Trees Cut on Bluff

Responding to complaints by blufftop residents that trees were blocking their view, the City and Riverfront Development Corporation sent trucks and crews to the Bluff on Saturday morning (4/20) to cut down 25 trees.

Several people were shocked to see the trees gone, apparently without any public notice or review.

"Officials say the planned removal of 25 trees from the bluff section of the Riverwalk is not for the benefit of residents in high-dollar homes overlooking the Mississippi River, although a study associated with the project was triggered in part by residential complaints about obstructed views," acording to an article in the Commercial Appeal.  That study was prepared January 2013 by JPA, Inc. and also included other suggestions for maintenance of the Bluffwalk area.

Strangely, four days earlier, the City Council had approved members to a Memphis Tree Board to advise the City on "the stewardship of public trees, promote public awareness programs of the positive contributions of trees in the community,...."  The new board is composed of Mark Follis, PHD, ISA Certified Arborist; Westly Hopper, ISA Cerfitied Arborist; Eldra White, Memphis City Beautiful; Christopher O.Brian, Certified Arborist; Eric Bridges, SAT Certified Arborist; and Andree Glen, BOMA Certified RPA, FMA.

"Fish Story" - Tackling world problems, Starting in Memphis

"Fish Story" is an environmental art project. It's participatory, which means involving the public to look at what's happening around us and to see what we can do to make a difference.



Artist Aviva Rahmani doesn't live in Memphis, but she sees our city, sitting in the middle of the 3rd largest floodplain in the world, as a nexus for change. According to Ms. Rahmani and the scientists involved in this project, fish in our rivers (the Ghost, Wolf, and Mississippi) reflect human challenges. As fish go, so go people.

Take part in "Fish Story." Free. All ages invited.
Tues., May 7, 7 - 7"30 pm at Crosstown Arts
Fri., May 10, 5 - 8 pm at Memphis College of Art
Sat., May 11, 2 - 3 pm at Memphis College of Art

Picking up riverfront trash, one piece at a time

Chad Pregracke has been named a CNN Hero for his commitment to our River. For the past three years, he and his Living Lands and Waters volunteers have visited Memphis each spring. With local volunteers from the University of Memphis (the River Warriors) and others, they've tackled the debris in McKellar Lake and our industrial port.

The scale was smaller when local Memphis volunteer groups and individuals hooked together to give downtown a spring cleaning, but the intention was the same. As Pregracke says, it's about more than conservation, it's about "creating a chance for people to go out there and do something positive."

Hook Up to Clean Up - on Memphis Cobblestone Landing (click to enlarge)

Click HERE for more photos from the clean-up and below for a short video on Pregracke and his fantastic work. This spring on McKellar Lake, Living Lands and Waters collected more than 120,000 pounds of garbage in 14 days.

 

Hook Up 2 Clean Up

(click to enlarge)

Time for a little spring cleaning to spruce up downtown and the riverfront. Lots of organizations are working together to make it happen, so put on your jeans and boots, come down, & help!

Sat., Apr. 13 

10am - 1pm 

Kicks off at AutoZone Park/Redbirds Stadium 

& there's an after party with food & music back at the park, too. 

Free parking in garage @ 250 Peabody Place.  (Print & bring flyer.)

 For more info. & to register ahead of time, click HERE.

Bass Pro to Rethink Road

(click to enlarge)

Today's sustainability/complete streets thinking calls for giving less of our cities to cars and more room to bikers, walkers, and mass transit.  This trend toward a more walkable, livable city has taken root in Memphis, and Bass Pro is reconsidering road options to the Pyramid.

Consultant Jeff Speck saw that the road to Bass Pro was being designed for cars and trucks only and made some suggestions about how complete street principles could be applied. His drawing (above)  suggests a "road diet" - narrowing the proposed road from 4 to 2 lanes of traffic and adding biking, parking, and walking along the sides. There are other road design options, too. Since the roadway has not yet been built and leads only to large parking lots and the store, it could be 2 lanes without parking; bike lanes and walking paths could be separate and located away from the road. 

At the request of the Memphis Downtown Commission Design Review Board (DRB), Bass Pro is reconsidering their exterior sign proposals for the Pyramid, parking lots, and roadway, and, based on Speck's recommendations, modifications to the proposed road design, too. 

Here's a video on Complete Streets in Memphis:

 

Creative Lighting - Citizens did it in Athens & Memphis

Athenians lit up Pittaki Street. It had been dim, poorly trafficked, and neglected, until a citizen driven experiment turned the street into a year-long installation of lanterns and lamps, a place they wanted to be.

Artist Robin Salant's Crosstown Solar Lighting was a big hit and brought Memphis Sears Crosstown back to life. Wonder how Memphians would light a street, alley, pathway, under a bridge, along the riverfront, ...?  What if Bass Pro asked us to light the Pyramid and Bass Pro Boulevard?

How we light public spaces is important.

 
Δημιουργώντας τη ΣΥΝ - ΟΙΚΙΑ Πιττάκη / Making SYN - OIKIA Pittaki from Imagine the City on Vimeo.

For more info. about Pittaki Street, click HERE.

Can You Guess

Where & When?


Read more »

Jeff Speck to Share Recommendations for Memphis Riverfront

"The City Livable: Modest Suggestions for Making Memphis Great" -- That was the fascinating, funny, thought provoking talk that author/consultant/new urbanism advocate/planner Jeff Speck gave in 2008 as guest of the Memphis Regional Design Center.

He will be back in Memphis, and you won't want to miss it. At the request of Mayor Wharton, Speck has analyzed past plans and will share his thoughts and recommendations for the Memphis riverfront.

March 18 (Mon.),  5:30 pm

Memphis Cook Convention Center, Rm. 205

Free. Public Invited.

Thanks to Gates of Memphis blog, here is

Speck's 2008 talk - 12 Suggestions for a Great Memphis 

and posts inspired by Speck's visit:

The Core Idea 

Completing Main Street

Where Do We Deserve an Urban Waterfront? 

Start Defacing our Economic Advantage

Woonerf, La Rambia, Park Blocks, and Main Street 

Master Plans and Public Participation 

Fight Flight Blight 

Is Memphis Landing 'cobblestoned' or 'setted'?

The Memphis Landing is paved with real rocks, but are they cobblestones? The answer requires a little historical and etymological digging.

'Cobblestone' comes from the old English word 'cob', which means a large rounded lump. In the 15th c. the diminutive suffix 'le' was added to give us 'cobble', a small stone rounded by the flow of water. It was these smooth 'cobbles', gathered from stream beds, that were used to pave the first 'cobblestone' streets. Paving with cobbles helped prevent ruts, mud in wet weather, and dust in dry weather - the same benefits that came to Memphis from paving our Landing.

By the 19th century, granite was being quarried and used for paving. The quarried rocks were called 'cobblestones', but the real term for them is 'setts'. Unlike stream rounded cobbles, setts are more even, roughly rectangular in shape, and laid in regular patterns.

It seems that Memphis Cobblestone Landing might more properly be called Memphis Sett Landing. The rocks that pave it were quarried at seven sites, shipped to Memphis, and laid as a public works project in two phases: 1859 - 1869 and 1879 - 1881.

But whatever the correct term for the paving, the Memphis Landing holds a significant place in American history. For more information, click HERE and HERE for starters.

Trash & Money Problems Surface

@ Beale Street Landing - Trash Problem. Pre-2008, part of this area was a small wetland and much of the debris washed in by the River was hidden from view. Today trash is still brought in by an eddy and part of it trapped between Beale Street Landing's floating dock and sheet pile wall. Unfortunately maintenance and operation costs were not calculated as part of the now $42M project, most of which has been a City expense.




@ Cobblestone Landing - More Money Needed.  RDC says that TDOT regulations and federal cutbacks have put the project in jeopardy unless the City can come up with an extra $1.1 to $1.2M.  Gone is the $7M appropriated by State of TN for restoration of the Cobblestone Landing in 1996, spent in 2002 on the sidewalk at the top of the Landing along Riverside Drive and in 2009 on Beale Street Landing (phase 2).

Pyramid --

* Building Changes Approved; Work Out for Bid

* Signs Head Back to Drawing Board

It's a bit confusing, because there were two applications by Bass Pro before the Downtown Memphis Commission Design Review Board (DRB)  -- One for changes to the outside of the Pyramid building itself and a second application for signs.

The outcome:

1. Exterior building changes (excluding the flag at the Pyramid's pinnacle) approved. Bass Pro putting the work out for bid.
2. Sign application to be modified based on comments and concerns and resubmitted, along with information about flag, for review Mon. Mar. 18 at 9 am.

Putting a big box store into an urban setting is not easy, and this is a first for Bass Pro and for downtown Memphis. At the DRB meeting, everyone seemed to want to collaborate to support the financial success of Bass Pro and the urban quality and livability of adjoining sections of downtown.

Before the meeting, Bass Pro had made some changes to address concerns:




* A modified map with 30 proposed signs was shown. The 6-story, digital screened, pylon sign, proposed for Riverside Drive at Jefferson, had been eliminated. (image at left, click to enlarge)








* The log cabin-style main entrance had fewer logs and more glass, an effort to fit better with the sleek Pyramid. (image at left, click to enlarge)



Concerns that the Pyramid will not have an east entrance door to Front Street and the Pinch District had been voiced, but Bass Pro said that the store's interior layout did not permit an entrance on that side of the building. That decision could strike a long-term blow against refurbishing the Pinch District as a pedestrian commercial area with connections to St. Jude Hospital.

The revised Sign Map indicated 30 locations for signs. Many of the comments centered on the Pyramid building itself and the proposed fish logo signs.

Comments were thoughtful and thought provoking. Click
Channel 3,  Channel 13,  Commercial Appeal,  Daily News.

Bass Pro has headed back to the drawing board. A new sign application will be submitted to Design Review Board for consideration at their Mar. 18 meeting.
Update (3/13):  Mar. 18 DRB meeting postponed to allow Bass Pro to fully consider comments and consider design options.

FfOR Urges DRB to Work with Bass Pro on More Appropriate Signs for Downtown Memphis

click to enlarge

Links:

Image of Bass Pro Destin, FL store

NPR "Big Box Retailers Move to Smaller Stores in Cities 

Architectural Record "Big Box Stores Slim Down for Urban Settings"

How BIG are the Bass Pro signs?

They're BIG, and they're not just going on the Pyramid. Here's a map.

(click to enlarge)

Each logo sign  is 66' x 90'. That's 4,169 square feet each; larger than most houses, and they are lighted. There are 4 of them, one on each side of the Pyramid.










Each pylon sign is 64' tall (excluding the flags on top). About the height of a 6-story building, they're 2 -1/2 times as big as the statue of Ramasses and taller than the head of President Washington at Mount Rushmore. There are 2 of them, and the screens are digital.














The entry signs are 23' high and more than 41' wide. There are 2 of these.


To see all the signs in the submitted sign application, click HERE.

Design Review Board meets Wed. at 4 pm at 114 N. Main.

OR email Brett Roler <roler@downtownmemphis.com>

Bass Pro/Pyramid Signs Up for Review

The Memphis Downtown Commission Design Review Board will review Bass Pro's sign proposal for the Pyramid, parking lots, and "Water Features and Trail Paths" on March 6 (Wed.) at 4 pm in their conference room at 114 N. Main Str., 38103

(to see full screen, click on arrows in lower left corner)

Yes, Bass Pro needs signs so that their customers can find the Pyramid, but these signs do not comply with the current City Sign Code or with the citizen-based draft for a new City Sign Code.  In great cities, aesthetics matter, and big box stores are learning how to comply and fit better in urban settings.

The March 6 meeting is open to the public or you may comment by email to Brett Roler <roler@downtownmemphis.com>; copy Paul Morris <morris@downtownmemphis.com>

Click HERE for Bass Pro's exterior sign application.
HERE for Commercial Appeal coverage.

Best Waterfront Projects for 2012

From a small beloved Waterfront Submarine Playground in Nova Scotia to a water renaturalization/ development project in Singapore, from the transformation of Malta's historic quay to New York City's Staten Island Ferry Terminal  -- there are 10 winners, 7 from outside the U. S - selected to receive the Waterfront Center's Excellence in Design Award.

click to enlarge

The Top Honor Award went to Auckland, New Zealand's Jellicoe Str., N. Wharf Promenade, and Silo Park - a project that kept the city's gritty working waterfront and made it public. Shipping crates are now seats; the street has been narrowed and a tram and plants added to give the feeling of a pedestrian boulevard. A cement silo has become an iconic Silo Park landmark, and a bio-retention wetland, passive recreation, and a weekend market are part of the mix. (images at right)

For the past 30 years the Waterfront Center in Washington, DC has sponsored the award process to recognize the best waterfront projects.  Decisions are based on a project's good design, economic feasibility, participatory planning, environmental sensitivity, provision of the maximum amount of public access, and how the project is tailored to the individuality, history, and economic climate of its community.

Click HERE, select 2012, and take a look at the winners. Be sure to read the short project descriptions & jury comments. Food for thought.

Adventure, Exploration, Learning - By Canoe Around Big Island

There's so much to learn and experience on OUR River, and John Ruskey, Mike Clark, Mighty Quapaws, and Kipp students have headed out to do just that as they circumnavigate Big Island by canoe!

Big Island is defined by the three biggest and most important rivers in the deep south - the Mississippi, the Arkansas, and the White.

Heading out from Rosedale, MS by canoe, the explorers will paddle down the Mississippi to the AR River confluence and set up a base camp for several days of natural science research and documentation in this area, full of bear, wild board, and birds.

In the next phase, the team will paddle up the AR River for 43 miles through a difficult meandering section where at times the boats will need to be pulled by rope. Base camp 2 will be in Big Island's deep woods, and part of the research and documentaion will be to find signs of the reclusive LA Black Bear, and a bird and amphibian count.

The next challenge - to find a suitable back channel oxbow lake or wetland to cross to reach the White River, and once found, to portage the canoes across. Then paddling downstream, the explorers will travel 20 miles through a remote area of the White River National Wildlife Refuge and set up a third base camp. From it, the paddlers will explore the remote bayous around which are found the giant Bald Cypress, bears, raccoons, prothontary warblers and bald eagles.

To enter the MS from the White, the team will pass through a lock and dam. Then they begin the final 25-mile leg down the Mighty Mississippi. Along the way they will visit a steamboat wreck, the Victor, and an old channel of the White behind Montgomery Island.

Follow along. For a daily update, data, and more on the mission, route, and team, click HERE.

To support this and other fantastic learning adventures, give to the Lower Mississippi River Foundation.

Principles & Goals of Chicago's Lakefront Development

• The public will have access along the Lake Michigan shoreline from Evanston to Indiana.
• More parkland and beaches will be created.
• A continuous lakefront path for walking and biking will be developed along Chicago's entire 30-mile length of shoreline.
• Greenway corridors will link to the lakefront parks.
• The development of sustainable new parkland will help improve the Lake Michigan coastal ecosystem, including the creation of aquatic and wildlife habitat.
• The new park construction will be sensitive to the preservation of local cultural history.
• Planning for new lakefront parkland will consider previous and current open-space and greenway planning efforts. 

PBS Tour of Chicago's Lakefront

The story of how Chicago made almost its entire lakefront a paradise for the people.

The history, politics, habitat, architecture, beauty, and amenities of the 16-mile unbroken ribbon of public parks that line the Chicago lakefront. 1 1/2 hour long, the video is broken into 5 chapters, so you can watch on your own schedule. This is the short introduction with a link to full program.

 

Watch Chicago's Lakefront with Geoffrey Baer on PBS. See more from Geoffrey Baer Tours.

Mississippi River Kid's Song wins Grammy

Not only did The Okee Dokee Brothers win a 2013 Grammy for their children's song, but they thanked the Mississippi River for the award. "Can you Canoe?" is about the two friends's month long canoe trip from Minneapolis downriver to St. Louis.



To get out on the River yourself, visit Quapaw Canoe Company.

So Much to Love about our Riverfront

Happy Valentine's Day

Greenprint Plan - A Map for the Future

1st Public Meeting -- Your Ideas Wanted

Tues., Feb. 19, 2013 
Memphis Botanic Gardens (750 Cherry Rd)
5:30 Open house, 6 - 7 pm Program 

 Last year Memphis received $2.6M grant to involve citizens in creating a  a Greenprint Sustainability Plan - a guide for our region on how to connect and provide accessibility using green space. It's to include parks, natural areas, bike lanes, walking paths, waterways, open space, ..., through Memphis neighborhoods, into Shelby County and surrounding areas in TN, AR, and MS.



We know it's important to protect area flood plains, floodways, and acquifer recharge areas. Could they give us a base for how to connect? Here's a map; click to enlarge.

How 'bout Using QR Codes for Memphis Walk Through Time?

They're doing it in Rio - using bar codes, actually QR codes, to give information to tourists and locals. Black and white mosaics are being laid in the sidewalks and it seems to be a big hit.

Smart phones make it possible. Users load a QR app into their phone, scan or photograph the sidewalk mosaic, and it takes them to a website for information, a map, and some history. And in Rio the information is in several languages.

Portugal may have been the first place to use QR codes this way, and Memphis might be a great place to try it next. A relatively inexpensive and aesthetically sensitive way to share information, QR codes could lead us on a fascinating walk through time around downtown and along our riverfront. And they can link us to the sounds of a place, too. Seems like a natural for Memphis.



For more info. on Rio QR mosaics, click HERE.
For more info. on QRadio, click HERE.
For an interactive map to some of downtown Memphis's historic spots, click HERE.

The Riverfront That Might Have Been (circa 1923)

Click to enlarge.

This plan for the Memphis riverfront was prepared in 1923 (89 years ago) by Harland Bartholomew. It was the year Calvin Coolidge became President following the death of Warren G. Harding; the first issue of Time magazine was published; and 1.8 million Fords were produced. It was the roaring twenties, and the plan captures the urbanization and industrialization of the era.

We've added a few labels to help you get your bearings. The original rendering hangs now in the Memphis Office of Planning and Development in City Hall.

Thanks to  Memphis Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) for posting the rendering on their website.  DNA's purpose is to promote, enhance, and protect the quality of life in the downtown area and to maintain and foster a spirit of community for downtown residents, business, and visitors. Click HERE for more info., events, their newsletter, and to join. 

Bass Pro/Pyramid Plan gets LUCB Nod with "friendly amendment" that Out-Parcels require further Board Approval

The Planned Unit Development for Bass Pro/Pyramid was approved by the Land Use Control Board  this morning (1/10/13) with a friendly amendment that requires more detailed plans for 4 blocks of "out-parcels" be brought back to LUCB.

The Planned Development area covers 47.64 acres - all the land between Wolf River Harbor and Front Street from Auction /A.W. Willis on the north to Winchester on the south. Development is to be in two phases.
Maps at right; click to enlarge.

The site plan for phase 1 shows parking, a water feature, and 4 blocks on the west side of Front Str. designated as "out parcels."  LUCB members supported the development plan but found the plans for the 4 blocks of out parcels to be ambiguous and unclearly delineated.

 "out parcels" in 2008 illustration

The 4 blocks could be subleased by Bass Pro, and, although subject to the Unified Development Code and Central Business District guidelines, the LUCB recognized the prominence of these 4 blocks. In a "friendly amendment," they unanimously voted to require that, as they are prepared, the individual site and use plans for the out parcels come back to LUCB for review and approval as individual plats.

For the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Planning and Development Staff Report, click HERE.

For audio of the meeting, click HERE. Discussion of Bass Pro/Pyramid Plan runs from minute 30:57 - 42.

Happy Holidays from Friends for Our Riverfront!