Brandon Dill
Three consultants have been picked by the Overton Park Conservancy (OPC) to study the park’s traffic and parking problems and make recommendations for improvements.
OPC picked Looney Ricks Kiss (LRK), Alta Planning + Design, and Kimley-Horn and Associates for the project, which will get started later this month. The firms will begin by first studying current conditions around the park.
They’ll interview stakeholders and institutions within the park and other park user groups. The firms will then present the information to the public and get feedback on concerns about and desires for the park. After this, the consultants will study the feedback and begin to develop solutions, all of which will be shared with the public in a two-day charette.
Public meetings are tentatively scheduled for February, though no dates have been confirmed.
“Overton Park Conservancy is thrilled to have a world-class team bringing their expertise to this project, and we believe that together we can imagine and implement a brighter future for Overton Park, its cultural attractions, and the many people who are invested in this space,” OPC said in a Monday statement.
LRK is a Memphis firm know for planning, urban design, architecture, interior design, environmental graphic design, and sustainable development. The firm has worked or is now working on Crosstown Concourse, Hotel Chisca, AutoZone Park, FedExForum, STAX Museum of American Soul Music, and the National Civil Rights Museum expansion.
Alta Planning + Design is a multi-modal transportation firm, specializing in the planning, design, and implementation of bicycle, pedestrian, greenway, park, and trail corridors.In Memphis, the firm has work on the Hampline, the Uptown West Redevelopment Plan, and the Main Street to Main Street (M2M) Multi-modal Connector.
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. is an engineering consultant with specialities ranging from multi-modal transportation planning to parking studies.
RELATED:
On Monday, Memphis Zoo president and CEO Chuck Brady declined an interview with the Memphis Flyer.
Questions were sent to Brady in advance of the story. Those questions focused on whether Brady believed the legal opinion from Memphis City Hall gave him the proper legal standing to remove the trees and what Brady thought about calls from many to have him removed as zoo leader.
“Chuck said he has to decline this interview,” zoo spokesman Angie Whitfield said in an email. “Thanks for reaching out.”
MEMPHIS CITY HALL:
Zoo leaders, OPC, and others are scheduled to meet with Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland Tuesday morning.
Also, the Memphis City Council will discuss the zoo parking issue during a committee meeting tomorrow at 10:15 a.m.
If you can’t make it to Memphis City Hall, watch the meeting live here.
