The Midtown Overlay Explained
The Midtown Overlay Explained
If you're living in Memphis, chances are you've heard of the Midtown Overlay. And if you've heard of it, there's at least a good chance that you're somewhat confused. Here's everything you need to know about the plan:
What the Midtown Overlay is not: A new drink special at the HiTone (made, inevitably, with Pabst, whiskey and barbecue rub).
What the Midtown Overlay is: A zoning plan that will cover areas of Midtown not already zoned into the Medical District Overlay or historic districts.
Who's idea is this?: The urban planners at the Memphis Regional Design Center
What's the goal: Provide guidelines for development (and redevelopment) in Midtown. The goal is to give developers some predictability that will encourage them to develop more, which will (hopefully) make Midtown more vital and economically stable. In short, the MRDC wants to make sure that development in Midtown is happening in a way that's good for the neighborhood.
What that means for Midtown: The overlay is going to affect commercial buildings and apartment buildings. Some of the most affected buildings will be those on Central, Cooper and Madison. New buildings will have "frontages", which push the buildings to the street with parking on the sides and the rear of the building.
When does the Overlay go into effect: The plan has been approved by the Land Use Control Board. It's got two more hearings before the City Council (on Sept. 14th and Sept. 28). There will be a public hearing on September 28th. If it's adopted, it will go into effect immediately.
(Special thanks to Chooch Pickard at the MRDC for answering all of my questions.)
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