FAST FACTS:
(Memphis 6/23/10) There's a major push to standardize new developments in Midtown and it's getting a lot of public support.
The goal is to make the area more walkable and create an urban feel. It's called the Midtown Overlay project. If things goes as planned, it could make Midtown a place where people walk, shop and fill the sidewalks everyday.
Midtowners hope their streets will be more pedestrian-friendly in the future, but unless zoning laws change soon, they worries Midtown is headed from an urban feel to a suburban clone.
Midtowner, Greg Geske said, "I want more bike lanes and to be able to walk places around this area."
And he's not alone. About 200 people packed the Circuit Playhouse to hear urban planner Chooch Pickard describe the plan.
Pickard said the plan includes, "Bringing buildings up to the street, making them pedestrian friendly, having them transparent in the front, parking in the back, and really trying to make walkable, livable neighborhoods."
The proposed zoning change only focuses on new development and would create taller buildings. For the most part support is strong, but a few fear there's not enough demand to fill the bigger buildings. Supporters say the plan will attract young professionals like Jonathan Flynt who just moved here from New York City.
"Memphis has a lot of catching up to do," said Flynt. "A lot of the rules and ordinances and zoning and things of that nature are very outdated compared to a lot of other communities and a lot of other cities that have a much higher quality of life."
Flynt thinks the change should have happened years ago, but in Memphis it's still a work in progress.
"We want it to reflect what the community wants," said city council member Shea Flynn. "The stuff we hear, both the positive and the negative, is worth its weight in gold."
They're hoping to get the plan in front of city council July 8th and in the meantime, the council wants your opinion on the matter before they make a decision.
- Midtown Overlay plan would change zoning rules
- Proposed plan would only focus on new development
- Goal is to create pedestrian-friendly streets
(Memphis 6/23/10) There's a major push to standardize new developments in Midtown and it's getting a lot of public support.
The goal is to make the area more walkable and create an urban feel. It's called the Midtown Overlay project. If things goes as planned, it could make Midtown a place where people walk, shop and fill the sidewalks everyday.
Midtowners hope their streets will be more pedestrian-friendly in the future, but unless zoning laws change soon, they worries Midtown is headed from an urban feel to a suburban clone.
Midtowner, Greg Geske said, "I want more bike lanes and to be able to walk places around this area."
And he's not alone. About 200 people packed the Circuit Playhouse to hear urban planner Chooch Pickard describe the plan.
Pickard said the plan includes, "Bringing buildings up to the street, making them pedestrian friendly, having them transparent in the front, parking in the back, and really trying to make walkable, livable neighborhoods."
The proposed zoning change only focuses on new development and would create taller buildings. For the most part support is strong, but a few fear there's not enough demand to fill the bigger buildings. Supporters say the plan will attract young professionals like Jonathan Flynt who just moved here from New York City.
"Memphis has a lot of catching up to do," said Flynt. "A lot of the rules and ordinances and zoning and things of that nature are very outdated compared to a lot of other communities and a lot of other cities that have a much higher quality of life."
Flynt thinks the change should have happened years ago, but in Memphis it's still a work in progress.
"We want it to reflect what the community wants," said city council member Shea Flynn. "The stuff we hear, both the positive and the negative, is worth its weight in gold."
They're hoping to get the plan in front of city council July 8th and in the meantime, the council wants your opinion on the matter before they make a decision.
