Beale $treet Landing back in the budget

The City Council is convinced that what Memphis needs is more glitz, this time in the form of a new commercial boat dock. On a motion by Councilmember Ricky Peete, $29.4-million is back in the City budget to build Beale Street Landing.

At the CIP wrap-up session on May 24th, few facts were discussed, but the Council was back in lock-step with the Administration to see that this project goes forward. As Peete, the Council’s former representative on the RDC Board, said, “We have to have some vision if we are going to be on a par with Atlanta.”

Councilmember Joe Brown seconded Peete’s motion.

There were two opposing voices: Councilmembers E. C. Jones, Chairman of the CIP Budget Committee, and Carol Chumney.

“I love the riverfront, but my constituents can’t get sewers,” Jones said. “Not one person from my district has called and asked for a new commercial boat dock.... Part of District 1 had to wait twelve years to get one street fixed. The Police Department needs a new helicopter, but we can’t find the money.”

It’s a “$29-million boondoggle, a glitzy project that’s not going to work out,” Chumney warned. “This is the type of choice that has gotten Memphis in the situation we’re in. We don’t have the riverfront we need because we haven’t taken what we have and made it work.” She suggested that a better approach to the riverfront would include figuring out what to do with the Pyramid and re-opening restaurants and shops on an under-utilized Mud Island.

Councilmember Scott McCormick shot back that “Mud Island is not under-utilized.” McCormick is the Council’s new representative on the RDC board.

It’s “current New World architecture,” said Councilmember Tom Marshall to support the design that had been criticized in committee.

Councilmember Dedrick Brittenum also supported the project, but pointed out that we need to balance infrastructure needs with new projects and that for the same amount of money we could get the new 911 Call Center we so desperately need. The Call Center is not in the budget.

The vote was not by roll-call, so it’s unclear where Councilmember Madeleine Cooper Taylor, who opposed the boat dock in committee, stood. But it was clear that Councilmember Barbara Swearengen Ware is for it and for the rest of the new riverfront development, too.

Councilmembers Sammons, Lowery, Taylor, and Ford were absent.

There will be three readings of the budget and a final full Council vote on June 5, but, as things stand now, we’re headed for another expensive project. It all seems so deja-vu. In the ‘80s we believed that a public-private plan for a Pyramid and tourist development of Mud Island were going to create the “Ninth Wonder of the World.” Click here to refresh your memory.

The questions remain: Do we need it? Can we afford it? Will it work? If you’d like to let the Councilmembers know where you stand, you may e-mail them at this Web page.

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Beale Street Landing cut in committee

By the time the proposed budget for Beale Street Landing got to the City Council CIP Budget Committee on Friday, the cost of the project had been corrected to read $29.4 million. The committee took a look at the design and numbers and concluded that $29 million was too much.

In discussion, committee members said the new boat dock is “ugly” and not a priority for their constituents.

The vote to cut funding for the project was 3 to 2 on a motion by Carol Chumney, seconded by Madeleine Cooper Taylor. E.C. Jones, chairman of the committee, joined in the opinion. Committee members Scott McCormick and Dedrick Brittenum voted to fund the commercial dock.

Click here, then click "Council rejects funding for Beale St. project" to see a video story by Channel 5. FfOR board member Sue A. Williams is interviewed. [Not recommended for dialup users]

The CIP is still a work in progress, so if you have an opinion or question, you may e-mail Council members by clicking here.

To see the corrected CIP budget for all RDC projects, click here.

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What's happening at Beale $treet Landing?

We got a copy of the proposed Capital Improvements budget, and to our surprise and consternation, the cost of Beale Street Landing has jumped from $29-million to $47-million. What happened?

We’ve heard it’s an error by the finance department. Well, $18-million is a pretty big error.

Work on Beale Street Landing is supposed to start this fall, and cost is not the only looming question about this project. The original thought was to have something special at the foot of Beale. The original cost estimate was $10-million. Now, at either $29-million or $47-million, Beale Street Landing is sucking up a lot of money that could be cleaning up the Public Promenade, completing the Bluffwalk, and restoring the Cobblestone Landing, to name just a few of the public’s top priorities for the riverfront.

We’ve been told that the underground parking garage is gone from the plan - replaced by surface parking in Tom Lee Park. Where exactly? We’re not sure, and how will it affect runners, bikers, walkers, and those who love the view from South Bluff? Engineers have questions [PDF, 289KB] about whether the floating dock will work. Who’s going to use it? Who’s going to maintain it?

In an interview airing during May on WYPL TV-18, Fred Kent, the founder of Project for Public Spaces, told John Branston,

it could be a serious mistake in my view. We looked at the drawings, and we saw an extremely expensive design statement. The sort of round pods at different ways may look interesting, and I’m sure will get some mention in design journals. … We kept looking, but it really comes down to what do you do there?

Whatever the answer, it’s going to be an expensive place to do it.

The City Council will vote on whether to approve funding for Beale Street Landing. If you want to send your questions or comments to Councilmembers, click here.

The budget is posted in the library.

To read the "Flyer" article "Garage Gate Part II" and FfOR's review of Beale Street Landing, click here.

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Canoe & Kayak Race -- Riverfront Users give their Suggestions

This year’s 26th Annual Outdoors Inc. Canoe & Kayak Race on May 5th may have been the best ever -- lots of paddlers, hikers, runners, walkers, and riverfront lovers enjoying a slightly cloudy morning on the river.



Lots of people stopped by the FfOR booth to visit. As a "placemaking" experiment and follow-up to the Project for Public Spaces workshop, we asked them to fill out a questionnaire telling what they do on the riverfront and what uses and changes they'd recommend. Of the 50 people who responded,
47% bike there.
59% paddle there.
41% hike, jog, run, or walk there.
8% live near there.
Others said they boat, enjoy the peacefulness and the river, fish, fly kites, picnic, play, relax, ski, visit, volunteer, watch sunsets, work, and worship there.

The common themes were “green, natural, accessible, connected.”

Responses showed that people loved being in Jefferson Davis Park and having the freedom to “play there”, “sit on the riverbank”, “enjoy the peacefulness.” “Don’t change it, just clean it up.” “Keep it natural. Keep it fun!”

Bikers, runners, and walkers asked for connected paths and wanted bike access to Mud Island. Several asked for access to the monorail’s walkway for walkers and bikers year-round.
One idea: install a freight elevator on one of the monorail’s pylons for access to the monorail’s walkway from Jefferson Davis Park. Others emphasized connecting bike and hiking paths throughout the city and suggested a route from V-Line to N. Parkway to the Downtown Riverfront.

“Fix and clean-up the cobblestones.” Paddlers want access to launch their canoes and kayaks in the harbor from the historic cobblestone area. They also suggested a small storage spot and parking on the cobblestones, weekend shuttle service, and more races. “Repair the cobblestones; shore them up at the bottom to prevent gravity pulling down cobblestones, which is a response to the dredging.” “More water access for recreational boating.” “Cleaner harbor.” “Guided canoe trips along the River and its tributaries to raise awareness of our waterfront and varied ecosystems.” “Government support for a green, beautiful, publicly usable waterfront.” “Clean things up and keep it beautiful.” “No more parking lots.”

One person suggested a Fish-Food dispenser in Jefferson Davis Park or on the cobblestones for children to buy handfuls of food for $.50 to feed the fish. Others suggested: more restrooms, a place on the river to sell lunch to boaters, more fishing activity, more regular special events, more use of Mud Island facilities, patio dining at the Visitor’s Center, food vendors, more events like the canoe and kayak race/not commercial development, markers about the history of the river and history of Memphis, Saturday afternoon “Art in the Park” or “Tunes for Free” volunteer concerts, “more nature!! Preservation of natural habitats and the serenity of indigenous trees, plants, animals. The river is a respite from commercialization and development – a place to escape from city-life.”

The emphasis was on beauty and nature, and, over and over, the comments were “more green and public access.”
“Keep it green.” “Protect the Promenade.” “Tear down the fire station, garage, library – now!” “Keep the park for public use; let the builders build elsewhere.” “People and parks over corporate profit, please.”

Maybe the most important thing we heard: “Involve river users in the decision making process.” As the Project for Public Spaces says, if you want a great destination, listen to the people who use and know the space.

Many thanks to Joe Royer and the folks at Outdoors, Inc. who offer us this great event every year and to Sue Williams for these beautiful photographs.

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Lead Architect for 1987 Memphis Plan Receives Prestigious Award

Denise Scott Brown, the lead architect/planner on the Center City Commission's 1987 Plan for Downtown Memphis, has just received the prestigious Vilcek Prize.


Awarded this March, the Vilcek Prize is given each year to two foreign-born Americans who have profoundly benefited society through their work in either the arts or sciences. In his introductory remarks, architecture critic Paul Goldberger said, “No one who pays attention to the worlds of architecture and planning could fail to recognize Denise Scott Brown as a figure of extraordinary stature.” As an architect, planner, writer, and educator, she has influenced architects and planners worldwide.

It seems like the perfect time to review her plan for Memphis.

Click here for the highlights that deal with the riverfront.
Click here to read the entire riverfront section in our library.
For more information about the Vilcek Prize and Denise Scott Brown, click here.

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