City seeks ‘destination retail’ for Fairgrounds
The city of Memphis is seeking “destination retail” to anchor the redevelopment of the Mid-south Fairgrounds, revealing changes to the previously planned redevelopment of 18 acres on prime publicly owned real estate.
At a Memphis City Council meeting
Tuesday, Paul Young, the director of housing and community development, said the city is seeking an anchor retail establishment for the fairgrounds, something similar to Texas Live! — a retail entertainment district outside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Multiple city officials traveled to Arlington for the University of Memphis football team’s Cotton Bowl appearance and saw the Texas Live! concept. The city is not in discussions with the companies involved with Texas Live!, Young said.
Texas Live! is a public-private partnership between the city of Arlington, the Texas Rangers and Cordish Companies. It features about 200,000 square feet of dining and entertainment space.
The purpose of getting such an anchor tenant, Young explained, is to allow the city to issue bonds that would fund a youth sports facility. He said the city would issue the bonds once it agreed to a letter of intent from a retailer.
Young’s update to City Council reflects a change to previously known plans for the Fairgrounds. In late June 2019, the city announced it had awarded a notice of intent for Memphis developer James Maclin to redevelop 18 acres of
“We need those things to say to generations of children, youth of all races, creeds and colors, look at what can be achieved,” Williamson said. “We can do it together.”
Renovations are well underway in the two-story former hospital, which is 16,750 square feet. The facility was approved by the state for a Certificate of Need (CON) for a 28-bed Medicare skilled nursing facility.
When the hospital was open, the first floor had a wing of men’s patient rooms, while the second floor housed patient rooms for women. Today, the rooms have been updated with air conditioning units and added thermostats. The rooms and hallways have been reworked in creams and light turquoise. Fire sprinklers have been added to the building to bring it up to code.
Williamson said multiple potential partners have toured the facility, which is in the heart of the medical district at 409 Ayers Ave. Exactly what purpose it will serve is still up in the air, although the Christian Methodist Church has big dreams.
Next door to the hospital is the clinic, a rounded building with 8,949 square feet. Apart from its new roof, which was funded with $100,000 from the city of Memphis, the clinic still needs renovations.
The building will need to be gutted and completely reworked due to water damage. Inside, an old X-ray machine and examination beds still sit in examination rooms.
The hospital portion could become a skilled nursing facility, and the clinic could perhaps become a place to address prevention and offer dental care to people in the neighborhood.
Janet Smith, Brown’s cousin, was also born in the hospital during segregation. So often, she hears about hospitals or clinics closing, she said.
“To hear that this one is trying to be opened and putting so much effort to be opened, to renovate this building, I think it’s great,” Smith said. “I think it’s wonderful to have somewhere to go that people will understand what our needs are and how critical, how desperately we need good health care.”
On Saturday, anyone with ties to Collins Chapel Connectional Hospital is invited to come back. The reunion is from 10-12 a.m. for anyone who was born, who worked or was treated there — or anyone related to someone with ties to the hospital.
Since the hospital was created to serve the needs of the community, those attending the reunion are asked to bring a nonperishable item for the food bank and are also asked to consider a donation to the renovation.
The church is also holding a Living Legacy Benefit Brunch on March 14 at 10:30 a.m. at the Esplanade Banquet Center to raise funds for the hospital. Tickets cost $100 and can be purchased by contacting Joann Jones at 901-3454114.
Katherine Burgess covers county government, religion and the suburbs. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com, 901-5292799 or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.