MEMPHIS | Development News

[arkitekte]

Kroger purchases Belvedere Apartments on Union Avenue
Article from the Memphis Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/n...partments.html


If anything, I hope I never see a huge Kroger being built on Union.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Johnny Ryall

South Main district to get boost from Harahan Bridge project
Memphis Daily News



http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news...ain-connector/

(Daily News File Photos: Lance Murphey)

I think Memphis should build more bridges next to these.

[Johnny Ryall]

Originally Posted by arkitekte

Kroger purchases Belvedere Apartments on Union Avenue
Article from the Memphis Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/n...partments.html
If anything, I hope I never see a huge Kroger being built on Union.

I've heard it's very difficult to assemble parcels on Union Avenue, but with your posted article link and the one below I think we'll see a large Kroger & a smaller upscale grocer in the coming years. Also, it's good to hear that the City of Memphis is moving forward with the Traffic Bureau on the Austin Peay corridor in Raleigh. The previous blight removal & city investment will definitely help with stabilization efforts in the area. Partial demolition & repurposing of Raleigh Springs Mall like that of Hickory Ridge Mall would be a major score for the Austin Peay corridor too. I'd like to see portions of that ocean-size parking lot redeveloped for businesses to front Austin Peay. Although, I suppose that would come AFTER something is done with the bulk of the mall whether it be repurposed or torn down.

Bid opening for Traffic Bureau could lead to Union Avenue redevelopment
The Commercial Appeal

Last year, Lipscomb said interest in the site was "very high," especially among grocers or grocery-related businesses.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...could-lead-to/

[Johnny Ryall]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

I think Memphis should build more bridges next to these.

Here's a previous post about alignment studies including map for a future road/ intermodal bridge spanning the Mississippi River at Memphis. It IS a matter of national interest & security for there to be 1 or 2 more spans crossing in the Memphis metro area.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...&postcount=668

[Johnny Ryall]

New homes with solar panels planned for struggling Frayser; first development in decade
The Commercial Appeal

Frayser, known in recent years for rising foreclosure rates and declining property values, is getting its first new residential development in a decade. Construction of 34 new, three-bedroom, single-family homes just north of James Road at McLean is scheduled to begin next month. It's the first phase of a long-awaited, energy-efficient, 300-home development called Wolf River Bluffs, originally slated to open in 2008.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...d-for-frayser/

[Johnny Ryall]

LeMoyne-Owen Files $9 Million Permit for Dorm
Memphis Daily News

LeMoyne-Owen College is moving ahead with construction of its new residence hall at the northwest corner of Saxon Avenue and Neptune Street, filing a $9 million building permit application for the four-story dormitory.

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news.../digest/#71312

[James Owen]

Originally Posted by Johnny Ryall

I've heard it's very difficult to assemble parcels on Union Avenue, but with your posted article link and the one below I think we'll see a large Kroger & a smaller upscale grocer in the coming years. Also, it's good to hear that the City of Memphis is moving forward with the Traffic Bureau on the Austin Peay corridor in Raleigh. The previous blight removal & city investment will definitely help with stabilization efforts in the area. Partial demolition & repurposing of Raleigh Springs Mall like that of Hickory Ridge Mall would be a major score for the Austin Peay corridor too. I'd like to see portions of that ocean-size parking lot redeveloped for businesses to front Austin Peay. Although, I suppose that would come AFTER something is done with the bulk of the mall whether it be repurposed or torn down.

Even though it's unlikely, I think Kroger should consider doing a two-story, urban-style location in Midtown instead of a single-story, suburban one like they typically do, and have it sit right at the street along Union Avenue. I've seen some similar examples in Nashville with the Harris Teeter store near Belmont and the Whole Foods in Green Hills. I think something like that can work here with the right kind of planning involved.

I'm also curious to see what will become of the Raleigh area in the future once the Traffic Bureau moves to their new location. While it may never return to being the retail hub it once was, the opportunities and potential are there to make that part of town better.

[Johnny Ryall]

Originally Posted by James Owen

Even though it's unlikely, I think Kroger should consider doing a two-story, urban-style location in Midtown instead of a single-story, suburban one like they typically do, and have it sit right at the street along Union Avenue. I've seen some similar examples in Nashville with the Harris Teeter store near Belmont and the Whole Foods in Green Hills. I think something like that can work here with the right kind of planning involved.

Absolutely. It seems like that would be the way to go considering parcel availability & high costs. Doesn't Kroger have a line of smaller upscale stores like Whole Foods & Fresh Market? I mean, they'd definitely want a larger store there, but it should include the upscale concept amongst an even larger selection.

[Johnny Ryall]

Jabil Circuit now much larger employer in Memphis, Caesars public again at No. 4
Memphis Business Journal

Rapid expansion and new contracts with several brands caused Jabil to nearly triple its Memphis employees from 1,000 to 2,790. That makes Jabil a larger local employer than higher-profile companies such as International Paper Co. and AutoZone Inc.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/p...-employer.html

MBJ | FILE PHOTO

Caesars Entertainment, which changed its name from Harrah’s and went public again, operates three Tunica casinos, including Harrah’s Tunica, shown.

-MBJ

[Johnny Ryall]

A look inside construction of Mitsubishi's Memphis plant
Memphis Business Journal

The numbers behind the construction at the Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. plant are as staggering as the products it will soon be manufacturing: So far, 250,000 hours of contract labor have been expended at the site of the $200 million plant, which will be producing industrial-size transformers that weigh up to 500 tons. About 55 miles of iron piling have been driven into the foundation underneath the 350,000-square-foot facility, according to Ken Badaracco, general manager of Mitsubishi’s Power Transformer Division.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/n...itsubishi.html

COLE EPLEY | MBJ

[Johnny Ryall]

Shops of Laurelwood getting renovation
Stability, household income of area impress new owners
Memphis Business Journal

The 10,898-square-foot shopping center at 402 South Perkins went into foreclosure in May. Now, it’s getting much-needed capital improvements and is heading toward full occupancy.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/p...enovation.html

COURTESY RENAISSANCE GROUP INC.

[Johnny Ryall]

Annesdale mansion gets approval from land use board to host events
The Commercial Appeal

Ken Robison bought the historic home, built in 1850, last year. Property transfer records show he paid $550,000. The owner of Robison-Finch Estate Sales and Appraisals, Robison says he has spent more than $500,000 in restoration of the house and expects to spend at least $2 million. Holding events on the seven-acre grounds and smaller events in the house will help to cover some of those costs.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...oval-from-use/

Photo by Brandon Dill

[Johnny Ryall]

International Paper weighs expansion options
Temple-Inland sparks potential for new structure
Memphis Business Journal

International Paper Co. is poised to expand its towering office presence in Shelby County to handle potential relocation from Austin, Texas, of employees from recent acquisition Temple-Inland Inc. IP already occupies more than 450,000 square feet of class A office space at its International Place headquarters in East Memphis.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/p...expansion.html

MBJ | FILE PHOTO

[kingchef]

i like the kroger idea of an urban design; however, the one that currently exists is a one story structure. kroger has a store system set up as a,b, or c size stores. c stores are the smallest in both size and volume of business. a is, or was, the largest by physical size and by volume. certainly, urban stores could be smaller and yet do a larger volume than a class b or a store, which might be located in cities such as jackson, tn, which has 4 krogers. currently, they are planning to build a new stonebrook store, which is reportedly the mega urban store. the current store has the highest volume of any of the kroger stores in the delta region, which covers memphis. the university parkway store, though it is newer, is a bit smaller than the present stonebrook kroger, but it is beginning to surpass the volume of stonebrook. the smallest kroger is located in south jackson. it does a lower volume and carries a significantly different kind of product in some areas. the ada may be a problem for some of these supermarkets. it would mean access to a public lift, etc. kroger has a formula based on the required size of the store vs. market capability vs. a number of variables, one being that the store has to have a minimum amount of square ft, which determines the amount of product carried and their required profit margin, which used to be 12.5%. also, kroger stores work on various store hours, depending on volume. if i am not mistaken, their minimal requirements for a store was around 54,000 sq ft. all of this may have changed in the last 3 or 4 years, as they have changed to a specific type of retailing.

i hope the int paper buildings---at least one---was prepared for the addition of vertical space. i think it would be great to have several additional stories to one or more of those beautiful buildings. one remark about the traffic office relocation. i fail to understand why downtown would not be suitable for this office. why move it to frayser? 2 million dollars would go a long way in renovating some of these older buildings. again, why not centralize and keep city and county business downtown? where are the voices for the redevelopment people and those proponents for a better downtown.

for those who care to read it, andy cates wrote a good article explaining why memphis is a small industrial giant, but why it is gaining more and more recognition from various employers from various economic sources. we are not being "pigeon-holed", as we once had been. memphis is moving its economy and its economy is truly diversified. even though it doesn't take a mental giant to figure out that america has had a rough last few years, well, 2007 forward, we haven't been the worst hit, usually falling somewhere to the left of the middle, out of a 1 to 300 ranking of metro areas of 50,000 +. i read an article the other day stating how middle tn was destined to become the new atlanta, but i'm not convinced. for several years, logistics and transportation sectors have been put down by some in that area of tn; however, that seems to be changing, as the development of more warehousing capability and logistics parks are being undertaken. i hope the economy does continue to turn around, and i hope the memphis metro is in the midst of it.

[Johnny Ryall]

Originally Posted by kingchef

...certainly, urban stores could be smaller and yet do a larger volume than a class b or a store, which might be located in cities such as jackson, tn, which has 4 krogers. currently, they are planning to build a new stonebrook store, which is reportedly the mega urban store. the current store has the highest volume of any of the kroger stores in the delta region, which covers memphis. the university parkway store, though it is newer, is a bit smaller than the present stonebrook kroger, but it is beginning to surpass the volume of stonebrook. the smallest kroger is located in south jackson. it does a lower volume and carries a significantly different kind of product in some areas.

I was actually just in Jackson, TN. The level of upscale housing developments & palatial estates on the city & county's northside is absolutely staggering. Alot of development is already starting to turn up in Medina. I've also mentioned previously in this thread about the development around the West TN baseball complex & Pringles Park baseball stadium. I believe I failed to post a link to article about there being 20+ new hotels/ motels in the Jackson-Humboldt Combined Statistical Area which has seen its population balloon to nearly 170,000 as of the 2010 Census.

[Johnny Ryall]

Feds give initial nod to company's plans to bring wind power to Mid-South
The Commercial Appeal

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has granted an early but crucial approval needed for a $2 billion proposal to transmit wind power from the Great Plains to Memphis and the Southeast... The project would yield major economic benefits for the area, including hundreds of construction jobs in West Tennessee alone, said Mario Hurtado, executive vice president for Clean Line Energy. Most of the work would occur in Shelby County, where an approximately $250 million station would be built to convert the direct-current wind power for use on the alternating-current of the electrical grid. The 3,500-megawatt capacity of the line represents enough power to serve 1 million homes.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...lans-to-bring/

[kingchef]

jr, you have given several good updates on jackson, particularly about one of its medical centers, jackson-madison county. it also has a conglomerate of clinics, hosptials, and medical office supplies/equipment. though i have been in an unusual situation concerning my living arrangements, i really don't mind living in jackson many ways. it certainly has outstanding medical facilities through the above-named hospital, and it has a very decent medium sized hospital (lebonheur-methodist) on the northside. jackson has a midtown, where the largest medical center lies, it has a decent downtown (and really great momentum to restore, renew, and rebuild what was lost in the 5 year span of tornadoes (2003) took out approximately 1/3 of downtown, when a class 5 tornado(s) hit the city shortly before midnight.

i hope you were able to see the large urban village that is being built in downtown. a friend of mine took me by to have a look a few months back, and it was impressive. too, you are correct about all of the north development. if you noticed the kroger on the left, as you are at the intersection of the bypass and oil well road, that is the one that is going to be vacated and moved directly west, almost a quarter of a mile. there is a new development there. one on the west side of the city, directly off I-40, and the other on the east side, which is across the ball park. as you are going east, a multi-story hotel is to be built, i think a supermarket, and several other businesses. virtually all of south jackson is new, dotted w/ new shopping centers, free-standing stores, and businesses. the first series of tornadoes struck south jackson extensively, destroying a funeral home, schools, businesses, and large housing developments. it killed 9 people that time.

my impression of jackson has always been that of a good deal of old wealth. i have told friends and family, alike, that i had never been in a city the size of jackson that had as many gated communities as this one. as for the growth, i don't know what is driving it. as you probably know, the munitions depot is only a few miles from medina. they pay very high wages, and their is a good deal of secretcy about the place. i know that delta added a large addition to their facility, as well as employees. a specialty tire plant was opened w/in the last two years, and i think it has since expanded. when i am in town, however, i don't watch their news (abc) or read their daily paper.
union university allows all students, but freshman to live off campus, and many of them live near the university. good investments in duplexes, and quads. by and large, the students from there are very good renters, quiet, and serous students. i have had two guys move from nashville to start their programs as nurse anesthetist, and they have been wonderful---even sent additional renters.

maybe, in the not too distant future, jackson, haywood, tipton, and shelby will all connect to form a regional metro area. several memphians, nashville leaders/insiders, and others have made remarks concerning memphis growth and big announcements for the area in the last 8 to 9 months. is it related to the intermodal setup and the near completion of some of the beltway? i'm still holding out on the dallas thing, but if it is good economic news for the area, i'll take it.

[arkitekte]

Glad you guys are talking about Jackson. I grew up in Henderson County, but graduated from Jackson Christian. The area near Pringles Park is for sure growing fast, as well as North Jackson and Medina.

[kingchef]

hey ark, as you are so capable w/ a camera, i wish you would take some photos of the beautiful rural areas of henderson county. i love the fall drive down the trace from I-40 to florence or wherever i happen to land on that particular day. i enjoy cutting through that way to go to shiloh national cemetery. another favorite spot is the area just past grand junction all the way to the river. almost get a high overlooking the valley.

jackson christian is a pretty good school, but that would be a good drive, even on this side of lexington. beech lake is pretty nice, and now the new lake in carroll county. i love driving that road from the interstate to bruceton. no telling what the state will do to the road, now that the lake and dam are built.

[arkitekte]

Originally Posted by kingchef

hey ark, as you are so capable w/ a camera, i wish you would take some photos of the beautiful rural areas of henderson county. i love the fall drive down the trace from I-40 to florence or wherever i happen to land on that particular day. i enjoy cutting through that way to go to shiloh national cemetery. another favorite spot is the area just past grand junction all the way to the river. almost get a high overlooking the valley.

jackson christian is a pretty good school, but that would be a good drive, even on this side of lexington. beech lake is pretty nice, and now the new lake in carroll county. i love driving that road from the interstate to bruceton. no telling what the state will do to the road, now that the lake and dam are built.

Sure can...My parents actually live on the north side of Lexington. I can be in the state park in 7 minutes, and actually worked a lot of summers/winter breaks/ spring breaks on one of my dad's farming friend's farm. I've spent tons of hours on Beech Lake fishing, wake boarding, and just taking it easy. I'll probably go home either this weekend, or next so I should be able to take some photos, and if not in the next few weeks I can in the next month or so.

I was actually a starter on defense (defensive tackle/ some defensive end) when we won state at JCS back in 06.