$62M Downtown parking plan moves ahead
A $62 million plan to overhaul Downtown Memphis’ parking options is one step closer to reality.
The plan tying together five separate but related projects that could ultimately add between 879 and 1,025 parking spaces — as well as a dog park, bike storage and retail space — to Downtown was approved by the Downtown Mobility Authority Wednesday evening. The exact number will depend on the number of parking spaces at the Brooks Museum.
“What we’re trying to do is do what our parking study and master plan... said to do which is focus on the core, focus on existing parking that we have and then build strategically if we have to,” said Downtown Memphis Commission President Jennifer Oswalt in a previous interview.
Board member Suzanne Carlson was the only vote against the plan Wednesday, voicing concerns about proceeding too quickly on something with a large price tag.
“I think it’s transformational, I think it’s transformational in a good way,” she said. “I would just encourage us to do a little more due diligence.”
The project will be financed through the PILOT extension fund, which collects taxes from Downtown developers that can only be used for Downtown parking and infrastructure, Oswalt said.
The largest piece of the plan is a proposed nine-level, 1,400-space garage that would be constructed on the site of the surface lot due north of the Orpheum Theatre bordered by Beale Street, Main Street, Peabody Place and Front Street. The current surface lot offers 212 spaces.
Brett Roler, commission vice president of planning and development, said during the meeting the garage follows a “park once concept,” which encourages people to park in the garage and then proceed to other Downtown locations on foot, bike, scooter or the trolley.
“Our vision here is to create a place of arrival and connection,” that will welcome Downtown visitors, he said. “It’s a lot more than parking, it’s about creating a central hub.”
The structure will have 13,000 square feet of retail, bike storage, showers, ride-sharing pickup and drop-off locations, and spaces for scooters.
In addition to the mobility center, the plan calls for a $3 million, two-floor addition to First Place Garage, which would add about 140 spaces to the 430spot garage. The commission also plans to make $1 million worth of “high-impact cosmetic improvements” to the shopper’s garage at 85 N. Front St. to make it more inviting, including repairing and adding a dog park.
The plans also call for renovating Wagner Street as a “festival street,” which would have all level surfaces and parking, driving and walking areas would be differentiated with different materials and colors, Roller said.
Those improvements are being bundled together with the creation of a switchback path down Cutbank Bluff, making a more accessible connection between Vance Avenue and the riverfront. Together, those improvements are expected to cost $6 million.
“Both are focused on improving access and connecting Tom Lee to Downtown,” Oswalt said.
The final piece of the plan involves the current Riverfront Garage, the only piece of the plan that would see parking spots removed. The space will be the future home of the Brooks Museum, which will have between 150 and 300 parking spaces when finished, compared to the current 638 the garage offers, according to Oswalt.
Several people who live and work by the garage expressed concerns about the removal of parking spaces and a lack of public input on the project thus far.
The projects will next go before the Center City Revenue Finance Corporation and then on to the Memphis City Council, Shelby County Commission, city and county mayors and Design Review Board for approval.
Corinne Kennedy covers economic development, soccer and COVID-19’S impact on hospitals for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email at Corinne.kennedy@commercialappeal .com or at 901-297-3245.