky full of cranes, but it doesn't hurt to see a few. certainly, when you drive around in many of the east business corridors and submarkets, one can't help but visualize how nice it would have been for several of those huge business and corporate parks to have chosen downtown as their home. off hand, as i drove around recently, i counted no less than 57 beautiful buildings that i thought would have looked so wonderful in the downtown core. even if those buildings were not in their current locations, memphis would still have a significant amount of office buildings available.

i continue to work on a project that would help me place certain buildings in downtown memphis, by use of computer graphics, of course. i have made significant progress, but i still have some kinks to remove. i know there are large investment companies which could make short work of revamping the sterrick building, while seeing a good return on their investments, and returning a beautiful piece of history to active status in memphis. too, it would seem to be the time to add some ht and drama to a vibrant city's skyline. the money is there, we just have to convince those who have it to let the city borrow it for a while. someone recently told me that they had never been to memphis prior to christmas of this past year. they thought memphis was made up mainly of a few pictures of downtown. when i looked at them, i realized that he had never seen the entire downtown. this is a common story throughout the country. so many visitors visit memphis and never see east memphis, midtown, or downtown and vice versa. nevertheless, it seems some of these companies that buy speculative properties would see the potential of the horizon and the sterrick building, not for just the immediate future, but for those who will definitely begin to seek shelter in the city in the near future. btw, i read an article on the repurposing of the sears cross town building.

one thing i fail to understand is the fact that the horizon tower is allowed to sit in its current condition. this seems to be a really smart business move on an investor's part, or ridiculously irresponsible.

I've posted some pics that show exterior work has resumed on the Horizon Tower @ South End/South Bluffs.

Photo by Jim Weber
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/01/31/1a1landing_t607.jpeg
Contractors with Webb Building Corp. work on a helical ramp, part of the Beale Street Landing project, as progress continues Monday on the riverfront development. The basic components of the landing -- including a floating boat dock with the helical ramp and a grass-covered building for ticketing, retail and restaurant operations -- should be finished late this year. Walkways and parking lots are planned to be completed in time to reopen that section of the park for Memphis in May. Planning and construction on the $35 million Beale Street Landing facility has been under way since 2002 but still faces funding issues, including a signature terraced park that remains unfunded.

DeSoto County booming, census shows; Southaven now 3rd-largest Mississippi city
The Commercial Appeal

"As expected, DeSoto County posted dramatic growth over the last decade, according to initial 2010 Census figures released Thursday: A surge of more than 54,000 people, from 107,199 to 161,252, reflecting a 50 percent rise in population."

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/feb/04/desoto-booming-census-shows/

2010 Brought $531 Million in Downtown Investment
Memphis Daily News

"Those completed private sector projects include the expansion of Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center ($327 million); the completion of Court Square Center ($49 million); the Courtyard Marriott Downtown ($21.1 million); and the Barboro Flats mixed-use commercial and apartment development ($18.2 million). There’s currently $2.4 billion in public and private investment in Downtown projects under way or that have recently been completed."

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=56107

Racquet Club improvements welcome city’s annual tennis tournaments
Memphis Daily News

The Racquet Club of Memphis is in full swing this week as it hosts the 2011 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships & Cellular South Cup through Feb. 20. Big improvements to The Racquet Club, like new video boards for the fans and new locker rooms for players and trainers, are helping to elevate the tournament experience for everyone. Tournament officials expect close to 60,000 fans this year. The Regions Morgan Keegan Championships is one of just 11 “500-level” ATP events worldwide, making it the fifth-most significant men’s tennis tournament in the United States. The tournaments will be broadcast in 33 countries around the world thanks to a TV deal with the Tennis Channel. The ATP also plans to film a “Memphis Uncovered” project during the tournaments for the Tennis Channel, looking at highlights of the city.

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=56239

(File Photo/Lance Murphey)
http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/10955.jpg?id=10955&maxWidth=250
Andy Roddick returns to James Blake during their 2010 match at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championship tennis tournament at The Racquet Club of Memphis.

Towering vision: Project would remake Sears Crosstown into Memphis arts village
The Commercial Appeal

"A coalition in art and real estate has quietly been laying the groundwork for more than a year to turn the Sears Crosstown building into an arts-centric urban village. The still-fluid plan is to establish an artists' residency program, studios, exhibition and performance space in parts of the 1.4 million-square-foot building at Watkins and North Parkway. The rough estimate to renovate is $200 million."

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/feb/13/towering-vision/

Photo by Alan Spearman
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/02/12/13sears2_t300.jpeg
Planners hope to fill the Midtown landmark, built in 1927, with offices, stores, schools, apartments, condos, hotels and nonprofit organizations.

Photo by Alan Spearman
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/02/12/13sears4_t607.jpeg
Crosstown Arts, a nonprofit group led by Christopher Miner (left), Doug Carpenter and Dr. Todd Richardson, is working with the owners of the Sears building to revitalize the structure as well as the surrounding neighborhood.

Mitsubishi's plant in Memphis will employ 275, make electric transformers
The Commercial Appeal

The site will make extra-high voltage shell type power transformers and will be Mitsubishi’s national headquarters for the production of heavy electrical equipment.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/feb/14/mitsubishis-plant-memphis-will-employ-275-make-ele/

Photo by Jim Weber
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/02/14/mitsubishi_t607.jpg
February 14, 2011 - Tennessee Gov. Bil Haslam and his wife Crissy listen as Memphis Mayor A C Wharton talks during an event at The Peabody Monday morning to announce that Mitsubishi Electric is planning to build a generator plant in Memphis. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

On a Roll
Memphis scores big project in $200M Mitsubishi plant (& Divisional North American HQ)
Memphis Daily News

“I think what you’re seeing today is a precursor of a lot more to come,” said Haslam, who added he’d been anticipating the Mitsubishi announcement for several weeks.

Heery said Memphis “made our short list” because of its workforce and solid transportation infrastructure. “Memphis has it all,” Heery said.

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=56291

(Photos: Lance Murphey)
http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/10974.jpg
Brian Heery, president of Mitsubishi Power Products, announces a $200 million plant to manufacture electric transformers that Mitsubishi Electric plans to build in Memphis.

http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/10976.jpg?id=10976&maxWidth=490
Memphis Mayor AC Wharton and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell speak about a $200 million Mitsubishi Electric plant that will be built in Memphis.

johnny, i wish you would place a copy of your latest picture of a portion of downtown memphis on wiki memphis. even though it doesn't include the north or south buildings, it really is a nice picture, and gives a fresh perspective of the downtown..

Here's a good rendering of the Mitsubishi divisional North American HQ & conjoined manufacturing facility.

Industrial market expects boost
Mitsubishi, Electrolux to lure wave of suppliers
Memphis Business

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2011/02/18/industrial-market-expects-boost.html

COURTESY MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC POWER PRODUCTS INC.
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/webMitsubishiElecRENDER.jpg?v=1
Artist’s rendering of proposed Mitsubishi Electric plant in Rivergate Industrial Park

ECOtality, EV Project will ‘electrify’ Memphis streets
Memphis Biz Journal


Memphis’ original exclusion from a federally funded electric vehicle program has been reversed. ECOtality Inc. has confirmed Memphis’ involvement in The EV Project, the largest rollout of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in the U.S. The San Francisco-based company held a meeting Tuesday at The Peabody to announce the city’s participation.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/02/22/ecotality-ev-project-will-electrify.html

'Game-changer': Ahead-of-schedule Tenn. 385 could reshape local transportation, development
The Commercial Appeal

Known in various sections as Paul Barret Parkway and Bill Morris Parkway, Highway 385 forms an approximately 50-mile-long horseshoe arcing from U.S. 51 in Millington eastward to Arlington, southward to Collierville and then back westward to Interstate 240 in southeast Memphis.

The portion from Millington to Collierville eventually will be part of the larger Interstate 269 loop around metropolitan Memphis. TDOT has begun acquiring right-of-way property for a three-mile stretch of I-269 extending from Collierville to the Mississippi line. Construction of the $40 million-plus project could begin next year.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/feb/21/game-changer/

Photo by Dave Darnell
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/02/20/21highway1_t607.jpeghttp://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/02/20/20_Tenn385map_t300.jpeg
This bridge, being built by Hill Brothers Construction, will help connect the previously finished segments of the outer loop of Tenn. 385. Work began in November 2009 and could be complete as early as late 2012.

Yes, locals & residents of other regional cities have started to notice Memphis is now getting considerably more concerts. Especially with the arrival of Minglewood Plaza (Minglewood Hall & the 1884 Lounge) which is quickly becoming a powerhouse for national touring acts with a high-end reputation to match.

'On Fire'
Memphis concert scene heats up amid national slump
Memphis Daily News

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=56623

Photo: Lance Murphey
http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/11030.jpg?id=11030&maxWidth=490
Fans pack Minglewood Hall to hear Bassnectar last week. Bassnectar is DJ and remix artist Lorin Ashton.

Loeb's Overton Square plans revealed
Memphis Biz Journal

Loeb Properties Inc. unveiled its conceptual master plan for Overton Square at Memphis Heritage’s office Tuesday night, showing a site with a national retail grocer, a parking structure and plenty of New Urbanism ideas.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/03/01/loebs-overton-square-plans-revealed.html

COURTESY LRK INC.
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/WebNewsCarOvertonSquareLoebRENDER.jpg?v=1
Artist's rendering of Overton Square's main corner at Madison and Cooper.

ALAN HOWELL | MBJ
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/WebNewsCarOvertonSquareSign.jpg?v=1
Loeb Properties' plans to transform Overton Square include a parking structure and a national retail grocer.

Okay, the seismic retrofit of the Pyramid is projected to be much lower than expected, but no official bids have been made. Bass Pro has said they're still in if the city is able to provide the upgrades. If it proves too costly, the alternative plan to demolish/salvage and have Bass Pro build could move forward.

Council Considers Fairgrounds Bridge Loan - Partial Pyramid Seismic Study
Memphis Daily News

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=57070

Also, more proposals by HUD for the former Mid-South Fairgrounds including more upgrades for Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Upgrades would include 2 jumbotrons, rebuilding skyboxes, cosmetic upgrades & new lighting system. With recent upgrades to the stadium & the development of Tiger Lane, the Liberty Bowl is already sitting pretty these days.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5017/5531953193_2159906337.jpg

A Bridge to Cross
Harahan at center of ambitious pedestrian, cycling plan
Memphis Daily News

Memphis commodities broker Charles McVean is lending important connections to the effort and is as relentless in his pursuit as the trains that cross the bridge daily. McVean’s goal is to have people walking and bicycling across the Harahan in 18 months at a cost he estimates at “several million dollars.” “This is big,” he said. “We’re going to go across that bridge.”

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=57355

Photos: Lance Murphey
http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/11173.jpg?id=11173&maxWidth=490
Memphis and Arkansas officials have secured the cooperation of Union Pacific Corp. to build a bicycle and pedestrian boardwalk along the 95-year-old Harahan Bridge. Officials estimate the plan will cost several million dollars.

Discover Park on the Move
Discovery Center Design Unveiled and Some Exhibit Plans Outlined

Discovery Park of America will be a $100 million dollar educational venue that will enable visitors to understand and celebrate the culture, spirit and accomplishments of the human race in nature, science, art and history. The state of Tennessee is considering the construction of a Welcome/Tourism Center on the property when I-69 is built adjacent to the west side of the property.

http://www.discoveryparkofamerica.com/project.html

Checkout these other images http://www.discoveryparkofamerica.com/images.html

Improved stadium, finances bode well for Redbirds’ 2011 season
The Memphis Daily News

Opening Day is right around the corner for the Memphis Redbirds, who will open the 2011 campaign with improvements to both its ballpark and its financial outlook. The Redbirds, the minor league Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, on Thursday begin their 14th season in Memphis and 12th at AutoZone Park following the move from Tim McCarver Stadium in 2000.

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=57517

(Photos: Lance Murphey)
http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/11208.jpg?id=11208&maxWidth=490
As the Memphis Redbirds prepare for their 12th season at AutoZone Park, the organization is hoping that improvements to both the stadium and the team's financial picture will bolster the franchise's overall outlook.

http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/11209.jpg?id=11209&maxWidth=490
Alfredo Sanchez works on a new right field picnic terrace section at AutoZone Park. The area is one of several changes under way at the park before the opening of the Memphis Redbirds 2011 season. The franchise is hopeful that improvements to the ballpark and the bottom line get the team on more solid footing. (Photos: Lance Murphey

http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/11210.jpg?id=11210
The 2011 Memphis Redbirds season will kick off with a home game Thursday against Oklahoma City. AutoZone Park has undergone several improvements including a new right field picnic terrace area, new outfield pads, new sound system and credit card machines around the park. (Photos: Lance Murphey

Gaining Altitude
City to showcase airport, other transportation assets to world
Memphis Daily News

The April 11-13 gathering in Memphis includes a “state of the aerotropolis concept” address by John D. Kasarda, who coined the phrase, and a master class by Kasarda. It will also feature a joint discussion by FedEx Corp. founder Fred Smith and Delta Air Lines Inc. CEO Richard Anderson. The week after the conference, April 18, airport officials will formally open the new Federal Aviation Administration air control center and tower. At 336 feet tall, it will be the third tallest tower in the Southeast.

http://memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=57466

(Photo: Lance Murphey)
http://memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/11203.jpg
A construction crew works on the new Ground Transportation Center at Memphis International Airport. The center will be a seven-level consolidated parking and rental car facility.

http://www.memphisairport.org/notes/images/pho_2008_april_parking2_lg.jpg

^^ nice. I live 1 hour away from Memphis :)

if hau, twee, or tien, just saying hello, and i wish the best for all of you, especially tien.

Study looks at options for third bridge over the Mississippi River.
Memphis Flyer

The plans — jointly developed by TDOT, the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the Memphis and West Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and the Federal Highway Administration — offer seven two-mile-wide corridors where a new earthquake-proof bridge and connecting highway could be built.

http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/location-location/Content?oid=2697539

http://www.memphisflyer.com/imager/location-location/b/original/2697683/42e4/flyoby_p11_thirdbridge.jpg

Under-construction, Opening Summer 2011

MATA South Intermodal Terminal

http://www.matatransit.com/innerContent.aspx?id=1104

The South Intermodal Terminal will be a major focal point for local transit services in the Whitehaven area and improve MATA's ability to make efficient connections to intercity bus services. A future use would be a station on the Downtown-Airport light rail line. MATA will own and operate the terminal. Greyhound Lines Inc. will be the major tenant.

The terminal will be constructed on about nine acres of property on the northwest corner of the intersection of Airways Blvd. and Brooks Road. The site has been cleared to make way for a new, state of the art terminal. To demonstrate its commitment to environmentally responsible “green building”, MATA is pursuing LEED certification for the project.

The following functions will be accommodated:

A. Bus Transit Center.
B. Greyhound Terminal
C. Taxi Stand
D. Parking
E. Police Substation
F. Future Light Rail Passenger Station

http://www.matatransit.com/uploadedImages/Projects_and_Plans/sit.bmp

A Cool, Green Playground at Shelby Farms
The Memphis Flyer

Woodland Discovery Playground consists of five separate play areas or "nests" connected by a serpentine path under an arbor that will eventually be covered with native vines. Designed by landscape architect and urban designer James Corner and his firm james corner field operations, the playground features slides, swings, climbing ropes, and other equipment on a soft surface of recycled Nike sneakers. It is supposed to put more fun and some "risk" back into playgrounds while keeping them safe.

http://www.memphisflyer.com/CityBeatBlog/archives/2011/04/07/a-cool-green-playground-at-shelby-farms

http://www.memphisflyer.com/images/blogimages/2011/04/07/1302212933-playgrounds1_0.jpg

Sportsman Casino going up with $100M price tag
Memphis Business Journal

With a contractor in place, an increased budget and new funding, the $100 million Sportsman Casino development in Tunica is finally expected to launch construction this year.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2011/04/08/sportsman-casino-going-up.html

COURTESY ASKEW NIXON FERGUSON ARCHITECTS
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/webSportsmanCasinoRENDER.jpg?v=1
Artist’s rendering of Sportsman Casino, which will be on the site of former Isle of Capri casino

isn't the 51 and frayser preparation the one that is already laid down for the preparation of a third bridge? to me, seems to be too many options for residents. considering the history and length of such projects and their completion dates, hopefully most of us will have enough of our minds left to realize that we are being pushed across one of the bike lanes in our wheel-chairs or hospital beds--- no doubt, a little rascal for those who have a little more money. i hope it goes in north memphis. it is good to see north and north
east shelby county begin to finish up the use of the approximate 3% of land left in that area. it is good to see memphis leading in so many areas from insdustry, manufacturing, aviation, in national leadership, the arts and humanities, various music genre, television, broadway, food, as well as other forms of entertainment. we are fortunate to have such a great city in this state.

even though the photo of a section of downtown facing west in missing several prominent buildings, i think this is really a great photo of memphis. it really showcases lebonheur well, as it does several other buildings. the new retail retail or clinics will be in part of the new legends neighborhood, will it not. really pretty color, especially of the sky. again, wonderful job.

The boyhood home of Johnny Cash, just outside of Memphis in Dyess, AR will be restored along with a New Deal administration building into a Johnny Cash museum.

Arkansas State University, community partners to inaugurate Johnny Cash Music Festival August 4 at Convocation Center
ASU Communication

The Cash family is working with Arkansas State University to develop an annual Johnny Cash Music Festival, with proceeds each year going to restoration of the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home and the establishment of a museum. The university recently acquired the original Cash homeplace in Dyess and plans to restore the structure. The university also plans the establishment of the Johnny Cash Boyhood Museum in the New Deal Era Administration Building at Dyess.

http://www.astate.edu/a/asunews/article-details.dot?id=7d2af2e7-be38-46d0-958d-8884c8ffa4fa

“When we finally got to Dyess, the truck couldn’t get up the dirt road to our house, so Daddy had to carry me on his back the last hundred yards through the thick black Arkansas mud—gumbo, we called it. And that’s where I was when I saw the Promised Land: a brand new house with two big bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a front porch and a back porch, an outside toilet, a barn, a chicken house, and a smokehouse. To me, luxuries untold. There was no running water, of course, and no electricity; none of us even dreamed of miracles like that.”
--Johnny Cash, Cash: The Autobiography, with Patrick Carr, 1997

Very cool roundup from archdaily.com

Architecture City Guide: Memphis

This week our Architecture City Guide is heading to Memphis. Called the Bluff City, Memphis is the birthplace of Rock-n-Roll, Elvis, and the Blues. Along with the lively music scene, Memphis offers an architectural landscape that tells its history and speaks to its future. With the help of a Memphis local, Sophorn McRae, we selected twelve contemporary buildings that should not be missed when you visit the Bluff City. Limited to twelve, we could hardly include all the locals’ favorites.

http://www.archdaily.com/127363/architecture-city-guide-memphis/

Photographs: Timothy Hursley, Jeffrey Jacobs Photography, Sophorn McRae, Mark J. Istvanko, Courtesy of Flickr CC License Sean Davis, Courtesy of TRO Jung|Brannen, Courtesy of archimania

•Fedex Forum / Looney Ricks Kiss and Ellerbe Beckett
http://www.archdaily.com/127363/architecture-city-guide-memphis/fedexforum-1/

•Christ Community Broad Street / archimania
http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1303302612-arman-christ-com-twilight--799x1000.jpg

•MIFA / Williamson Pounders Architects
http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1303303128-mifa-ext-dusk-1000x692.jpg

•Memphis College of Art Metz Hall and Fogelman Hall / Askew Nixon Ferguson
http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1303303107-metz-hall-twilight-1000x739.jpg

•Sutherland Cardiology / archimania
http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1303302610-archimania-sutherland-ext-3-1000x684.jpg

•Memphis College of Art Rust Hall / Roy Harrover and William Mann
http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1303302895-01-mca-rust-hall-1-1000x664.jpg

•Park It Here / archimania
http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1303302606-archimania-park-it-here-exterior-twilight-1000x682.jpg

•C & I Bank Building / Francis Gassner (original) Visible College / archimania (renovation)
http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1303302750-visible-school-664x1000.jpg

•AutoZone Park / Looney Ricks Kiss
http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1303303929-autozone-park-1-775x1000.jpg

•WKNO Digital Media Center / TRO Jung|Brannen
http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1302697569-w052-014-ext-p-1000x684.jpg

•Siskind Susser Bland Immigration Law Office / Blackledge Architecture (renovation)
http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1303303148-siskind-susser-bland-immigration-law-officee-1000x660.jpg

•Cannon Center for Performing Arts / Williamson Pounders Architects and LMN
http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/1303303103-cannon-center-twilight-ext-1000x703.jpg

is the nashville college ofart s linked in any way to the memphis college or program?

God bless the families of those who have perished in this past month's horrific weather across the southeast.

Flag returns to its 440-foot perch in East Memphis
The Commercial Appeal

The crowning symbol in East Memphis returned to its 440-foot perch above the Poplar Corridor Thursday morning. A three-man crew strained with the rigging to re-raise the large U.S. flag that has been a fixture for 40 years atop Clark Tower. On a clear day Gold Strike Casino is visible 46 miles away in Tunica.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/28/flag-returns-its-440-foot-perch-east-memphis/

Photo by Jim Weber
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/04/28/clarkflag_t300.jpg
Jason Daniels, left, Jackie Johnson and Shane Moore hoist a huge 20x30 foot flag over Clark Tower Thursday morning replacing the old glory that was torn down in a windstorm that blew through Memphis in early April.

jr, has the new control terminal at memphis inter been officially opened? when i saw your note concerning seeing it in the distance in the pictures you had taken, i happened to be at some location on wolf river bvld or walnut grove rd, and i think i got a glimpse of it. surprised at that ht you really can't see more of it. it would be nice to be lit nightly. one thing for sure, it makes the 150+ ft terminal look a bit puny. lol, before this, i was actually under the impression one would be able to see the 32-story goldstrike and the 27-story casino. i bet, along about now, some of these companies has wished they has built 30 to 40 approach levels, and then building a docking system under them. oh well.

one other comment about the post concerning the modernist buildings that were selected by the archi group. there were two that i just didn't see any real redeeming or interesting value in them, as works of good architect, however, even though i am a lover of post world war buildings---old victorians,
art deco, regency (my favorite), georgian, and others, i'll have to say that i really do like the abstract church and what i consider to be the annunciation of gabriel, which may not be at all what the builder intended. i also really liked the building that seemed to feature the diffusion of light---it may be a care show room. nevertheless, i thought it was surprisingly good and informative. thanks jr. btw, you may not keep up w/ the construction of 1st church, methodist, downtown, but any news on the finishing date. i sure hated to see that burn, especially that huge spire, but i like the french/normandy design, which rests so far above the street. if my designs are incorrect, feel free to correct. i forgot who is doing the work---may be carter hord or the shipp firm, if they are still doing that kind of work. i hated what they did to calvary. i always, for the most part, given most episcopalians credit for having better taste.

it would be nice to see first baptist, poplar, and 2nd presbyterian on highland set on the corner of danny thomas and poplar, and 2nd presbyterian across from trinity lutheran. i think it would be wonderful to be a certified city planning officer. i'm sure i could show as much skill as shown by those who have worked their magic, in avarious parts of the city.

jr, has the new control terminal at memphis inter been officially opened?

No, it has been delayed. Not sure of a date.

RDC's $6M cobblestone project clears state hurdles, awaits local approvals
Memphis Biz Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/04/28/landmarks-commission-approves-rdcs.html

COURTESY RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT CORP.
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/WebNewsCaroSitePlan.jpg?v=1
RDC's cobblestone project site plan. The $6 million project includes two river lookouts on Court Avenue and Union Avenue.

Norfolk Southern's $105M intermodal yard outside Memphis officially under construction
Memphis Biz Journal

The overall project, which will take 10 to 12 years to develop, is privately financed. More than 1,600 acres of the project is set aside for industrial development. Adair’s development team is doing the dirt work for the intermodal facility, which will be sunk 28 feet below grade to reduce noise and light pollution.

The intermodal facility is also the first step in the larger Piperton Hills development. The Adair family, operating as Piperton Hills Development LLC and WC Adair Development LLC, are planning the mixed-use project on a 3,100-acre site which spans parts of Fayette County in Tennessee and Marshall County in Mississippi.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/04/29/norfolk-southern-begins-work-on-105m.html

ANDY ASHBY | MBJ
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/WebNewsCaroNorfolksouthernhaslam.jpg?v=1
Norfolk Southern's intermodal yard fits into Gov. Bill Haslam's economic development strategy.

Baptist Memorial plans $65M comprehensive cancer center for Memphis
The Commercial Appeal

The facility is now designed to include 115,000 square feet on two floors and 20,000 square feet of medical office space. It is all slated to be built at 1238 S. Germantown and 1280 S. Germantown, on the site of a former Walmart store.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/may/09/baptist-memorial-plans-65m-comprehensive-cancer-ce/

http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/05/09/10c4a_t607.jpeg
An artist's rendering depicts Baptist Memorial Health Care's $65 million comprehensive cancer center proposed near the corner of Germantown Parkway and Wolf River Boulevard.

This $600 million project, the single largest of its' kind ever in the State Of Mississippi, is to be completed in 2014.

Groundbreaking For Interstate 269 In North MIssissippi
wreg.com

Mike Tagert is the Northern District Mississippi Transportation Commissioner. Tagert said, "The I-269 groundbreaking is a monumental occasion. It's going to lead to tremendous opportunities, not only for safe transit, but also being able to attract new prospects in our state." Interstate 269, as it will be called, will eventually form a 30 mile eastern bypass around Memphis through Tennessee and Mississippi. The loop will relieve congestion on the I-69/I-55 Corridor and connect Interstate 40 and Interstate 55 through north Mississippi.

http://www.wreg.com/wreg-interstate-269-north-mississippi-story,0,4616770.story

http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-06/62711376-23134127.jpg

I think this must be the 3rd different rendering I've posted for this project, but it's certainly my favorite.

Southwest clears final hurdle to build nursing, bioscience center
Memphis Business Journal

After numerous delays, the planned 61,000-square-foot Nursing, Natural Sciences and Biotechnology Building at Southwest Tennessee Community College Downtown campus has a construction timetable and is moving forward.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2011/06/24/southwest-clears-final-hurdle-to-build.html

COURTESY FLEMING/ASSOCIATES/ARCHITECTS P.C.
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/webSWTCCNursingBuildingRENDER.jpg?v=1
Artist’s rendering of proposed Nursing, Natural Science and Biotechnology building at Southwest Tennessee Community College’s Downtown campus.

Memphis-based St. Jude Children's Research Hospital plans $190M medical tower
The Commercial Appeal

The new tower will include replacement facilities for its surgical department and intensive care unit, according to the notice. It will also house a new proton beam therapy center for inpatient and outpatient pediatric cancer treatment. The Chili’s Care Center is now the newest building on the St. Jude campus. Completed in November 2007 at a cost of $134 million, the Chili’s Care Center was the fifth building dedicated on the campus since 1999, when officials announced plans to invest about $1 billion in buildings.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/may/10/memphis-based-st-jude-childrens-research-hospital/

http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/05/10/b11stjude_t607.jpeg
St. Jude's new tower (top left) would mirror and attach to the seven-story Chili's Care Center that opened in 2007.

Another great music-themed tourist destination for the Memphis area after the recently announced plans for the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home & Museum in Dyess, AR.

Downtown to get Blues Hall of Fame
Blues Foundation’s space to include interactive exhibits
Memphis Business Journal

A Blues Hall of Fame will be the featured attraction in the Blues Foundation’s new home at 421 S. Main St. The 12,000-square-foot building will be known as the World Headquarters of the Blues Foundation and Blues Hall of Fame. It will have about 5,000 square feet of the space on the ground floor earmarked for the Blues Hall of Fame.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2011/07/01/downtown-to-get-blues-hall-of-fame.html

http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/webBluesFoundationSign.jpg?v=1MBJ | FILE PHOTO

Memphis Kroc Center's construction is back on track
The Commercial Appeal

Construction has resumed full bore on the Salvation Army's Kroc Center now that a solution to an engineering mistake has been established. Still, the setback means a year's delay for completion of the $30 million complex. The opening that was to have occurred next month is now scheduled for October 2012, said Maj. Mark Woodcock, the Salvation Army's area commander. The 100,000-square-foot complex will front East Parkway on 15 acres at the Mid-South Fairgrounds. Its recreational, educational, social and spiritual aspirations are so high that calling the Kroc Center a "community center" falls short, Woodcock said.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/29/kroc-back-on-track/

Photo by Jim Weber
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/07/28/b29kroc2_t607.jpeg

All Kinds of great stuff in the works for downtown's One Commerce Square including LEED certification & restaurant. This article addresses some developments with the annex historic building & parking garage.

Board to review LRK’s design tweaks for One Commerce Square, parking garage
Memphis Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/07/28/board-to-review-lrks-design-tweaks.html

COURTESY LRK
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/WebNewsCarOneCommerceSqMonroeEntryRENDER.jpg?v=1 http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/WebNewsCarOneCommerceSqSouthEntryRENDER.jpg?v=1

The next piece of the half-billion dollar UT-Baptist Research Park is moving forward.

Research and development laboratory nears construction at Park
Memphis Business Journal

Design plans have been finalized for the $21 million Memphis Specialized Operations Lab to be built in the UT-Baptist Research Park. Self Tucker Architects designed the 25,000-square-foot facility that will be used for research and development for biotechnology companies trying to get products approved by the FDA.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2011/07/29/research-and-development-laboratory.html

COURTESY SELF TUCKER ARCHITECTS
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/webVivariumRENDER.jpg?v=1
Artist’s rendering of the $21 million Memphis Specialized Operations Lab, which will connect with four towers to be constructed at the UT-Baptist Research Park.

Cheers! :cheers:

Brewing resumes at the former Schlitz-Stroh-Coors brewery in Memphis
The Commercial Appeal

Large amounts of beer are brewing again for the first time in years in the huge plant at 5151 E. Raines. Less than three months after sealing its purchase of the old Coors plant in Hickory Hill, City Brewing -- doing business here as Blues City Brewery -- began making "neutral malt base brews" last week, president George Parke confirmed Friday. The company doesn't have its own brand of beer; instead, it does contract-packaging for national and international beverage companies. City Brewing is the fourth largest brewer in the U.S. Its breweries in Wisconsin and Latrobe, Pa., have capacity to brew a total of 6 million barrels. The Memphis plant will increase the capacity to more than 10 million barrels, or 135 million cases.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/29/brewing-resumes-former-schlitz-stroh-coors-brewery/

Truly the end of an era & 40 years in the making. It's funny looking back on this now. As it turns out, when this is completed, Memphis will go from being 40 years behind to 40 years ahead of cities who built interstates right through their cities like a stake in the heart. They destroyed historic fabric & character in exchange for crack-cocaine development and so-called "urban renewal". I don't even want to imagine what beautiful Midtown would look like if our proud, foresighted citizens hadn't stop those dozers and rose up in great numbers against the government. For all those who did, please stand and take a bow. Your "good fight" has paid off!

State moving on second phase of Interstate 40-240 interchange revamp in East Memphis
The Commercial Appeal

When the work is finished, the interchange will be the first in West Tennessee to have four levels. It will feature a flyover ramp connecting southbound and eastbound lanes of I-40 that will be built over another flyover completed in 2003 and will rise more than 70 feet above Sam Cooper Boulevard. The stub of the unfinished ramp from westbound I-40 onto the north loop of the interstate also will be completed.The project is estimated to cost about $32.4 million. Eventually, a third phase will improve the north-south lanes through the interchange.

The origins of the interchange-rebuild date to 1971, when the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the proposed construction of I-40 through Overton Park. That decision, which effectively rerouted I-40 from the heart of Memphis to the north loop of what was originally planned as I-240, rendered obsolete the interstate's I-240 interchanges in East Memphis and in Midtown. Instead of handling mostly local traffic, the interchanges, with their slow, winding ramps, also were burdened with all cars and trucks traveling through the city on I-40. The Midtown interchange was rebuilt in a $53 million project completed in 2006. In addition to being obsolete, the interchange in East Memphis is jammed with ever-increasing numbers of cars and trucks. In 2010, the section of I-240 just south of the interchange averaged more than 194,000 vehicles daily, while I-40 just to the north accommodated nearly 97,000. Traffic counts at the I-40 Wolf River bridge and Sam Cooper near Mendenhall were nearly 129,000 and more than 70,000, respectively.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/31/congestion-relief/

Photo by Jim Weber
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/07/30/SUNDAY_A1_APPCROP_31INTERCHANGE__t607.jpg

University of Memphis' Lambuth Campus is now a reality. Congratulations to the Greater Jackson, TN community on their first 4-year public university. A growing CSA of 160,000 definitely deserves this.

Busy first day as U of M opens Lambuth campus
Information sessions start today for potential students; 8,000 visit website
The Jackson Sun

The first day of campus operations began Monday for Jackson's first four-year public university. "It's been busy, but that's good," said Dan Lattimore, vice provost for extended programs and dean of university college. Lattimore is responsible for the U of M Lambuth campus. The school will use seven buildings on the campus for the fall semester, which begins on Aug. 27. The goal is to begin with 250 students and grow to 1,000 students in five years.

http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011108090309

KATIE BRAKE/The Jackson Sun
http://cmsimg.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DQ&Date=20110809&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=108090309&Ref=V2&MaxW=300&Border=0
People walk around the University of Memphis Lambuth campus on Monday afternoon during the first day of operations under the new lease agreement.

Ole Miss Athletics Leaders Announce Enormous Capital Campaign
abc24.com

OXFORD, Miss. (University of Mississippi) – A pivotal moment in the rise of the Ole Miss Rebels took place on Tuesday (Aug. 9) evening when the athletics department and UMAA Foundation announced the Forward Together capital campaign at a public ceremony in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium’s South Endzone. The Forward Together campaign seeks to raise $150 million in support of a comprehensive initiative aimed at new facility construction and existing facility enhancements for Ole Miss Athletics.

The groundbreaking campaign includes six main goals:

• Replace Tad Smith Colliseum with a modern, first-class basketball facility
• Provide for necessary renovations and improvements to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium concourse areas
• Upgrade football stadium existing premium seating areas to enhance functionality and comfort
• Expand the north endzone of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to accommodate the increasing demand for premium seating and improve the overall aesthetic look and feel of the stadium
• Create a Hall of Fame area to showcase Ole Miss Athletics history
• Provide for improvements to the Gillom Center

http://www.abc24.com/content/sports/story/Ole-Miss-Athletics-Leaders-Announce-Enormous/ajjSqx3dzUu0OBhACk6fnw.cspx

Aerial of proposed Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium upgrades & Proposed view of enclosed endzone
http://www.abc24.com/media/lib/10/0/2/7/02739965-3e3d-4e8b-9253-375f8f4c3a1d/Original.jpg http://www.abc24.com/media/lib/10/1/1/2/1122c228-fd3e-4e81-adf6-cdd763873f26/Original.jpg

Proposed Rebels basketball arena outside view & inside view
http://www.abc24.com/media/lib/10/b/7/a/b7a985f5-8fee-477a-b2b1-0bbdb7f6106d/Original.jpg http://www.abc24.com/media/lib/10/9/b/8/9b8975f2-861d-4e03-bdd5-df61dcf35e79/Original.jpg

2 articles about the incredible rebound of One Commerce Square. The place is now an explosion of renovation & upgrades. Also, a hotbed of major leasing activity such as Pinnacle Airlines, Great American Steamboat Company, Independent Bank & Electrolux.

Independent Bank to move into One Commerce Square, add logo to Memphis skyline
The Commercial Appeal

A local bank will soon post a big “i’’ in the sky over Downtown. Independent Bank is not not just opening a branch in the lobby of One Commerce Square, it’s putting its name and logo — a white lower case “i” in a red circle — atop the 30-floor tower. The bank will occupy 3,700 square feet on the north side in One Commerce Square’s lobby. It will also lease 3,000 square feet on the 23rd floor for its financial planning division, Independent Wealth Management.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/12/independent-bank-move-one-commerce-square-add-logo/

http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/08/12/commerce_t607.jpg

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$20M in Improvements On Tap for One Commerce
Memphis Daily News

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/aug/12/20m-in-improvements-on-tap-for-one-commerce/

Memphis Convention District goes BOOM!

Downtown Marriott to expand by up to 160 rooms in third tower, add convention space
Memphis Business Journal

Despite the glacial speed of the redevelopment of the Pyramid and the Pinch District, the Memphis Marriott Downtown is moving forward on plans to add another 150-160 rooms, giving the hotel a third tower along North Main Street. The project was publicly mentioned for the first time by Memphis Mayor A C Wharton during a breakfast meeting of the Memphis Area Association of Realtors in July. Its last expansion was a $14 million project that took the property from 400 rooms to 600 rooms and was completed in 2004.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2011/08/12/downtown-marriott-to-expand-160-rooms.html

http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/webMarriottDowntown.jpg?v=1
Memphis Marriott Downtown, located across the street from the Cook Convention Center, plans an expansion that will bring the hotel’s capacity to about 750 rooms.

Crews to begin transforming Pyramid into Bass Pro store Oct. 11, sources say
The Commercial Appeal

The city of Memphis and Bass Pro have reached a consensus on the above-ground and below-ground costs for stabilizing the vacant arena, a key hurdle in the nearly six years of negotiations about the Downtown site, the sources said. "The Pyramid and Pinch Historic District have received the most attention, but the city of Memphis redevelopment vision is much bolder," Lipscomb said in an interview earlier this year. "It is not about the addition of a retail magnet and a distinctive retail district, but more precisely, it is about building a thriving, active convention center district."

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/11/crews-begin-transforming-pyramid-bass-pro-store-oc/

More coverage...

Bass Pro, Pyramid Project Grows
Memphis Daily News

The adaptive reuse of The Pyramid by Bass Pro Shops got about $105 million larger in scope this week. The project now includes a $75 million city buyout of the county’s interest in the Memphis Cook Convention Center, $5 million more for what had been a $10 million city purchase of the Lone Star concrete facility by The Pyramid and a $25 million seismic retrofit of The Pyramid and the land bordering the Wolf River Harbor.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/aug/18/bass-pro-pyramid-project-grows/

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12055.jpg
The Bass Pro Shops conversion of The Pyramid has grown to become a broader revitalization of the area including the Memphis Cook Convention Center and other areas near The Pyramid. The Wharton administration plans to pursue the goals over a longer period of time.
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Lipscomb proposal pushes for Oct. 1 start on Pyramid project
Memphis Business Journal

Robert Lipscomb unveiled the city’s latest plan to redevelop the Pyramid into a Bass Pro Shops Inc. superstore, saying it could open by Aug. 1, 2013.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/08/16/lipscomb-proposal-pushes-for-oct-1.html

MBJ
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Memphis City Council OKs $215 million to finance Pyramid-Bass Pro deal, buy convention center
The Commercial Appeal

Beyond transforming the now-vacant Pyramid, both Bass Pro Shops and the city say they hope to create an active convention center district, focusing on the connections among The Pyramid, the Mississippi River, Memphis Cook Convention Center and the historic Pinch District.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/17/transformation/?partner=popular

The Pyramid's proposed new look
Memphis Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/08/23/slideshow-the-pyramids-proposed-new.html

COURTESY CITY OF MEMPHIS
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/WebSlidePyramidMAIN.jpg?v=1
Bass Pro is still on the hook for its Pyramid lease and is the cornerstone of the City of Memphis' broader revitalization plans for the area.

COURTESY CITY OF MEMPHIS
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Artist's rendering of the proposed Bass Pro Pyramid interior

COURTESY CITY OF MEMPHIS
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Artist's rendering of the revamped Pinch District, the neighborhood surrounding Downtown's Pyramid

COURTESY CITY OF MEMPHIS
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/WebSlidePyramid%20conventioncenter.jpg?v=1
Artist's rendering of improvements to Memphis Cook Convention Center

i thought i would share this bit of information, as i spoke directly w/ the individual, who could definitely say, as she works at st. jude in the department responsible for pr and communications. from time to time, i have seen statements on various boards made by people who are bashing memphis. several of the comments are just general statements which are unflattering, related to memphis' image by the individual making the comments, etc. however, on several occasions, there are those who declare that st. jude, fed ex, and other well known companies fail to put memphis on their advertising, because st. jude, particularly, doesn't want anyone to associate st. jude w/ memphis.

recently, i read this comment, and decided to find out by contacting someone that i knew at the hospital. i posed the statement, as it had been put on the forum. though i already knew the answer, i listened carefully to the answer, which, by the way had nothing to do w/ leaving memphis off of advertising out of shame, distancing, etc. according to the professional at st. jude, memphis is known worldwide as the home of st. jude. all major corporate and philanthropic donors know that memphis is home to st. jude. the second reason that memphis is not put on the advertisement headings, literature, etc., has to do w/ the cost and the use of space, which is ever increasingly higher and higher. st. jude does not want to waste or reset literature that has been approved for time-framed budget work. it has nothing to do w/ memphis, shame of st. jude's location, or the hospital complex. those who know and support st. jude realize that nearly 1 and a quarter billion dollars has been spent on expanding the campus in memphis during the last 8 years or so. the conversation concluded that the hospital will begin building a major tower expansion for treatment beds and advanced technology at the first of the year. this tower will be connected to the newest radiological tower which was in 2009.

very nice.

UTHSC Unveils New Pharmacy College
Memphis Daily News

UTHSC will unveil its state-of-the-art, 183,000-square-foot College of Pharmacy building Thursday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m. at a dedication ceremony that will include speeches by Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr., Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell and state Sen. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge. Students, faculty, alumni, donors and community leaders will have the opportunity to tour the new $70 million facility, the second building to be completed in the UT-Baptist Research Park.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/aug/25/uthsc-unveils-new-pharmacy-college/

http://www.uthsc.edu/pharmacy/news/images/UTCOP-Receives-4-5M-for-New-Building02.jpg http://www.uthsc.edu/pharmacy/news/images/UTCOP-Receives-4-5M-for-New-Building01.jpg http://www.uthsc.edu/pharmacy/news/images/UTCOP-Receives-4-5M-for-New-Building03.jpg

Here's a link to the live webcam: http://www.uthsc.edu/pharmacy/news/webcammemphis.php

City’s waterfront enjoying flurry of steamboat, building activity
Memphis Daily News

RDC president Benny Lendermon said the building and dock will be finished by the end of this year. That will allow the new boats to dock and start using the facility.

The newest of those vessels to be announced is the Queen of the Mississippi, a product of cruise company American Cruise Lines Inc. That boat will pass through the area as it travels the broader Mississippi, while Great American Steamboat Co. is planning to put its headquarters here and keep its massive steamboat The American Queen actually based in Memphis.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/aug/30/rollin-on-the-river/

(Photo: Lance Murphey)
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12116.jpg

Mirimichi, Justin Timberlake's eco-friendly golfcourse has received a nod in national media again as JT is honored for his efforts. Last I heard, there's an eight-figure, LEED-Gold clubhouse in the works. Mirimichi is fast becoming a world-class golfing facility.

Timberlake to be Honored for Environmental Efforts
Memphis Daily News

NEW YORK (AP) – Justin Timberlake has been lauded for his work in music, TV and film. Now he's about to get an accolade for trying to better the environment. The Environmental Media Association says Timberlake will receive its Futures Award, which represents future environmental leaders in entertainment. The group cited Timberlake's attempts to reduce his carbon footprint during his tours, his advocacy for environmental issues and his eco-friendly golf course outside of Memphis, Tenn.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/sep/29/timberlake-to-be-honored-for-environmental-efforts/
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From Mirimichi.com:

The Mirimichi Performance and Learning Center (new development)
http://www.mirimichi.com/images/callaway%20_render_380x153.jpg
This facility is one of only fifteen select locations in the country to feature a Callaway Performance Center. With 10,200 sq ft under the roof and a 920 sq ft screened patio, this beautiful building marries state of the art technology with environmentally friendly and energy efficient materials and design.

http://mirimichi.typepad.com/mirimichi/images/Hole_7_920x520.jpg

GreenTech moving forward with car production
Memphis Biz Journal

Nearly two years after it announced plans for a $1 billion automobile manufacturing plant in Tunica, GreenTech Automotive is moving forward on production of its electric cars while preparing to break ground on a scaled-down $75 million, 376,000-square-foot production facility. Alan Himelfarb, executive vice president of strategic planning for GreenTech, says the company will begin manufacturing in Horn Lake while the Tunica facility is being built.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2011/09/23/greentech-moving-forward-with-car.html

COURTESY GREENTECH AUTOMOTIVE
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Blues story to be told as hall of fame site set
The Commercial Appeal

Arrayed on walls and massive wood beams are classic posters promoting concerts and recordings by the likes of Bessie Smith and Slim Harpo; guitars signed by blues musicians and rock stars; even a whimsical plaster impression of Rufus Thomas' face.

The foundation has unveiled plans to crank up outreach to blues aficionados and casual visitors alike with exhibits, including a Blues Music Hall of Fame in the Hotline Records building at 515 S. Main.

A campaign is under way to raise money to transform the 12,000-square-foot, two-level (street and basement) condominium into exhibit halls, visitor center, gift shop and offices for the worldwide organization. A goal hasn't been set, but the board has discussed $3.5 million.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/24/blues-story-to-be-told-as-hall-of-fame-site-set/

Photo courtesy archimania
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/09/23/b24blues_t607.jpeg
Design firm archimania's rendering of the exterior of the proposed Blues Foundation's Blues Music Hall of Fame at 515 S. Main was unveiled. The foundation has launched a campaign to raise funds for the project.

imo, i think that it would make better since to put the comprehensive cancer center in the downtown medical center, or at the very least, in the humphrey's center, at the 240 loop. i think another place that would be excellent in the plaza buildings at the corner of poplar and highland. rehab many of those retail buildings. seems as if baptist could help begin stopping the sprawl in mempis and the metro by staying localized in the research park. just my thoughts.

Projects could reunite French Fort with rest of city
Memphis Daily News

Before there was South Bluffs, there was French Fort. Before the Hernando DeSoto Bridge was built and city zoning regulations placed more distance between commercial, industrial and residential areas, this neighborhood by the trio of older Mississippi River bridges south of Downtown survived in one of the most historic and isolated parts of the city. The irony is the three bridges were once the only western gateway into Memphis. The Memphis-Arkansas Interstate 55 Bridge is still a major truck corridor into Memphis with an average of 50,000 vehicles a day whizzing by the nearly forgotten neighborhood of French Fort, which is home to Indian mounds, a metal museum, a vacant hospital for river workers and a set of riverside businesses that service barges and riverboats.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/oct/3/back-into-the-fold/

Photos: Lance Murphey
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12321.jpg?id=12321
The Metal Museum sits next to the Indian Mounds at Chickasaw Heritage Park in the historic French Fort neighborhood. With an Interstate 55 and Crump Boulevard roundabout in the works, residents and developers are devising a redevelopment plan for a community that has been cut off from the rest of Downtown Memphis for decades.

Photos: Lance Murphey
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12322.jpg?id=12322
The Memphis-Arkansas (from left), Frisco and Harahan bridges span the Mississippi River and provide access into and out of town for vehicular and train traffic. This traffic nexus separates the historic French Fort neighborhood from the rest of Downtown Memphis, but a new roundabout will reconnect the area with other communities.

Photos: Lance Murphey
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12324.jpg?id=12324&maxWidth=490
Lauren Crews is managing partner of DeSoto Pointe Partners, which owns the former U.S. Marine Hospital at 360 Metal Museum Dr. in French Fort. Crews hopes to renovate the facility into condominiums or apartments.

Photos: Lance Murphey
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12325.jpg?id=12325
An abandoned motel sits along I-55 near Crump Boulevard at the edge of French Fort. Its future is up in the air because of pending redevelopment plans for the area but mostly because of the slumping economy.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12327.jpg?id=12327&maxWidth=250
A roundabout will replace the current cloverleaf where Interstate 55 intersects Crump Boulevard just south of Downtown Memphis. The new traffic pattern will improve access for the historic French Fort neighborhood.

Full size image: http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12328.pdf

The new 7-story Triad Centre III is near full occupancy & Triad Centre I & II get some upgrades.

Highwoods’ capital improvements cohere Triad Centre buildings
Memphis Daily News

Highwoods Properties Inc. is about two weeks away from completing more than $1 million in parking lot renovations and building improvements at the East Memphis office complex Triad Centre, bringing its three developments into a cohesive, campus-style environment. The three-month project was basically a parking lot renovation for both Triad Centre I (6000 Poplar Ave.) and Triad Centre II (6060 Poplar Ave.), while also enhancing the entrance and lobby for Triad II.

Triad I and II’s occupancy levels are both about 90 percent, Guinn said. And Triad III – which has inked recent leases like Southern Sun Asset Management, Evolve Bank and Trust and Courtview Capital Securities with several prospects lined up – is well on its way to approaching full occupancy as well.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/oct/5/three-in-one/

(Photo: Lance Murphey)
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Highwoods Properties is making interior and exterior changes to Triad Centre II including a new lobby floor, front entry, elevator cabs, reconfiguration of the parking lot and landscaping.

Pair of architecture firms rebrand to combat changing industry
Memphis Daily News

LRK is currently behind big deals like Loeb Properties Inc.’s Overton Square revitalization; the redevelopment of Cleaborn Homes, Choice Neighborhoods for Foote Homes and the Vance Neighborhood area; Commercial Advisors LLC’s One Commerce Square rebranding; and Henry Turley’s multifamily and office space at Second Street and Gayoso Avenue, Van Vleet Flats.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/oct/3/new-facades/

(Photo: Lance Murphey)
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12329.jpg?id=12329&maxWidth=250
Baldemar Loya, top, and Erasmo Loya of Yarbrough’s Painting & Drywall work on the ceiling at Van Vleet Flats, the building at 109 S. Second St. that LRK is working on.

(Photo: Lance Murphey)
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12332.jpg

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12333.jpg
The Shelby County Regional Forensic Center, 673 Poplar Ave., is being built by Inman-EMJ Construction. Brg3s is the architecture firm on the project.

TN sets sights on auto plant
Audi likeliest catch as 3 carmakers consider expansion
The Tennessean

There is a site ready to go in Tennessee if an automaker needs it. It is the only remaining TVA mega-site in the state, near Brownsville between Jackson and Memphis, and it was specifically developed to accommodate a large auto assembly plant, said Laura Elkins, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Economic and Community Development.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111009/BUSINESS/310090068/TN-sets-sights-auto-plant?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Overton Square plan fits 'the Memphis we all want to see'
Memphis Biz Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/10/12/overton-square-plan-fits-the-memphis.html

Slideshow: Overton Square renderings
Memphis Business Journal

Loeb Properties Inc. presented its plans for a redeveloped Overton Square last night, along with multiple renderings of what the district would look like. The Memphis-based commercial real estate developer hopes to turn the historic Midtown area into a theater, arts and entertainment district. It is asking the city to spend $11.9 million on a three-level parking structure to compliment its investment, according to a Memphis Business Journal report.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/blog/morning_call/2011/10/slideshow-overton-square-renderings.html

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This would be an incredible redevelopment for the South Main Street Arts District and in the process would eliminate one of Memphis' largest eye-sores. Also, I hope to hear more news on the legal action against the owners of the Sterick Building and/or see some improvements to the exterior of one of the southern U.S.'s most historic skyscrapers.

Chisca Hotel under contract
Vacant property may be reborn as apartments
Memphis Business Journal

Investors behind the turnaround at One Commerce Square might be the next to take a shot at redeveloping the Chisca Hotel. A few of the principals at Memphis Commerce Square Partners LLC, have the historic Chisca Hotel under contract and would like to turn the property into apartments, according to local real estate sources.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2011/10/21/chisca-hotel-under-contract.html

ALAN HOWELL | MBJ
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Chisca Hotel, which was built in 1913, is currently owned by Church of God in Christ.

Worthington Hyde to shepherd Highland Row project
The Commercial Appeal

Poag will still try to carry out its recession-stalled plans to build the $70 million, mixed-use Highland Row on the site. And Worthington Hyde Partners likes the Highland Row plan: 114,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, 234 apartments on the top three floors, 35 town homes, a 517-space parking garage and 426 spaces of surface parking. But the property was at risk of foreclosure, meaning another developer might buy it for a project less complementary for the University District.

“We’re buying it because we believe long-term it’s a great site,” Worthington said. “And while we’re not sure that today is the right time to start that project, we need to allow more time for the market to recover.” In the meantime, Worthington Hyde doesn’t want the property to “fall into the hands of a developer that would do something different than that,” he said.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/24/old-highland-avenue-church-demolished-development/

Photo by Alan Spearman
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/10/24/APPCROP-----B25HIGHLAND----BIZ_t607.jpg
Heavy equipment was still at work Monday removing the foundations of the old Highland Street Church of Christ. Worthington Hyde Partners is buying the Highland property from Poag Lifestyle Centers.

coverage by the Memphis Biz Journal and an excellent slideshow that features a photo of the actual tower, a recent photo of the under-construction Ground Transportation Center and the relatively new Air National Guard base which relocated to the southeast side of the property after the old facility was purchased for FedEx expansion.

Slideshow: Memphis airport unveils new tower, third tallest in U.S.
Memphis Business Journal by Andy Ashby, Staff writer

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/10/20/memphis-airport-unveils-new-tower.html

PICS: ALAN HOWELL | MBJ
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Keep in mind this new MATA station is proposed to serve light rail between Memphis Int'l Airport and Downtown in the near future.

Memphis Area Transit Authority preps spacious new center
The Commercial Appeal

Memphis Area Transit Authority buses will roll from the new Airways Transit Center on Nov. 8 as the $15.8 million project opens six months behind schedule. The 30,000 square-foot building at the northwest corner of Airways and Brooks will serve as another transit center for MATA riders. About 76 percent of the space will be used by Greyhound, said Alison Burton, MATA spokeswoman. Greyhound will begin operations there on Nov. 9. Greyhound leaves its more than 60-year-old Downtown property at 203 Union, which is up for sale.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/26/elbow-02/

Photo by Mike Brown
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/10/25/APPCROP----E26MATA----METRO_t607.jpg
Stephen Balderas spreads a final section of sidewalk outside the new MATA Airways Transit Center near the Memphis International Airport. The modern, energy-efficient facility adds space and convenience for travelers.

National Civil Rights Museum project gets $21 million jump-start, asks public to join
The Commercial Appeal

The National Civil Rights Museum announced Tuesday that corporate and state donations already have raised about 77 percent of the $27 million construction budget for renovation and redesign of the 20-year-old institution. At an event to kick off the public phase of the fundraising effort, museum president Beverly Robertson said the museum will shut down its main building at the end of 2012 for the work. It is expected to be closed for 12 to 14 months, but the museum annex across the street on Mulberry will remain open.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/25/civil-rights-museum-launches-fund-drive-pay-renova/

Photo by Jim Weber
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/10/25/26museum2_t300.jpeg
Gov. Bill Haslam and his wife, Crissy (left), leave the National Civil Rights Museum on Tuesday. They attended the museum fundraising announcement because of the state's second donation of $2.5 million toward the $40 million campaign.

West Tenn. Solar Farm By I-40 Nears Completion
Memphis Daily News

Further down the timeline is separate development of a visitors center in the middle of the solar array and an interstate exit, projects of the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/oct/31/west-tenn-solar-farm-by-i-40-nears-completion/

(Photo: Lance Murphey)
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12482.jpg
A worker passes solar panels at the West Tennessee Solar Farm, which sits on 200 acres of land adjacent to Interstate 40 in Haywood County. The design for the solar farm calls for the installation of more than 21,000 silicon-based photovoltaic modules producing more than 7 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually.

Dixon’s ‘living collection’ earns Level IV arboretum certification
Memphis Daily News

The Dixon sits among 17 acres of woodlands and garden space that serve not only as an impressive backdrop for the museum but also as exhibits themselves. “We refer to them as our living collection,” said Dale Skaggs, the museum’s director of horticulture. “It’s one of the highest art forms because you’re dealing with something that is constantly changing.” Recently Skaggs and his team of green thumbs earned a Level IV arboretum certification from the Tennessee Federated Garden Clubs and the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/nov/2/celebrating-beauty/

(Photo: Lance Murphey)
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12489.jpg
Fall colors bloom on the Dixon Gallery and Gardens’ 17 acres, which includes formal spaces, woodland tracts and cutting gardens. The Dixon is now one of only two certified Level IV arboreta in West Tennessee.

University of Memphis' Lambuth Campus in Jackson, TN is getting off to great start.

University of Memphis expands degree offerings at Lambuth campus
Memphis Business Journal

The University of Memphis Lambuth Campus in Jackson, Tenn., is adding seven new degree programs that will begin in 2012. The new degree programs are: Bachelor of Arts degrees in English, Communication and Psychology; a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting or Management; a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Entertainment Music Industries; a Bachelor of Science in Biology/Pre-Med; and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing for Transfer Students.

The Lambuth campus currently has nine undergraduate and six graduate degree programs and about 400 students enrolled for the fall semester.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/11/09/university-of-memphis-expands-degree.html

RHONDA COSENTINO | UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS
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The University of Memphis is expanding its Lambuth campus degree offerings only one semester after beginning operations in Jackson, Tenn.

Memphis International Airport is enhancing its infrastructure as the number of Delta flights declines. But Southwest/AirTran is circling for a landing.
The Memphis Flyer

"We have more air service on a per-capita basis than any city in America, and there is a price for that," said Airport Authority member and former Memphis city councilman Jack Sammons. "The authority has been aggressive for a generation in chasing low-cost carriers. It brought in Frontier Airlines, but they didn't last because Northwest matched their fares. The potential game-changer is Southwest buying AirTran. That is going to change Memphis prices in 12 to 24 months."

http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/up-in-the-air/Content?oid=3076595

memphisflyer.com
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Skateboard Community Stoked About New Park
Memphis Daily News

Richardson and Shafer began with a Nike grant for a half pipe at Greenlaw Community Center after sketching out that feature and other ideas on napkins over breakfast at the Blue Plate. They started with Greenlaw after seeing a group of children in the neighborhood using an improvised wooden course. With the Nike grant, the community center now has a half pipe and a growing skate community in the neighborhood.

Shafer originally wanted to go for a skatepark on Mud Island. Richardson said they settled instead on a strategy of going smaller and waiting for that success to snowball. They haven’t given up on a Mud Island skatepark.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/nov/11/skateboard-community-stoked-about-new-park/

(Photo: Bill Dries)
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/12538.jpg?id=12538&maxWidth=250
The city’s first skatepark formally opened Wednesday in Tobey Park near the Mid-South Fairgrounds.

A very important economic development for northwest Tennessee.

Titan Tire buys the former Goodyear plant in Union City, Tennessee
The Commercial Appeal

Titan makes tires for large earth-moving equipment, farm implements and other off-road vehicles. It was not immediately clear how many jobs would be created in Union City.

Hailey said he had not heard from Titan about its plans for the plant. “We hope that they’ll put in a manufacturing plant there where they’ll employ several hundred people,” Hailey said.

The sale comes after weeks of rumors that Titan was going to buy the plant, Hailey said. Goodyear informed Hailey on Thursday that the sale had been completed.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/11/titan-tire-buys-former-goodyear-plant-union-city-t/

Elvis Presley Boulevard corridor could get facelift from $50 million initiative
The Commercial Appeal

The city project, which could begin by late 2013, would rebuild Elvis Presley Boulevard by relocating overhead utilities and installing landscaped or specially designed medians and new street lighting. It also would add or rebuild sidewalks, curbs and gutters and provide for upgraded crosswalks, shared vehicle-bicycle lanes and improved bus stops.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/13/gateway-to-whitehaven-could-get-facelift/

Heart of Memphis
Downtown projects keep city’s core bustling
Memphis Daily News

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/nov/14/heart-of-memphis/

(Photo: Lance Murphey)
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(Photo: Lance Murphey)
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Demolition has begun on the interior of The Pyramid in preparation for Bass Pro Shops' planned megastore. The city of Memphis is completing demolition, seismic, mechanical and site work before turning the building over to Bass Pro on Aug. 1.

Southland Park Gaming & Racing launches $10 million project
Memphis Business Journal

...renovation of its West Memphis facility that will include a new sports bar and 200 more gaming machines. Construction will begin in December, and Southland Park officials expect the renovations to be completed by May. When completed, Southland expects to add 60 jobs to its current workforce of 550.

Rogers, Ark.-based Crossland Construction Co. Inc. is the project’s general contractor. The last time Southland had major renovations was 2007 and 2008, when a $40 million project added 600 gaming machines, the Bourbon Street Steakhouse and Grill and renovations to its wagering room. Southland currently has 1,200 gaming machines.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/11/14/southland-park-gaming-racing.html

MBJ
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/WebNewsCaroSouthland.jpg?v=1

Le Bonheur Children's Hospital proceeds with next major phase of expansion
The Commercial Appeal

While roughly 400,000 square feet of the old hospital will be demolished, the hospital will retain and is now completing renovations to the 180,000-square-foot tower that now fronts Dunlap and has been the hospital's main entrance since the 1990s. The tower will be mainly committed to pediatric research and has been renamed the Children's Foundation Research Center, in honor of the support of the Children's Foundation of Memphis.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/15/room-for-research/

Photo by EW Moon
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2011/11/14/CROPPED_FOR_APP----B15LEBONHEUR_t607.jpg
An artist's rendering offers a view down the entry driveway leading to the hospital's main entrance.

Toyota celebrates opening of North Mississippi plant
The Commercial Appeal

BLUE SPRINGS, Miss. -- Four smiling team members climbed out of a sparkling new black Toyota Corolla sedan on Thursday, marking the long-awaited official opening of the Japanese automaker's $800 million Union County plant that will create 2,000 production jobs and 4,000 more among suppliers... about 75 miles southeast of Memphis.

The Blue Springs facility is Toyota's 10th U.S. plant and its 14th in North America. Cylinder heads and engine blocks for the new cars will be manufactured at Toyota-owned plants in Jackson, Tenn., and Troy, Mo.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/18/toyota-opens-n-mississippi-plant/

Photos by Stan Carroll
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40,000+ views! Thank you SkyScraperCity World Development News Forum :cheers:

Here's some new numbers for Peabody Suites I haven't seen before. The project will contain 210 rooms and has grown by $20 million since first proposed at $55 million.

The Peabody Memphis to launch renovation project in 2012
Memphis Business Journal

While the $75 million, 210-room Peabody Suites project remains on “indefinite hold,” Peabody Hotel Group is hoping for a September 2012 start for renovations to The Peabody Memphis. The renovation will touch all 464 rooms at the hotel and will take six months... As far as the future of Peabody Suites, Browne said that project will continue to be on hold until the economy is on solid footing.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2011/12/21/the-peabody-memphis-to-launch.html

COURTESY THE PEABODY MEMPHIS
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/WebNewsCarPeabodyhotel.jpg?v=1

Still a hot ticket: Elvis' drawing power proves a safe bet at Graceland
The Commercial Appeal

Elvis Presley's birthday is a milestone this year, which marks both the 35th anniversary year of his death and the 30th year since Graceland set out on the "grand adventure" that turned it into one of the best-known tourist attractions on the planet... Graceland since has averaged more than 600,000 visitors a year, with more than 750,000 a couple of years.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jan/05/still-a-hot-ticket/

Photo by Jim Weber/ The Commercial Appeal
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2012/01/04/5elvis2_t607.jpeg

Pyramid construction in full swing clearing path for Bass Pro
Memphis Business Journal

Bass Pro Inc. has everything from bowling lanes to archery ranges in its stores, but the company’s planned Memphis superstore in the Pyramid will be something different indeed. Not only will a 32-story stainless steel outdoor retail shop be unique, so too will its construction process.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2012/01/06/pyramid-construction-in-full-swing.html

Photos: ALAN HOWELL | MBJ
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New UT-Biowork Research Park addition is expected to foster research
The Commercial Appeal

Construction has begun on a $22 million research laboratory in the UT-Bioworks Research Park that will help researchers and biotechnology companies get their ideas to market. The footprint for the 26,000-square-foot, single-story, brick building has been cleared at 45 S. Dudley, and crews are now pouring the foundation of the structure.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jan/11/lab-work/

Rendering: The Commercial Appeal
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Yet more improvement at the grandest-ever minor league baseball park.

Redbirds installing 20-ton HD video scoreboard at AutoZone Park
Memphis Business Journal

When the Memphis Redbirds begin the 2012 season April 13, fans will be treated to a new 3,600-square-foot, high-definition scoreboard. The board, which will include 1.4 million pixels and weigh more than 20 tons, will be the largest HD board in minor league baseball, eclipsing the one at Coca-Cola Field, home of the Buffalo Bison. Redbirds officials wouldn’t release the cost of the board, but the 2,640-square-foot board in Buffalo cost that team about $2 million.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2012/01/12/redbirds-installing-20-ton-hd-video.html

COURTESY MEMPHIS REDBIRDS
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/redbirds%20board%20rendering.jpg?v=1

Good news so far for Downtown's economy & one of its' iconic towers as a Memphis financial giant changes ownership.

Don't expect big job cuts at Morgan Keegan, says CEO of Raymond James
The Commercial Appeal

The head of the Florida company buying Morgan Keegan & Co. said he is in no hurry to cut costs or lay off workers in Memphis. “We’re staying in Memphis. We’re committed to it."... "If you look back five years from now, we could well be bigger than we are now,'' Reilly said.

Reilly said he expects: Workers will stay in the Downtown tower rather than relocate to other buildings. Morgan Keegan's name will continue to appear on the public finance and fixed-income departments, perhaps as a division of Raymond James. Support will continue for the professional tennis tournament in Memphis, now called the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships. Information technology crews in Memphis could expand their role to back up Raymond James' entire U.S. service area. John Carson, Morgan Keegan's CEO, will stay in Memphis as president of Raymond James and head of the merged public finance and fixed-income units. Bonuses will total $215million, including about $75 million in restricted stock, for the members of the Morgan Keegan sales force who agree to stay with Raymond James. "There will be (job) losses in Memphis," Reilly said. "But we're pragmatic. We're looking at long-term earnings, stability and growth. The only way you can do that is with people.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jan/12/dont-expect-big-job-cuts-morgan-keegan-says-ceo-ra/

Photos by Mike Brown
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Sky’s the limit for CN Railway
Memphis Business Journal

Canadian National Railway Co.’s planned logistics park could mean up to 4 million square feet of new warehouse and distribution space in Southwest Memphis...

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2012/01/20/skys-the-limit-for-cn-railway.html

LEE SWETS | MBJ
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/webCNfrankpidgeonavailability.jpg?v=1

Memphis Botanic Garden board OKs new performance venue
The Commercial Appeal

Live at the Garden is the 16-acre site's main event, a summer performance series of five concerts. Picnicking crowds typically total 5,500 to 6,500, the capacity... Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Road, encompasses 96 acres in the heart of East Memphis. Just 21/2 years ago it opened a $5.53 million playground for children, My Big Backyard.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jan/25/taking-root/

Courtesy of archimania architects
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New apartments to rise Downtown
PILOT, tax credit assist $10.5 million project
Memphis Business Journal

Elmington Capital Group, operating as TOV Virginia LP, is developing Crescent Bluff Apartments, a 72-unit project at the northeast corner of Virginia and Florida near Crump Boulevard.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2012/01/27/new-apartments-to-rise-downtown.html

COURTESY SHAPIRO & CO. ARCHITECTS INC.
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/webCrescentBluffs3BRBuildingRENDER.jpg?v=1

UTHSC in Memphis says proposed simulation building key to medical education
The Commercial Appeal

University of Tennessee Health Science Center officials said they'll get to work on the school's multi-disciplinary simulation building "as fast as we can" if the legislature approves a $24.1 million funding request. Gov. Bill Haslam requested the funds for the building in his 2013 budget, which he unveiled during his State of the State address Monday in Nashville.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jan/31/uthsc-memphis-says-proposed-simulation-building-ke/

Courtesy brg3s architects
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2012/01/31/1uthsc_t607.jpeg

Memphis firm unveils plans for zero-energy building
The Commercial Appeal

They'll replace the old welcome center for travelers entering Tennessee on northbound I-55 in Whitehaven. The 4,500-square-foot welcome center, plus vending and storage buildings, are designed to use no more energy than that produced by rooftop solar panels. The $3.75 million project represents the first zero-energy building owned by the state.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/feb/04/welcome-to-nothing/

Photos by archimania
http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/img/photos/2012/02/03/APP_t607.jpg

IDI plans spec industrial space
New construction first in Memphis in four years
Memphis Business Journal

The Memphis industrial real estate market should soon be seeing its first speculative new construction in four years. Atlanta-based full-service industrial real estate company IDI could start construction on two buildings with 1 million total square feet in Olive Branch by March.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2012/02/10/idi-plans-spec-industrial-space.html

COURTESY IDI
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/webIDICrossroadsERender.jpg?v=1

Aldo’s Pizza Pies seeks facade improvement grant
Memphis Business Journal

The restaurant at 100 S. Main, Suite 101, will serve New York-style pizza and sub sandwiches. It will offer beer, wine and a full bar. Scheduled to open in April or May, it will occupy 3,887 square feet at Barbaro Flats, a mixed-use property between Gayoso Avenue and Barbaro Alley.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2012/02/08/aldos-pizza-pies-seeks-facade.html

COURTESY LRK
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/WebNewsCarAldosPizzaRENDER.jpg?v=1

FedEx Plans $141M Investment in Local Facility
Memphis Daily News

The company is planning to build a new facility east of and adjacent to its existing 3855 Airways Blvd. location... FedEx is looking to consolidate that activity into a single Air Operation Training Center. Additionally, the company would build a new building with 12 bays to house additional flight simulators and equipment to support training for the FedEx fleet.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2012/feb/14/fedex-plans-141m-investment-in-local-facility/

Noble investing $20M to achieve Marriott brand
Memphis Business Journal

Nine months after it purchased and shut down the Holiday Inn Select East Memphis, Atlanta-based Noble Investment Group has launched a $20 million renovation that will rebrand the property as Memphis Marriott East.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2012/02/24/noble-investing-20m-to-achieve.html

ALAN HOWELL | MBJ
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/webHolidayInnMMartinWSmith.jpg?v=1

The Commercial Appeal

New construction is about to begin at St. Louis Catholic School at White Station and Shady Grove. The two-story, 18,000-square-foot addition will house new music and science classrooms, as well as a distance-learning center.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/mar/24/anf-designs-school-addition/

Courtesy of ANF Architects
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Chicago group renovates Brooks inn
Memphis Daily News

A year and a half and $3.5 million of renovations into the project, the hotel has been branded a Clarion, all 245 rooms are just about renovated, the hotel restaurant has reopened and is awaiting its liquor license, and Michael and his partners plan to launch the new Clarion Cedar Hotel in May... That’s when they plan to have their liquor license and reopen the hotel lounge known as Dad’s Place, which is how many longtime Memphians identify the building. The lounge – which will again be branded Dad’s Place – is part of the history of Memphis’ lounge circuit that featured live music well into the disco era. The plan is to feature Elvis tribute artists at the reopened lounge.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2012/mar/28/hotel-upgrade/

(Photo: Lance Murphey)
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/13345.jpg?maxWidth=800&maxHeight=600

Beale Street Landing about to spring to life
Memphis Daily News

“It’s a multi-purpose facility. … What it is in February is not what it is in April,” Lendermon said of the 4,500-square-foot restaurant space. “It’s got to be able to shrink and grow and morph into what it needs to be for a given period of time.”... The restaurant is one of three spaces including an open area beneath the grass roof as well as a space for a gift shop in addition to a gift shop that is to be part of the restaurant. Daily excursion boats will also debut at the landing in July, with space for ticket sales and a broader market for merchandise... The dock itself will open before the restaurant with the April 27 arrival of The American Queen. The largest steamboat in the world will call Memphis its home port. The floating islands that are the access to the river at the landing are now floating in McKellar Lake, south of Downtown. Later this month, they will make the short journey north to be attached to the mooring arms at the landing.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2012/mar/21/river-view/

(Photo: Lance Murphey)
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial_Images/13303.jpg?maxWidth=800&maxHeight=600

Preston Lamm to fill former Pat O'Brien's on Beale Street
Memphis Business Journal

A local restaurant group with plenty of Beale Street experience could have the former Pat O’Brien's and Ground Zero Blues Club space at 310 Beale singing a new tune by May. Beale Street veterans Preston Lamm and Bud Chittom purchased the building, equipment and furniture from 310 Beale Street Properties LLC for an undisclosed amount and plan to open a corner bar called Dancin’ Jimmy’s. The 18,897-square foot building includes a 7,749-square-foot ground floor, a 7,331-square-foot second floor and a 3,334-square-foot covered patio... Lamm is president of River City Management Group LLC, which has various restaurant concepts on Beale Street, including Rum Boogie Cafe, Pig on Beale, King’s Palace Cafe, the Absinthe Room, Beale Street Tap Room, Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall, Ugly Juanita’s Taco Shop, and Handy Bar. It also owns or operates others restaurants throughout the Mid-South such as Mesquite Chop House, Fillin' Station Grille, Spindini, Pa Pa Pia’s, and 10 Bones BBQ. Chittom, who has been involved with Blues City Cafe, Club 152, and Johnny G’s Creole Kitchen on Beale, is also heading up a group that is opening up Riverside Grille & Dockside Bar by July at Beale Street Landing.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2012/03/26/preston-lamm-to-fill-former-pat.html

ALAN HOWELL | MBJ
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/webNewsCarPatOBriens.jpg?v=1

A bonus look at Memphis' most popular tourist attractions
Memphis Business Journal

Beale Street in Downtown Memphis is the city's most popular tourist destination, drawing more than 5 million visitors in 2011.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2012/04/13/bonus-look-memphis-tourist-attractions.html

MBJ
http://assets.bizjournals.com/nashville/BealeStreetWeb.jpg?v=1

City’s minor-league baseball team looks to re-energize fan base
Memphis Daily News

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2012/apr/16/redbirds-reconnection/

(Photo: Brandon Dill)
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Memphis Redbirds complete scoreboard installation in time for home opener
Memphis Business Journal

The Memphis Redbirds have completed installation of their new 3,600-square-foot, high-definition scoreboard just in time for the team’s opening night Friday. The 1.4 million pixels board weighs more than 20 tons and will be the largest board in minor league baseball. It surpasses the 2,640 square-foot board at Coca-Cola Field, home of the Buffalo Bison.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2012/04/12/memphis-redbirds-complete-scoreboard.html

MBJ
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/redbirds_scoreboard.JPG?v=1

Crescent to add two restaurants
Capital Grille, Seasons 52 first Tennessee locations
Memphis Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/2012/04/06/crescent-to-add-two-restaurants.html

LEE SWETS | MBJ
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/webCrescentSITEPLAN.jpg?v=1

The American Queen comes to Memphis, bringing jobs and tourism in its wake.
The Memphis Flyer

Negotiations between the steamboat company and the city of Memphis began in March 2011. By August, the two sides had agreed to terms: The Great American Steamboat Company would operate out of Memphis, giving Beale Street Landing a permanent tenant, while Memphis would loan the company the remaining funds necessary to launch. "It's amazing that we were working on the Beale Street Landing at the time," Wharton says, just as the Great American Steamboat Company was looking for a place for its headquarters. "We are a river city. The steamboat represents entertainment and travel at its best, and this is one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that came along at the right time."

http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/rollin-on-the-river/Content?oid=3159467

Courtesy of Great American Steamboat Company
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http://www.memphisflyer.com/imager/b/magnum/3159468/8363/cover1.jpg

Amie Vanderford
http://www.memphisflyer.com/imager/rollin-on-the-river/b/original/3159473/b434/cover4.jpg
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Largest solar farm in TN officially opens Thursday
Solar farm in Stanton, TN, will add a visitor center next year
The Tennessean

The state of Tennessee and University of Tennessee are hosting the event at the 25-acre, 5-megawatt West Tennessee Solar Farm. It features about 21,000 ground-mounted photovoltaic solar panels and is estimated to provide enough energy for 500 homes and offset use of 250 tons of coal per month.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120411/NEWS0201/304110144/Largest-solar-farm-TN-officially-opens-Thursday

The Tennessean
http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20120411&Category=NEWS0201&ArtNo=304110144&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Largest-solar-farm-TN-officially-opens-Thursday

Mitsubishi construction still on schedule, company reports
Memphis Business Journal

“The factory designs are complete, the site is prepared and construction is well under way. The last of the 6,000 support pilings will be installed by the end of April and you will then see the building begin to rise,” Badaracco said in a statement... Should construction remain on schedule, the plant will be commissioned this fall. The 350,000-square-foot steel facility will house manufacturing implements and up to 275 employees when it begins churning out 400-ton electrical transformers.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2012/03/29/mitsubishi-construction-still-on.html

COURTESY MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC POWER PRODUCTS INC.
http://assets.bizjournals.com/memphis/print-edition/webMitsubishiElecRENDER.jpg?v=1