Memphis 3.0 gets approval from board for land use
The city of Memphis got a step closer Thursday to officially adopting a “build up, not out” ethos.
The Memphis-shelby Land Use Control Board approved Memphis 3.0, a sweeping plan that sets detailed planning standards and priorities for a city that for decades saw development sprawl farther and farther from its urban core.
The board’s green light on Thursday was the first step towards city council adoption this year as Memphis begins its third century, which would mark the first comprehensive plan adoption for the city since the early 1980s.
Roughly 30 people expressed their support for the new comprehensive plan, calling it “forward-thinking” and “a product of the people.”
“We know historic districts will be protected in this plan,” said June West, executive director of Memphis Heritage.
Cities adopt comprehensive plans to guide future growth, set land use, design and infrastructure priorities for certain areas and prevent a disorganized development landscape.
Carnita Atwater, executive director of the New Chicago Community Development Corporation, believes the plan is “not inclusive” and will leave some of Memphis’ African-american legacy neighborhoods behind.
The plan will further prop up parts of the city that are already seeing investment and development, Atwater said.
“The people at the table are picking the neighborhoods they want to develop,” she said. “What about neighborhoods that haven’t received funding for 30 or 40 years?”
Plan names, relies on ‘anchors’
The roughly 400-page document was created over two years, and it was rolled out for public consumption in December. The plan relies on “anchors,” neighborhoods and activity and job centers that can spur development in their surrounding areas.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland an-