For the past eight years, RKA Construction has made a name for itself in the high-end custom home arena, handling everything from small renovations and additions to large, new homes. To accommodate a need for more operational space, RKA recently purchased a 4,000-square-foot building at 81 Tillman St. to serve as its new office, and renovations are underway.

2. Novel Approach - Saturday, March 10, 2018

The smallest of the city’s 17 public libraries is also one of its most used. The Frayser Branch library is a brick-and-glass rectangle on a half-acre at 3712 Argonne St. With some modest columns and shrubs, a few planters and cinderblock lattice work, it is shoe-horned into the side of a hill in a residential neighborhood a block from the commercial corridor of North Watkins Road still dominated by churches.

3. The Week Ahead: Jan. 29-Feb. 4 - Monday, January 29, 2018

Good morning, Memphis! Proceedings related to the city’s removal of Confederate statues from two parks get underway, just one of many events on a busy Monday. Check our rundown of all the happenings you need to know about in The Week Ahead…

4. The Week Ahead: Jan. 22-28 - Monday, January 22, 2018

Good morning, Memphis! Both the City Council and County Commission take up votes this week with wide-ranging impact, Grizzlies fan favorite Shane Battier returns for the annual Staxtacular fundraiser, and the University of Memphis Tigers get a chance to redeem themselves against Cincinnati. Check out what else should be on your radar in The Week Ahead...

5. ULI Brings ‘Neighborhood Playbook’ Team To Memphis - Friday, January 12, 2018

A trio of community developers and planners hope to bring their “playbook” on grassroots urban design and revitalization to Memphis in the next installment of Planning Matters, a series of public events sponsored by ULI Memphis and University of Memphis Design Collaborative.

6. Infill Residential Projects Seek Approval - Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Developers of a trio of new, small subdivisions in Central Gardens, the University District and in Whitehaven will all seek approval from the Land Use Control Board during its Thursday, Feb. 8, meeting.

7. Moore Named Executive Director of Explore Bike Share - Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Trey Moore has been named executive director of Explore Bike Share, the Memphis nonprofit that is preparing to launch a local bike-share system with 600 bicycles and 60 stations. Moore, who is returning to Memphis from Atlanta, Georgia, will lead Explore Bike Share’s staff in operations, fund development and community engagement activities in partnership with the organization’s board of directors.
As executive director, he also is committed to bicycling as a sustainable transportation option with access to as many Memphians as possible, and will help promote a bike-friendly culture in Memphis while encouraging exercise and healthy lifestyles.

8. Third Memphis TEDx Event Set for Jan. 6 - Tuesday, December 19, 2017

When Hardy Farrow takes the stage in the Halloran Centre at The Orpheum Theatre in a few weeks, it will be to present his argument about poverty and what to do about it.

Farrow – who founded LITE Memphis, which stands for Let’s Innovate Through Education – is one of the speakers who’ll be presenting talks Jan. 6 at TEDxMemphis, which has as its theme this year “The Slant.” The conference will be a chance for speakers like Farrow to share their perspective – their slant, as it were – on the world around them.

9. Coalition Taps Green & Healthy Homes Initiative - Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Leaders from Memphis and Shelby County and representatives from nearly 25 partner organizations signed an agreement Thursday morning, Nov. 30, at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library in East Memphis to work together on Tennessee’s first Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) led by the Baltimore-based organization.

10. Coalition Signs on With Green & Healthy Homes Initiative - Friday, December 1, 2017

Leaders from Memphis and Shelby County and representatives from nearly 25 partner organizations signed an agreement Thursday morning, Nov. 30, at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library in East Memphis to work together on Tennessee’s first Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) led by the Baltimore-based organization.

11. CBU Finds Crosstown Concourse Right Fit for Graduate Program, More - Saturday, November 18, 2017

Christian Brothers University already had a relatively new Healthcare Master of Business Administration program. Leasing 4,000 square feet of space at Crosstown Concourse, which opened in August, provided an opportunity to merge the two and also feed into the school’s larger goal.

12. Paradigm Marketing Forms Digital-Focused Sister Company - Friday, November 17, 2017

With five years and many successful projects behind them, Paradigm Marketing & Creative owner Charles Gaushell and website developer Jeff Glenn have decided to take their successful creative partnership to the next level by forming sister company Paradigm Digital LLC.

13. Week Ahead: November 6-12 - Monday, November 6, 2017

Good morning, Memphis. The week starts off with the conclusion of the Indie Memphis Film Festival, followed by a plethora of cool things to do all week – including the Memphis in May barbecue cooking contest judging seminar. As usual, you rock, Memphis!

14. Patton & Taylor Planning Gated Community Near Highland Row - Friday, November 3, 2017

Between the success of Highland Row, the revitalization of the Highland Strip, and the University of Memphis’ own plans to build a land bridge across the Southern Avenue railroad tracks, the demand for real estate in the area surrounding the U of M is soaring.

15. City Judges Timing and Steps in Fairgrounds Planning - Friday, November 3, 2017

City of Memphis leaders likely will reveal a few new details when they present the draft plan for Mid-South Fairgrounds redevelopment at a Monday, Nov. 6, town hall meeting. But Mayor Jim Strickland’s administration took much of the suspense and speculation out of next week’s session Wednesday, Nov. 1, releasing details that show the administration’s general belief that a few steps still need to be taken before the city gets to a broad reconfiguration of the Fairgrounds.

16. The Week Ahead: Sept. 11-18 - Monday, September 11, 2017

Hey, Memphis! This week we’re gearing up for the Cooper Young Festival and a packed house at the Tigers vs. UCLA game. Plus, Uptown Funk heads Downtown and The Joker hits East Memphis. Here’s what else you need to know about in The Week Ahead…

17. Events - Saturday, August 19, 2017

Church Health will hold its 11th annual Rock for Love summer music event Friday and Saturday, Aug. 18-19, in collaboration with the grand opening of Crosstown Concourse. All events are free with a $10 suggested donation that benefits Church Health. Visit churchhealth.org/events for full details and lineups.

18. Remaking Crosstown - Saturday, August 19, 2017

As he was leading tours through Crosstown Concourse this month, Todd Richardson took a small group to a set of windows for a balcony view of an addition being constructed on the north side of the property.

19. Crosstown Concourse Debuts: Aug. 19 Opening Day Begins Test of Larger Goals - Friday, August 18, 2017

A relatively recent urban legend, as urban legends go, is that the large elevated tract of land along Bellevue Boulevard by the interstate wall is some kind of Indian mound.

It’s not. It is an area elevated in anticipation of the route federal officials in the 1960s had planned for Interstate 40 to take through Crosstown and then through Midtown. Those plans were stopped in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case.

20. MEMFix Sets Date for Eighth Installment - Monday, August 14, 2017

Urban infill projects in core sections of the city are not only transforming surrounding areas, but also how Memphians view the city’s neglected assets.

Looking to build off of the momentum of such successful rehabilitation projects, MEMFix has set its sights on the intersection of Madison Avenue and Cleveland Street, where it will host its next event on Oct. 13 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

21. All Heart: Carpenter Art Garden Cultivates Community - Wednesday, July 26, 2017

On Valentine’s Day a few years ago, a Binghampton boy named Donte Davis combined two of his great loves – art and the Memphis Grizzlies – when he painted a wooden heart featuring the face of his home team’s mascot.

22. Binghampton, Frayser Retail Projects Look To Lift Communities - Tuesday, July 25, 2017

They say retail is a numbers game, and for some communities, when those numbers don’t add up they can get left behind by developers.

That’s why the Binghampton Gateway and Frayser Gateway – a pair of retail projects in different areas and stages of development – hope to send a message that overlooked communities have more to offer than just numbers.

23. Last Word: ICE Raids, Who's Buying Afton Grove and Malco Powerhouse Plans - Monday, July 24, 2017

A protest Sunday evening at the Prescott Place Apartments after federal ICE agents – Immigration and Customs Enforcement – took people into custody there and at Emerald Ridge and Corner Park apartments Sunday morning. The group of organizations protesting the federal action – Memphis Coalition of Concerned Citizens, Cosecha and SURJ Memphis -- say Memphis Police assisted in the immigration operation. Memphis Police deny they were involved in any way. No estimate from ICE on how many people were detained.

24. Developers Lay Out Latest Plans for Proposed Midtown Gated Community - Monday, July 24, 2017

In a quiet room inside of his Midtown architecture firm, Lee Askew of ANF Architects presented the latest incarnation of his plans to turn the former Red Cross building at the corner of Central Avenue and Mansfield Street into a 12-unit luxury gated community.

25. Binghampton, Frayser Retail Projects Could Lift Respective Neighborhoods - Saturday, July 22, 2017

They say retail is a numbers game, and for some communities, when those numbers don’t add up they can get left behind by developers.

That’s why the Binghampton Gateway and Frayser Gateway – a pair of retail projects in different areas and stages of development – hope to send a message that overlooked communities have more to offer than just numbers.

26. Scene Change - Saturday, July 22, 2017

The sprawling mixed-use complex opening next month on North Cleveland in Midtown is a high-profile example of where Memphis’ art community finds itself at the halfway mark in 2017.

When Crosstown Concourse opens there Aug. 19, it won’t just represent a new beginning that turns a former Sears distribution center into a 1.5-million-square-foot community mainstay. With tenants like Crosstown Arts moving in, the development is also a representation of how the city’s arts landscape is changing this year.

27. Blight More Than Out-of-State LLCs - Tuesday, July 18, 2017

The prominent role investors play in buying single-family homes in Memphis to rent them out is part of the city’s significant problem with blight.

But there are some property owners who live here who don’t even know that their loved one who died recently made them a property owner.

28. Memphis, Shelby County Home Sales Still Rising - Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Though last month saw the first dip in average home sales prices in nine months, the number of home sales in June continued to increase.

The average sales price dropped slightly to $178,572, a 1 percent decrease from a year ago, according to real estate information company Chandler Reports, chandlerreports.com. However, the total number of home sales reached 1,852 for the month, up 9 percent from 1,692 a year ago. Additionally, the volume of home sales rose to $331 million, up 8 percent from $305 million last year.

29. Bruster’s Ice Cream To Open on Highland Strip - Saturday, July 8, 2017

The Highland Strip will soon be home to a tasty new tenant.

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream plans to move into the 1,300-square-foot space at 571 Highland St., with construction set to begin soon and an expected opening date late this year, according to Loeb Properties Inc.

30. Bruster’s Highlights Highland Strip Growth - Friday, July 7, 2017

When a small record shop called Pop-I’s opened in late 1960s, it helped spark the transformation of a mundane neighborhood shopping center near the University of Memphis into a popular entertainment destination for students.

31. Last Word: Halfway Point, The Cancer-Influenza Connection and Wade Baldwin's Way - Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Monday was the day that Memphis Light Gas and Water Division reached the halfway point in restoring power. There were 90,384 customers without power Monday evening, compared to 188,000 without power at the outset Saturday evening at 11 p.m. There were 126 utility crews working by Monday evening.

32. The Buying And Selling Of Memphis - Saturday, May 27, 2017

Even before he went to federal prison for 25 years on a racketeering conviction in 1995, Danny Owens had a real estate portfolio. The strip-club kingpin who defined the industry in Memphis across a 20-year period owned the old Memphian movie theater and made possible its 1986 sale to Playhouse on the Square by donating $160,000 toward its purchase.

33. Eighteen Startup Teams Set to Begin ‘Summer of Acceleration’ in Memphis - Thursday, May 4, 2017

Eighteen startup teams this week have kicked off the “Summer of Acceleration,” the season of joint accelerator programming across six startup accelerators overseen by the EPIcenter, Memphis Bioworks and Start Co.

34. Events - Wednesday, April 26, 2017

SRVS and West Tennessee disability services providers will host an Employment and Community First services career fair Wednesday, April 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Lipscomb & Pitts Building first-floor conference center, 2670 Union Ave. Staff will be conducting on-site interviews and hiring support staff and job coaches for ECF Services. Email kytrinia.miller@srvs.org for details.

35. Shaffer Named Executive Director Of Rebranded BLDG Memphis - Wednesday, April 19, 2017

John Paul Shaffer recently was named executive director of BLDG Memphis, the rebranded entity that brings the Community Development Council of Greater Memphis and Livable Mem-phis under a single organizational identity.
In his new role, Shaffer’s job is to guide the organization in its mission of supporting neighborhood revitalization through a network of organizations and individuals working in the community development space – which BLDG Memphis does primarily through organizational capacity building, community education and engagement, and public policy and advocacy – as well as to promote the new brand. 

36. Wiseacre Tables Plans to Build Brewery in Coliseum - Monday, April 3, 2017

Wiseacre Brewing Co.'s plans to expand into the Mid-South Coliseum are off but could re-emerge somewhere down the road as the city administration renews discussions about a fuller renovation of the Mid-South Fairgrounds.

37. Rudd Says University Redirecting Neighborhood - Tuesday, March 28, 2017

The railroad tracks between Highland Avenue and Zach Curlin Drive have been a fact of life and a border of sorts for as long as there has been a University of Memphis – even before it was called the University of Memphis.

38. The Week Ahead: March 27-April 1 - Monday, March 27, 2017

Happy Monday, Memphis! The Bluff City plays host to several big names this week, from acclaimed country musician Margo Price and influential feminist Dolores Huerta to the always-popular St. Louis Cardinals. Plus, Midtown celebrates its mojo and Germantown goes to the dogs, all in The Week Ahead… 

39. Lehman-Roberts’ Moore Lauded By Asphalt Industry Group - Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Rick Moore, who is retiring as chairman of Lehman-Roberts Co. March 31 after 46 years with the company, has been named the National Asphalt Pavement Association’s Man of the Year. 

40. Last Word: Milhaus Sells, Voucher Debate Gets Heated and Boyd's Fly Around - Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Highland Row isn’t fully open yet and it is already up for sale as part of a real estate portfolio. The owner, Milhaus, based in Indianapolis, is a development, construction and property management company that works in mixed use development. And the portfolio being on the market could turn into a recapitalization.

41. Israel to Lead Greenline Group As Organization’s Focus Shifts - Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Andrew Israel recently was named executive director of the Greater Memphis Greenline as the organization shifts its focus to promoting healthy lifestyles and increasing the use of trails, parks and green spaces.
As executive director, Israel is the strategic leader and the chief relationship officer for GMG. Along with creating programs and opportunities to enhance and expand the use of green spaces, GMG works at the grassroots level with neighborhood organizations and individuals to help promote their activities and expand the resources that are available. 

42. Tapping Young Donors - Saturday, March 11, 2017

Amelia Thompson is everything a nonprofit is looking for now and in the future. A 30-year-old Memphian who graduated White Station High School, she has worked with a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. and been a buyer for Macy’s in New York.

43. Another Country - Saturday, March 4, 2017

On the road into the C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa in southwest Memphis, there is a sign you might not notice on your way to the museum and archaeological site.

An arrow pointing east is the way to Memphis. The western arrow reads Chucalissa.

44. Cities, Developers Reaping Rewards of Mixed-Use Shift - Saturday, February 25, 2017

Commercial real estate is shifting to mixed-use developments designed to create a sense of place for homeowners longing for the community of days gone by, and the trend is profiting many parties as commercial developers see stronger returns and cities undergo revitalization in their core.

45. Michael Keeney Reappointed To Airport Authority Board - Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Michael Keeney has been reappointed to the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority board of commissioners by the Memphis City Council.

Keeney, whose term will expire on Dec 31, 2023, was appointed by Shelby County Mayor Mark H. Luttrell in July 2105.

46. Memphis Students Leave Their Beautiful Mark on Blighted Downtown Building - Wednesday, February 1, 2017

A Memphis woman is using inspiration she found on a summer trip to help transform a blighted building in Downtown Memphis, giving credence to the sentiment that one person can make a difference.

Carolee Carlin, a Germantown resident who works at International Paper Co., was visiting her family in New England last summer when her mom took her to see an abandoned building. The boarded up windows had been replaced with plywood panels of art that had been created by local high school students.

47. Last Word: Connecting Downtown, Tranquil Treasure and Gas Tax Complexities - Thursday, January 26, 2017

Temple over the Tigers Wednesday in Philadelphia 77-66. East Carolina at the Forum is coming up Saturday. Grizz and Raptors at the Forum Wednesday evening and the Grizz win 101 – 99. The Grizz are on the road starting Friday against the Trail Blazers.

48. Last Word: Charter Schools Views, Capitol Hill Round Up & Explaining The Cold War - Thursday, January 12, 2017

Double trouble Wednesday in Oklahoma. The Grizz lose to the Thunder 103-95 in OKC. They are on their way to Houston for a Friday game before returning home Sunday for the MLK game against the Chicago Bulls at the Forum. Meanwhile Tigers lose to Tulsa Wednesday, also in Oklahoma, 81-71. They are back at the Forum Saturday to play South Florida.

49. Growing Pains - Saturday, December 10, 2016

In many ways, Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe in 1971 shaped the way Midtown Memphis looks today, so it’s only fitting that the park continues to inspire citizens to fight for what they feel is right.

50. Medical District Collaborative Offers Financial Carrot for Residents - Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Employees of five major medical and academic institutions of the Memphis Medical District Collaborative (MMDC) now have a financial incentive to live in the Medical District thanks to a new Live Local 901 initiative.

51. Tupelo Council Votes to Keep Flying State Flag - Friday, November 4, 2016

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) – The Mississippi state flag will remain in the City of Tupelo.

Despite calls by some to remove the controversial flag from city property, the City Council ap-proved a policy Tuesday saying that any city-owned facility with more than one flag pole must display Mississippi's flag.

52. Midtown Kroger Opens With Pedestrian Focus on Busy Union Avenue - Thursday, November 3, 2016

The carillon at Idlewild Presbyterian Church played the University of Memphis fight song Wednesday, Nov. 2, as the parking lot of the Midtown Kroger filled with cars. A block away a fire truck’s siren mixed with the church bells as the truck left the Union Avenue fire station to a call.

53. Medical District Begins Buy Local Program - Friday, October 21, 2016

Nine hospitals and universities within the Memphis Medical District are inviting Memphis-based innovators, entrepreneurs and existing companies to help solve operational challenges within their supply chain.

54. Airbnb Regulations Stripped of ‘Red Tape’ - Thursday, October 20, 2016

For several weeks, the coming of a city ordinance regulating Airbnbs looked like the model of how to achieve political compromise and consensus with the City Council brokering the process.

During the six-week process council member Edmund Ford Jr. worked with the hotel-motel industry and the short-term rental alliance to find common points and then worked through differences with them. Council member Berlin Boyd reviewed the provisions in his council committee as a neutral party both sides could go to as well.

55. Council Takes 'Red Tape' Out of Airbnb Regulations - Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Memphis City Council members decided Tuesday, Oct. 18, there was too much red tape in a city ordinance to regulate Airbnbs and took out the city permitting process before approving it on third and final reading.

56. Last Word: Stop & Frisk, Council Day and The Big 12 Holds What It's Got - Tuesday, October 18, 2016

We had quite the conversation with the two leaders of the Memphis-Shelby Crime Commission about “stop and frisk” and what will be in the upcoming draft of a new Operation: Safe Community plan for Memphis.

57. City Council Vote to Focus On Highland Strip Project - Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Memphis City Council members vote Tuesday, Oct. 18, on an economic impact plan for the Highland Strip area that sets the stage for the tax increment financing district to finance infrastructure changes in the private development hot spot.

58. Last Word: Mud Island Round 3, Newsmakers Notes and North Midtown - Thursday, October 13, 2016

Cue the organ. You know, the one from those old soap operas or radio dramas. And prepare for the latest episode of Island of Mud. When last we looked in on Mud Island River Park, the city had two finalists to redevelop all or a part of the southern half of the island that is really a peninsula.

59. Last Word: In Defense of The Cossitt, Joe Royer and 3 Months Since The Bridge - Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Citizens of Memphis, I rise in defense of the city’s first public library. Not in its original much-loved state but in defense of its much-ridiculed modernization.

No, I will not follow that with a defense of John Calipari or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s location in Cleveland instead of Memphis or the late Mo’ Money Taxes and the company’s commercials. But I reserve the right to, at some future date, defend the big silver sculpture thing on the northeast corner of Front and Poplar at the Cannon Center.

60. Town Hall Meetings Reflect Shift in Protest Discussions - Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Almost three months after Black Lives Matter movement protestors shut down the Hernando DeSoto Bridge and as a result, opened talks with the administration of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, some of the civic discussion has moved to economic issues.

61. Meet Olli - Saturday, October 8, 2016

With deep and well-funded resources such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, the Knoxville region is no stranger to innovation in science and technology.

But a new kid on the block, Local Motors, has the potential to spark a whole new era of manufacturing innovation and make Knoxville a hotbed for a technology sector widely considered to be truly revolutionary – self-driving cars.

62. Broad Avenue Alliance Hires Executive Director - Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Continued growth in the Broad Avenue District since its revival about a decade ago has prompted the Broad Avenue Arts Alliance to hire an executive director.

Katie McWeeney Powell, a consistent volunteer at events in the district who has business and marketing experience, was chosen for the new post.

63. Fernandez Fights for Memphians’ Cybersecurity - Friday, September 23, 2016

Managing information technology for a hospital system might not seem like a natural extension of a career in the U.S. Navy. But as vice president and chief technology officer of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, Gene Fernandez finds himself at the heart of the cybersecurity battle that health care providers are fighting.

64. U of M Gets Economic Boost, W.M. Barr PILOT Approved - Thursday, September 22, 2016

The University of Memphis will get a development incentive boost around its campus, a longstanding Memphis-based manufacturer has been granted tax incentives to expand on Presidents Island and a gift-wrap company has received an amendment to its tax incentive that will allow it to add staff.

65. New Type of Subdivision to Replace Foote Homes - Friday, September 9, 2016

Memphis’ last traditional public housing complex is coming down and a new kind of subdivision will rise in its place.

The Land Use Control Board formally accepted the site plan for the South City development at its Thursday, Sept. 8, meeting. With the help of a $30 million federal Choice Neighborhoods grant, the Memphis Housing Authority plans to raze the 420 units of Foote Homes that date back to the 1940s to make way for Memphis’ first sustainable subdivision.

66. Indianapolis Charter Star Lands in Memphis as Teacher Town CEO - Monday, September 5, 2016

The former leader of a high-achieving charter school network in Indianapolis is the new CEO of a philanthropically funded initiative in Memphis known as Teacher Town.

Marcus Robinson is the first full-time CEO of the city’s teacher development and recruitment initiative now in its third year. He joined Teacher Town during the summer following a national search conducted by Boston-based Bellwether Education Partners.

67. Events - Saturday, August 27, 2016

Choose 901 will host a 901 Day celebration Thursday, Sept. 1, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Loflin Yard, 7 W. Carolina Ave. The evening will feature food and Memphis-themed drinks for purchase, a live music showcase, local vendors and more. Admission is free. Visit choose901.com.

68. Memphians Invited to Tour Victorian Village Homes This Weekend - Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Scott Blake lives in the kind of Memphis neighborhood where he can go three, sometimes four days without ever starting his car. Everything he needs, everywhere he has to go, is that close by.

69. Memphis Property Hub Using Micro-Level Data to Drive Solutions - Monday, August 8, 2016

The effects of blight, like boarded-up windows and overgrown lawns, are clear to see. While the methods used to track blight are less apparent, an effort is underway to streamline property data so that government agencies and community development groups can tailor solutions at a neighborhood level.

70. Senator Seeks Reconvening of Congress Over Zika Virus - Saturday, July 30, 2016

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on the Zika virus in Florida (all Eastern times):

4 p.m.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is asking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to reconvene Congress so lawmakers can pass an emergency spending bill to fight the spread of the Zika virus.

71. Land Bridge Project Could Transform Entire University of Memphis Area - Saturday, July 23, 2016

The official planning phase has begun for the much anticipated $33 million University of Memphis land bridge, which will safely connect two sides of the university that are currently split by the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks and Southern Avenue.

72. Last Word: Baton Rouge Again, Identifying The Memphis Movement & Early Voting - Monday, July 18, 2016

It is becoming more and more difficult to keep the danger to police officers from extremists and the danger of police training and policies that are used to justify questionable police shootings in the same frame.

73. Urban Child Institute Approves $1M Grant to Porter-Leath - Monday, July 11, 2016

The Urban Child Institute board of directors has approved a new $1 million grant to Porter-Leath. The grant will help fund several proven programs at Porter-Leath, including Early Head Start, Teacher Excellence Program, Parents as Teachers and Preschool Partnership, among others.

74. Williams Hired for Memphis Blight-Fighting Fellowship - Wednesday, July 6, 2016

The city of Memphis and University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law recently hired Brittany J. Williams as the city’s first Neighborhood Preservation Fellow. In that role, Williams will represent the city in Environmental Court lawsuits against property owners who have vacant, abandoned or dilapidated properties that violate city codes.

75. South End Gets a $15 Million Apartment Complex - Thursday, June 30, 2016

250 E. G.E. Patterson Ave.
Memphis, TN 38126

Permit Amount: $14.6 million

Owner: Elmington Capital Group

76. The Casual Pint Coming to Highland Row - Monday, June 27, 2016

In addition to its recent announcement about buying a Philadelphia-area shopping center, Memphis-based Poag Shopping Centers said a new market store and bar called The Casual Pint will open on Highland Row near the University of Memphis this fall.

77. The Casual Pint Coming to Highland Row Development - Saturday, June 25, 2016

In addition to its recent announcement about buying a Philadelphia area shopping center, Memphis-based Poag Shopping Centers said a new market store and bar called The Casual Pint will open on Highland Row near the University of Memphis this fall.

78. Time Running Out to Save Aretha Franklin’s Birth Home From Demolition - Monday, June 27, 2016

A local business owner has stepped up with $15,000 to save Aretha Franklin's birth home, but the effort may be too little too late.

The dilapidated house at 406 Lucy Ave. is headed for demolition unless a realistic and fully-funded plan emerges within the week, said Steve Barlow, an attorney with blight-fighting law firm Brewer & Barlow PLC.

79. Editorial: Measuring a Memphis Summer - Saturday, June 18, 2016

If you’ve not consulted your calendar for the beginning of summer and assumed it is already here, that’s completely understandable.

The summer finds the Memphis Grizzlies and the University of Memphis basketball team – the city’s two dominant sports franchises – each rebuilding.

80. Young Brings Data Focus to City Planning - Friday, June 17, 2016

Want to gaze into the future? Hop into Paul Young’s Infiniti and ride around Downtown for an hour. “These three blocks will be something of a spine for the neighborhood,” he says, as a light rain falls on the windshield. “We envision five- or six-story buildings with restaurants and retail at street level, commercial and residential up top.”

81. One Family - Saturday, May 21, 2016

An unprecedented private investment aims to restore a commercial heart to the Soulsville USA neighborhood, where a pair of sprawling buildings take up nearly a full block across from the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. It isn’t an eyesore, but inactivity within those walls has been a drag on the community.

82. Last Word: The Return of Chiwawa, Mud Island's Dilemma and A Good Map - Friday, May 20, 2016

Chiwawa is back. But don’t call it a doughnut shop. And the owner says it won’t be called Chiwawa either. We presume it will still proclaim that Midtown is Memphis.

83. Before Successes, Loeb Started from Zero – Twice - Friday, April 22, 2016

Barreling down Madison Avenue in a black corduroy blazer and a pert, pink pocket square, Bob Loeb seems distracted. Then I realize: he’s editing. Move that tree, put a mural there. Tear that down, build that up.

84. Memphis’ Shrinking Population Cause for Concern - Friday, April 22, 2016

Even as Memphis has grown larger through annexing surrounding communities, its population has steadily dwindled due to outmigration to the surrounding suburbs. Inner-city struggles will become more pronounced if this region’s wealthiest tax base continues that outward pattern, national experts say.

85. Young Cherishes Role of Rebuilding Memphis Neighborhoods - Tuesday, April 12, 2016

“I don’t want to be viewed as the most powerful person in Memphis,” said Paul Young, a Memphis native who became director of Housing and Community Development for the city of Memphis in January.

86. Moving Dirt - Saturday, April 9, 2016

The Memphis development community is looking inward and upward to increase density in the urban core. New construction is happening across all four commercial real estate sectors, with long-anticipated projects like Trader Joe’s and the redevelopment of Central Station finally coming to fruition. Construction and operating costs continue to be a challenge as new projects hit the top of their class to command higher rents.

87. Medical District Stakeholders: Neighborhood Full of Potential - Friday, April 8, 2016

Some 2,500 new employees start jobs each year at employers in the Memphis Medical District, and about 1,300 new students each year start hitting the books at educational institutions there, too.

That’s according to Medical District Collaborative president Tommy Pacello, who says the 2.5-square-mile area between Midtown and Downtown that’s home to eight anchor institutions is full of untapped potential. So much so that his organization, which launched earlier this year, is leading a revitalization of the district that leans heavily on anchors like Regional One Health and Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare to help in a buy local, live local and hire local push for the neighborhood.

88. City Ready to Develop Master Plan for Pinch District - Monday, April 4, 2016

The Pinch District, one of Memphis’ oldest neighborhoods, is getting its time in the spotlight.

The Downtown Memphis Commission, the city of Memphis Division of Housing & Community Development and the city-county Division of Planning & Development are coming together to develop the Pinch’s first master plan in to bring the area up to date with mixed-use buildings and streetscape improvements.

89. Fertile Ground - Saturday, April 2, 2016

Residents of the Memphis Medical District have begun filing in to the Premier Palace ballroom on Madison Avenue, along with area stakeholders, planners and other attendees who have business interests in the area.

90. Roadmap to Attacking Blight Awaits City and County Approval - Monday, March 21, 2016

Blighted properties, overgrown lots and abandoned buildings are not unique to Memphis. But Memphis is the only city with a blight elimination charter that affirms cross-sector commitment to uproot the causes of blight and prevent further decline.

91. Five to Watch - Saturday, March 19, 2016

“You can’t live in Memphis without some kind of side hustle, right?” That’s the way former WMC-TV reporter Lauren Squires Ready sees it. Her side hustle, the passion project she’s been pursuing in her free time separate from all the writing, reporting and live shots as an on-air news personality?

92. Last Word: Tiger Drumbeat, Eye on Drones and Shelby County Biggest Home Sale - Monday, March 14, 2016

Let the coaching drumbeat resume after the Tigers Sunday post-season collapse one game past Tulsa.
A confession here – I am so sports challenged that I thought UConn was a team from Alaska until I saw it spelled out.
In my defense, who associates Huskies with Connecticut?
My point is what happens next isn’t just about basketball. It’s about a change with a good track record of being emotional in the worst way.
It’s linked to how we want to be known for treating people and what they think of us as a result of that.
In those two areas, it’s never just business. It’s always personal.
Josh Pastner’s four predecessors were each very different case studies in this regard.
It could have been any stop in any city with a basketball court and a one-and-done star he could find and recruit to John Calipari. But he still had to hide under a blanket in the back seat of a car on the way to the airport and lie about it long after everyone knew.
Knew about the Kentucky job that is. The mess he left at the university would surface shortly thereafter.
Tic Price was two fast seasons and the proof that the Memphis job isn’t just about what happens on the court and the attendance at games.
Price was clearly excited about coming to Memphis. He clearly understood the importance and heritage of Tigers basketball and valued it. And he wasted no time at all getting lost in the Memphis that is not a part of that all encompassing world.
It was the only job Larry Finch wanted and ultimately the job he couldn’t continue to have. That after ignoring conventional wisdom as a player and coming from Melrose High to Memphis State, bringing a beloved team with him and then picking Memphis again in the ABA over the Lakers in the NBA.
None of that was considered in pushing him out the door and then naming a building after him.
Dana Kirk wanted to be the hustler John Calipari was. He was certainly impersonal enough about it and he took the team to an era where a post-season NCAA bid was expected and is still expected to this day.
But his impersonality exacted a high cost and he paid most of that cost. Although you could argue the experience for his team that produced some legendary players also made some of them legendary casualties of his emotional distance. It didn’t allow him to go elsewhere because he never figured out that he was being underestimated just as much as the team whose needs he ignored was in the national view of college basketball.
While Calipari dodged big trouble twice, Kirk wasn’t even in Calipari’s league when it came to ducking and timing.
We are past our inferiority complex. That’s what the last NFL drive of the 1990s did for us.
But it’s not necessarily a bad thing that we see the people chosen to occupy these very public positions as a reflection to the world of who we are.

93. Klondike Wants Plan To Stave Off Gentrification - Thursday, March 10, 2016

With multimillion-dollar investments growing up around it in the Crosstown and Uptown neighborhoods, the Klondike/Smokey City Community Development Corp. is working with the University of Memphis on a grassroots action plan to stave off gentrification.

94. The Week Ahead: March 7-13 - Monday, March 7, 2016

How was your weekend, Memphis? In a few short days it’ll be time to “spring forward” – but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, check out our weekly roundup of area happenings, from a discussion with local changemakers to the inaugural Memphis Black Restaurant Week…

95. Duke Takes Reins at Friends for Life - Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Longtime nonprofit administrator Diane Duke recently took the helm of Friends for Life as its new executive director. In her new role, the Los Angeles native leads and oversees an organization that’s helping those affected by HIV/AIDS through the provision of education, housing, food, transportation and healthy life skills training.

96. Medical Area Ready For Residential Development - Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Every week day, 16,000 people go to work in the two-and-a-half square mile area that is the Memphis Medical Center District.

Add the 8,000 students to the workers at the eight major institutions in the district and you have more than a sell-out crowd for an event at FedExForum in that area every working day.

97. Under Pressure - Saturday, January 2, 2016

The Urban Child Institute’s research produces data. That data provides guidance for making decisions about how to best help Memphis children age 3 and younger. And The Urban Child Institute’s assets, around $150 million in 2013, offer a means to that end.

98. A List of Mayor-Elect Jim Strickland’s Appointments So Far - Monday, December 14, 2015

Memphis Mayor elect Jim Strickland still has some appointments to make, but he is methodically filling key positions in his administration ahead of taking office Jan. 1.

99. Oxford Feels Stress from Development Boom - Saturday, December 12, 2015

Kent Wunderlich travels to Oxford, Miss., often, in part because his grandson is the kicker on the University of Mississippi football team.

100. Home Values Point to a Sharp Wealth Divide Within US Cities - Monday, November 23, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's still possible in Boston for a mail carrier, an accountant and a Harvard-trained psychiatrist — basically, the crowd from "Cheers" — to live as neighbors.

That finding by the real estate brokerage Redfin makes the capital of Massachusetts a rarity at a time when neighborhoods in most U.S. cities are increasingly isolated from each other by income and home values.