Big picture about the Fairgrounds, not the Coliseum

It really was not a big surprise that community meetings to gather ideas about how to redevelop the Fairgrounds were almost dominated by advocates who want to save the Mid-South Coliseum.

These folks have been vocal and persistent, and we certainly can understand why they want to save the 52-year-old “Roundhouse,” which spawns nostalgic memories of top musical acts, University of Memphis basketball games, professional wrestling, circuses, Memphis’ first professional basketball team (the TAMs), pro soccer and pro hockey.

There also is a belief that a restored Coliseum would draw concerts back to Memphis from Southaven’s Landers Center — if the Memphis Grizzlies, which manages FedExForum, could be persuaded to abandoned a no-compete agreement.

Still, a conversation about saving the Coliseum should not be allowed to hijack the city’s $233 million conceptual plan for the Fairgrounds. That plan is to have the property transformed into an amateur sports venue, with a retail and hotel component.

Robert Lipscomb, the city’s director of housing and community development, said redevelopment would be financed with at least $50 million in private funds, with the rest financed by bonds repaid with sales taxes collected in a broadly drawn tourism development zone (TDZ) that must be approved by the state.

Lipscomb, who is spearheading the redevelopment, said the financing plan would not leave taxpayers holding the bag for paying off the bonds.

We have supported the plan, which includes replacing the Coliseum with a multipurpose building. The Coliseum has had its day. Nostalgia advocates aside, is restoring the badly deteriorated building and meeting Americans with Disabilities Act requirements a prudent financial move?

We like the idea of a new multiuse facility, if it is truly going to be designed for multiple uses, including concerts. The design right now seems to be just for athletic uses.

The ideas offered at the community meetings were collected by community engagement consultant National Charrette Institute and are scheduled to be presented to the nationally recognized Urban Land Institute planning group this week.

A panel of ULI development experts will issue its recommendation about what to do with the Fairgrounds, possibly by Friday.

Some people questioned why out-of-town planners were used, instead of a local group. We think engaging national experts to facilitate the process was a smart move by the Wharton administration to dispel suspicion that the meetings were just a way to assuage critics of the city’s plan. The critics are numerous.

Some want to preserve this prime piece of Midtown real estate as green space. Others don’t think the amateur sports theme is feasible. Still others think the TDZ boundaries are way too broad, sucking sales taxes into the property that could fund other needs, including education.

They all got a chance to be heard last week. Who knows, maybe the Urban Land Institute planners will come up with a better plan. If they do, the city should give it serious consideration.

Redeveloping the Fairgrounds has been a frustrating process. This has been going on for a decade, but maybe a consensus plan is on the horizon. Redeveloping The Pyramid generated the same disagreements for what seemed like forever. But Lipscomb persevered with his plan to lure a Bass Pro Shops superstore, which is a true wonder.

Whatever is in store for the Fairgrounds, we hope it is something that adds value to Memphis and Midtown when it is finished. That includes being something still valuable and sustainable 30-40 years from now.