From The Citizen apartments to Arby’s and points farther west, here’s a look at development along Midtown’s corridor
If the $950 million Union Row project happens as planned, Union Avenue in Downtown will be transformed within the next few years. There will be new apartments, new businesses, more retail, a new hotel, a new grocery store and even more pedestrian-friendly outdoor space to connect the heart of Downtown to the Edge District neighborhood. Continue east on Union Avenue into the Medical District and smaller projects, some in the works since before Union Row was announced in December, are filling in the few holes on a street awash in retail stores, restaurants and other businesses. Here are a handful of the most significant developments that have either opened recently or are still under construction.
Midtown Donuts serving up coffee and pastries
Opened in February, Midtown Donuts renovated its space at 1776 Union Ave., the longtime home of Donald’s Donuts.
Owner Ly Touch starts serving doughnuts, coffee and other pastries every day at 4 a.m. and keeps going until 7 p.m. His family was in the doughnut business for many years before the stillnew shop opened. His sister and niece run Howard’s Donuts on Summer Avenue.
The Citizen apartments nearly ready for residents
A stone’s throw from Midtown Donuts, The Citizen, one of Midtown’s newest apartment developments, is signing its first leases.
Renters will be able to move into the one and two-bedroom units by late August, the leasing website shows. The eight-story building has 175 apartments. For the units still available for lease, rent ranges from $1,175 to $2,310.
When developers broke ground on the apartment building in January 2018, they said the apartments at the corner of Union Avenue and Mclean Boulevard were neighbored by the busiest Starbucks and the busiest Walgreens in town.
Another Starbucks under construction on Union
Less than one mile west of the city’s top-performing Starbucks at Union Avenue and Mclean Boulevard, the coffee giant is building another location at 1420 Union Ave.
The framing for the structure is in place, but construction is still underway.the coffee company did not say when the new location is expected to open.
Although the two locations are walking distance apart, this new shop will be the third one in a mile stretch on Union Avenue. The third Starbucks in between the two is inside the Kroger grocery store at 1759 Union Ave.
Fast food giants get face-lift too
Last month, the Arby’s restaurant at 975 Union Ave. closed its doors for a few weeks to strip back the layers of its old, dated restaurant and replace it with a new, more modern facade.
The remodeled restaurant is one of several that have seen updates across the country in recent months, putting the fast food sandwich shop in line with the development coming to Union Avenue.
Months before the Arby’s renovation, a new Mcdonald’s location was built a few blocks west at 905 Union Ave.
Pinnacle bank opens Midtown location
Last month, Pinnacle Financial Partners celebrated the grand opening of its newest location at 155 Rozelle St. at the Union Avenue intersection.
In Memphis since 2015, Pinnacle celebrated the opening along with Memphis Grizzles star forward Jaren Jackson.
Pinnacle offers a range of financial services including banking, investment, mortgage and insurance services. It has eight other branches in the region in Memphis, Cordova, Germantown and Southaven.
Union Avenue still has more room to grow
While Union Avenue is not starved for development, there is still room to open on the Memphis artery.
Among the available lots and buildings on Union is an empty lot neighboring the new Pinnacle location, and nearly two miles west of that at the edge of the Medical District, Office Depot’s recently vacated building could also see a new tenant.
Desiree Stennett covers economic development and business at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at desiree.stennett@commercialappeal. com, 901-529-2738 or on Twitter: @desi_stennett.