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Old Posted Feb 3, 2010, 4:05 AM
Johnny Ryall Johnny Ryall is offline
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Collierville unveils plan for downtown after months of meetings

the Commercial Appeal | By Kevin McKenzie

Debra Daws (left), Mike Hammond and Jay Easter, all of Dalhoff Thomas Daws, work on part of the downtown master plan for the Collierville Town Square, which will be expanded to someday serve as a vibrant neighborhood as well as a destination for tourists.

A plan emerging for the future of downtown Collierville calls for attracting more residents, expanding south of the railroad tracks and stacking up to three or four stories of shops, offices and homes in parts of the area.

Planners used numerous photos to help them come up with a proposal that would keep with the character of Collierville. Some ideas in the plan proposed Thursday are a downtown hotel and disguised parking structures.
After collecting opinions since September and following three days of intensive brainstorming, town planners on Thursday night unveiled the foundation for a Downtown Collierville Small Area Plan.

Town chief planner Jaime Groce said town staff will work to produce a first draft of the new plan by March. The Planning Commission, which will have the final word on its adoption, might receive the completed plan as soon as May. The plan, building on others in the past that were not officially adopted, envisions making the historic Town Square and its surrounding neighborhoods a vibrant neighborhood as well as a destination center for tourism, Groce said. Adopting "new urbanism" trends that scorn automobile-centered design, the new plan will recommend streets and blocks that invite walking and bicycling, mixed-use buildings and a greater variety of housing to attract more residents to the area.

Key ideas include: Expanding the Town Square south of the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks, which may include moving landmark rail cars that block the view from the south. Defining the area to include historic homes on the north side of Poplar and as far as U.S. 72, Collierville-Arlington, Maynard Way and Sycamore at other points. Allowing buildings of up to three stories, or four in some cases, in the downtown core, allowing offices and homes above storefronts. The idea targets streets including Main and Center south of the railroad tracks, Groce said. Encouraging a downtown hotel. Suggesting well-disguised parking structures. Adding connections to the town's greenbelt trail system, which would allow pedestrian and bicycle access to downtown. The plan, which Groce said is flexible and contains concepts for future development, would not affect zoning. Mayor Stan Joyner told about 60 people gathered in a downtown banquet room that his "administration is behind what you're seeing here."

Last edited by Johnny Ryall; Aug 2, 2016 at 3:55 AM.
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