Thursday, November 19, 2009
Square Feedback
Posted by Mary Cashiola on Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 10:50 AM
This week, in our print product, Chris Davis reported on a recent Memphis Heritage meeting about plans for future development in Overton Square. (You can read that story here.)
The assembled crowd wasn't too happy with the plan to demolish the buildings on the south side of Madison at Cooper. The plans for the property also include a new grocery store, but some community members are concerned no matter how well-intentioned the developers that a discount grocery store will open there.
Now SquareTalk.org is asking community members for input on what businesses "old or new" they'd like to see be part of the new Overton Square. The Memphis Regional Design Center will then forward those responses on to the developers.
So far, the sole response calls for a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe's.
The developers plan to submit their plans to the Office of Planning and Development in early December.
You can also see the results of the regional design center's earlier Overton Square survey here. A majority of the web respondents wanted to see a combination of preserving and demolishing the buildings on the south side of Madison. Almost 70 percent said they wanted to see a grocery store in the area.
Comments (5)
Showing 1-5 of 5
Call me a pessimist, but from the looks of the drawing above, the plans have been made for quite sometime. What's the point of asking people for input if it's not going to be considered?
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The MRDC is looking for input on what kind of shops you'd like to see in the buildings lining Madison and Cooper
This Trader Joe's/Whole Foods crap is nonsense. People don't want a Target because it's a "big box" store, but they'll beg for a Whole Foods? Seems to me the real reason is that Target just isn't bourgeois enough for midtown -- do I need to remind people that WF and TJ are both chain stores as well? And don't launch into the "sound business practices" argument -- Whole Foods is a union-busting company that bought out their only rivals and their CEO is publicly fighting against any public health care option.
Austin, TX has a thriving local business community because the city has had the good sense to give local businesses priority over national ones and because communities have chosen to support them instead of seeking other options. Why can't we have the same in Memphis?
@Meleanie
And this is the same Overton Squere where people let a nice local health food place go under for lack of support.
And not only Austin, but Cary Street in Richmond, 4th Avenue in Tuscson, Ghent in Norfolk, and a dozen others like them have done well staying local...... Wonder what they know that Memphis planners don't?
@mad_merc
Because 'notice and comment' (post a notice, accept coments, and go with the done deal anyway) rule making allegedly goes over better than reading decrees from the balcony of the palace.
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