Trees along the Main Street Mall are set for some tender, loving care after the first review of the canopy in 14 years.
Last year, the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) ordered a review of the trees and the infrastructure that supports them along the mall, Court Square Park, and within Civic Center Plaza. Late last year, crews from Memphis-based Ritchie Smith Associates set about examining the health of existing trees, counting missing trees, looking at the tree wells, irrigation systems for them, and more.
The company’s report will be presented next week to two DMC boards — the Center City Development Corp. and the Downtown Mobility Authority. The boards will consider a $144,100 project to renew Downtown’s tree canopy, based on the Richie Smith Associates recommendations.
The DMC staff recommended the project for approval saying, “The Main Street Mall’s tree canopy is more than just a landscaping feature.”
“The Main Street Mall’s tree canopy is more than just a landscaping feature.”
Downtown Memphis Commission Staff report
“It is a critical piece of Downtown infrastructure that contributes to property values, business activity, pedestrian comfort, and the special character of Downtown Memphis,” reads their report.
Staff said studies show trees can raise property values up to 15 percent, and that onsumers are willing to spend more time in well-maintained streetscapes. Pedestrians will more willingly choose to walk through these spaces and to the nearby businesses than to move their car to visit other parts of Downtown.
About 73 percent of the 247 tree wells studied were in good or fair condition, meaning they won’t need a new tree. The report noted that 38 trees will need to be removed and replaced and that 27 tree wells are vacant and will need new trees.
The cost of the project would be split between the two boards. Should they approve the plan, the project would begin this month and run until May 2027.
“This request is not simply an investment in replacing trees,” reads the staff report. “It is an investment in preserving and strengthening the character and sense of place for one of Downtown Memphis’s most important public assets and pedestrian corridors, while also supporting the DMA’s broader mobility objectives.”
