Parkside at Shelby Farms Park, a $200 million mixed-use development on the northern border of Shelby Farms featuring three six-story apartment buildings, won the approval Tuesday, April 19, of the Memphis City Council.

But the council will review and vote on the different phases of the project as they begin construction over the next six or seven years.

The 10-2 council vote Tuesday was to allow the concept of a mixed-use development on the 52 acres of land on the northwest corner of Whitten Road and Mullins Station Road.

The vote followed a council debate about the impact of the development on an area that is a mix of single-family homes and apartment complexes.

The council vote sets in motion traffic and engineering studies over the next six months that will dictate road improvements DB Development Co. will make surrounding the development, which includes townhomes of up to three stories elsewhere on the site, further north of the park.

The apartment buildings, which would include retail and office development on ground and lower floors, would have courtyards facing the Shelby Farms Greenline.

And the Greenline would become a temporary construction easement for a phase of the development.

In other action, the council approved the lighting of athletic fields at Hutchison School in East Memphis after some debate among some neighbors of the school and students at the school.

The council delayed votes Tuesday on a proposed truck stop with a hotel and restaurant on Hollywood at Interstate 40 on the site of the old Treasury department store in Frayser as well as a parking lot at Prescott Road and Raines Road for employees of Delta Wholesale Liquors Inc.

Both items are on the May 7 council agenda.

The council approved a committee proposed by council chairman Kemp Conrad to explore possible voluntary de-annexations by the city of Memphis.

Conrad amended his original proposal to include a representative of local business on the panel as well as a state Senator from Shelby County appointed by State Senate Republican leader Mark Norris of Collierville and a state Representative from Shelby County appointed by Democratic state Representative Karen Camper, the chairwoman of the Shelby County legislative delegation.

They join two members each from the city council and county commission and two representatives each of the city and county government administrations.