City, University of Memphis Want Guidelines to Control District Development

City, University of Memphis want guidelines to control district development By Cassandra Kimberly (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Wednesday, November 19, 2008 As a multimillion-dollar neighborhood revival in the University District continues to spark interest among investors and developers nationwide, city and university leaders are seeking a temporary zoning plan to make certain the area is developed in the "right" way. On Tuesday, representatives from the University Neighborhood Development Corp. and the University of Memphis requested approval from the City Council to draft a University District zoning overlay with the guidance of the Office of Planning and Development. An overlay would encourage developments that are in line with the district's vision for the future neighborhood, said Steve Barlow, executive director of the UNDC. "If the wrong kind of development use occurs in an area you're trying to revitalize, it's decades before you can correct that problem," he said. Similar to the Medical Center zoning plan approved in 2006, the zoning overlay will be a temporary tool planners will use while a larger effort to draft a new code to replace the city-county zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations continues. Many aspects of the zoning overlay could be made permanent in the Unified Development Code. The UNDC has hired Memphis-based Looney Ricks Kiss architects to work with the Office of Planning and Development in drafting the proposed overlay if the council's Planning and Zoning Committee approves the request at its next meeting in December, Barlow said. "The overlay will stimulate a much stronger local economy over time," he said. "We're trying to make sure as urgently as possible to correct that and work toward sensible, appropriate development in the appropriate places." -- Cassandra Kimberly: 529-2786