Uptown West Master Plan Prepared for: US Army Corps of Engineers (Memphis District) :: Riverfront Development Corporation :: Memphis and Shelby County Community Redevelopment Agency :: Memphis Housing Authority. Prepared by: Looney Ricks Kiss, in conjunction with The Pickering Firm :: Alta Planning + Design :: Blair Parker Design :: Powers Hill Design Memphis, Tennessee :: August 27, 2012 Executive Summary In 2011, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Memphis District) along with the Riverfront Development Client Corporation (RDC) and Memphis and Shelby County Community Redevelopment Agency, commissioned a Master Plan for the western portion of the Uptown neighborhood near downtown Riverfront Development Corporation Memphis, Tennessee. Herein referred to as Uptown West (a working name for the purposes of this plan), this area represents a significant opportunity for redevelopment and reinvestment in the core of Memphis. US Army Corps of Engineers – Memphis District This report summarizes the findings of a year-long process to identify potential long-term public and private improvements for Uptown West, and how those improvements can best be arranged to promote Memphis and Shelby County Community the most active, sustainable, safe and desirable Uptown West area. The master planning process consisted Redevelopment Agency of research, public input, analysis, and design. Memphis Housing Authority & City Prior riverfront studies and improvements have been instrumental in creating more than 12 miles of of Memphis Division of Housing and waterfront and parks, and improved access and utilization of the Mississippi River and Wolf River Harbor. Community Development Previously, the Memphis Riverfront Master Plan in 2002 called for some improvements and uses that are no longer applicable in this environment, necessitating a comprehensive study of the Uptown West area. Lauderdale Greenlaw, LLC The Uptown West Steering Committee was created to coordinate the planning project and eventually coordinate the implementation of the recommendations. See the Appendix for Steering Committee membership list. Consultants The first part of this master planning process included public input through public meetings, a design The Pickering Firm – Engineers workshop, an online survey, and stakeholder interviews. The public was asked to express their vision for Uptown West. Using the public’s input designers from Looney Ricks Kiss (LRK) developed four themed Looney Ricks Kiss – Master Planners preliminary concepts that imagined improvements to the waterfront, green network, transportation connections and private property. Alta Planning + Design – Bicycle & The second part of the master planning process included presenting these preliminary concepts in public Pedestrian Planners meetings and stakeholder meetings. Using the public input, LRK created a Master Plan which illustrated what uses and public improvements would be most appropriate in Uptown West. A detailed plan depicted Blair Parker Design – Landscape the potential long-range redevelopment of the area. Architects The last part of the master planning process included an order of magnitude cost estimate for the master Powers Hill Design – Public Engagement plan, enabling future decisions spanning the next 25 years to be made about how to best implement the plan. It is this recommended Master Plan which is herein described in detail. *All images and graphics are copyright LRK Inc., unless noted otherwise. 2 Uptown West :: © 2012 LRK Inc. Table of Contents PART I – BACKGROUND 1 Uptown West 4 1.1 History of Uptown: 1870 – 1938 . .6 History of Uptown: 1938 – 2000 . .7 1.2 Uptown West Today . 8 1.3 How will this Master Plan for Uptown West be used?. 10 PART II – THE MASTER PLAN 2 What Could Uptown West Become? 12 2.1 What is the public looking for in Uptown West? . 14 2.2 How will Uptown West relate to the neighborhood? . 16 2.3 Overall Trail and Harborfront. 18 r Gayoso Bayou Sub-Area . 20 o North Front Street Sub-Area . 22 r b r e Henry Avenue Neighborhood Sub-Area . 24 a v i H Washington Park Landing Sub-Area . 26 R r Harbor View Neighborhood Sub-Area . 28 e v Levee Harbor Sub-Area . 30 i 2.4 How will access be improved? . 32 i R p 2.5 Uptown West Land Use Plan . 34 p f l 2.6 What does Uptown West gain? . 36 i o 2.7 What happens to industry? . 38 s s W i 2.8 How can we celebrate our heritage? . 39 s 2.9 Order of Magnitude Cost for public improvements . 40 s i 2.10 Zoning and Street Frontages . 41 M 2.11 and Floodgate Access . 42 2.12 What is the next step? . 43 PART III – THE PROCESS 3 What went into the process? 44 3.1 What is Uptown West like today? . 46 3.2 Physical Conditions and Land Use . 48 3.3 What about the Mississippi River?. 50 3.4 River & Floodwall . 52 3.5 Street Improvements and Trolley . 54 3.6 Land Use Concepts . 56 3.7 What does the community want? . 58 3.8 How was the community involved? . 60 3.9 What principles will guide the plan’s implementation? . 62 PART IV – THE APPENDICES For Appendices A through P please refer to Appendices Index STUDY AREA Study Area © 2012 LRK Inc. :: Uptown West 3 1 UPTOWN WEST 4 Uptown West :: © 2012 LRK Inc. UPTOWN WEST Wolf River Harbor looking north from the A.W. Willis Bridge © 2012 LRK Inc. :: Uptown West 5 1.1 History of Uptown: 1870 – 1938 The Uptown neighborhood was founded as Greenlaw along the Wolf River north of present-day Downtown Memphis in the 1840s by the Greenlaw brothers in partnership with Robert Looney, John and Isaac Saffarans and E.T. Keel. Development began with stately homes, worker housing, and businesses before being annexed by Memphis in 1870. Street names honoring the founding fathers can be found in the neighborhood. The Mississippi River flooded the Uptown area in April 1912, inundating homes and businesses with several feet of water. Record floods of 1927 and 1938 further impacted the area, however life continued with new industrial development along the Wolf River and railroad tracks being introduced north of the neighborhood in the 1940’s. By the mid-1950’s a floodwall was built along the Wolf River to protect the 1887 “Bird’s Eye View of Memphis.” 1887. Library of Congress. N 1938 Aerial Shelby County Register of Deeds. 6 Uptown West :: © 2012 LRK Inc. History of Uptown: 1938 – Present area while still allowing access to the water. The Wolf River channel was diverted to flow directly into the Mississippi River at the north end of Mud Island in 1962, creating the Wolf River Harbor. Deterioration in housing conditions beginning in the 1940’s continued for decades. Two public housing projects were constructed in the 1950’s. By the 1990’s the area had declined to a such a point that the Uptown Community Redevelopment Plan was created to redevelop the public housing projects and introduce new in-fill housing on vacant lots as well as infrastructure improvements. Since 2000, hundreds of new homes have been built, bringing new residents and businesses to the area. The waterfront area, Uptown West, has unfortunately been left largely untouched, creating the impetus for this Master Plan to guide reinvestment in this overlooked area. 1937 “Levee Wall at Memphis.” www.commercialappeal.com. 1974 Uptown Around 1974. David Johnston, www.condrenrails.com 1962 TODAY “Wolf River Diversion.” www.commercialappeal.com. © 2012 LRK Inc. :: Uptown West 7 1.2 Uptown West Today The study area is comprised of the Uptown waterfront along the Wolf River Harbor between A.W. Willis Avenue, Second Street, and Island Drive. In this plan, this area will be called Uptown West and is home to: river-based agricultural and transportation industries such as Cargill, Westway, Lafarge and Bunge; the Coast Guard; industries, offices and businesses and the City of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development; several dozen residences including single family homes, apartments and condominiums, as well as the Harbor View Senior Living facility; neighborhood services and retail including First Alliance Bank, Downtown Self Storage, and churches. Infrastructure is a key component, including MATA’s Main Street Trolley Barn, the Gayoso Bayou and Marble Street pumping stations, the Canadian National Railway, and the Mississippi River floodwall. Vacant and underutilized land and buildings exist in the area, as do streets with deteriorating pavement, broken or missing sidewalks, and inadequate lighting. The opportunity exists to build upon vacant parcels, rehabilitate and reuse existing structures, upgrade streets and infrastructure, and revitalize the area to “make whole” the neighborhood while connecting the heart of Uptown with the waterfront in a way that will make the area attractive for private investment. Long overlooked, the Uptown West area can become re-inhabited by the community as it reaches out to the waterfront once again. W o l f R i v e r H a r b o r INDUSTRY RESIDENTIAL STREETS 8 Uptown West :: © 2012 LRK Inc. INDUSTRY RAILROAD FLOODWALL North Island Drive Front Street W o l f R i v e Main Street r H a r b o r Second Street Shadyac Avenue A. W. Willis Avenue Third Street Mill Avenue Greenlaw Avenue Saffarans Avenue Looney Avenue Keel Avenue Seventh Street Pear Avenue Pear Plum Avenue WATER COMMUNITY RESIDENTIAL © 2012 LRK Inc. :: Uptown West 9 1.3 How will this Master Plan for Uptown West be used? When the Uptown Community Redevelopment Plan was being conceived between 2000 and 2002, the waterfront area along the Wolf River Harbor was included in the Riverfront Development Corporation’s 2002 Riverfront Master Plan. That plan, however, only broadly addressed this area and did not specifically identify potential development opportunities or improvements. With the creation of the Uptown Tax Increment Financing district (Uptown TIF) in 2001, a tool to implement public improvements in the area was established; however without a detailed plan Uptown West has been left largely untouched.