Tag: Downtown Memphis Commission

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Oswalt to Step Down as DMC President

CREDIT: Downtown Memphis Commission

Downtown Memphis Commission

Jennifer Oswalt

Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) president Jennifer Oswalt will leave the organization at year’s end and will be temporarily replaced by former DMC staffer Ray Brown until a permanent replacement is found. 

Oswalt joined the DMC as chief financial officer in 2015. She was elevated to president in 2017. Before her work with the Downtown Memphis Commission, Oswalt was CFO for Contemporary Media, Inc., parent company of the Memphis Flyer.

She leaves the DMC for a position in Knoxville with HF Capital. There, she will build the newly formed Family Investment Office for the Haslam family.

“Downtown Memphis is in a special place with eager and dedicated developers, supportive city and county government, and the opportunity for an influx of new residents and Downtowners of all types,” Oswalt said about the future of Downtown Memphis. “I am confident in the DMC staff’s strength, passion, and dedication to continuing the work of bettering Downtown to attract even more investment in years to come.”

In her time with the DMC, the organization completed a parking study and a Downtown master plan that focused on the area’s core, enhancing walkability, and strengthening connections to the riverfront.

The Downtown development pipeline rose to historic levels under Oswalt’s leadership with projects like The Walk, One Beale, Tennessee Brewery, Orion and Rise projects, Loews, Arrive, Central Station and Canopy Hotels, and the recently announced Mobility Center.

Downtown Memphis Commission

Ray Brown

Brown will step in as the DMC conducts a comprehensive search for Oswalt’s replacement. He has served as the DMC’s vice president of Planning and Development. He is the former chair of the Downtown Memphis Design Review Board and the current treasurer of the Center City Development Corporation.

“I believe in Downtown Memphis as the heart of our city. In various roles over two decades, I have been privileged to help Downtown grow towards its full potential,” Brown said. “I thank the DMC for entrusting me with this stewardship.”

A DMC search committee for the position will begin identifying and vetting candidates in early 2021. The position description will be posted on the DMC website later this month.

“We are truly grateful to Jennifer for her excellent stewardship of Downtown over the past four years,” said Deni Reilly, DMC board chair. “Her ability to lead humbly, with vision, acumen, and integrity will serve her well in her new position.

“It is a testament to not only Jennifer but the DMC and Memphis that Governor [Bill] Haslam and his family sought her out for this high-profile position. We know she will soar in her new role and will always carry Downtown Memphis in her heart.”

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Head Outside: New Memphis Outdoor Guide Launched

CREDIT: DCA

While 2020 has seen lots of restrictions on activities, there are plenty of memories to be made with Memphis’ wonderful outdoor offerings. In a wild understatement, this year has been messed up for a variety of reasons. Contagion and quarantine have put limits on recreational options, so DCA’s Doug Carpenter was inspired to create a platform to remind Memphians that there are still plenty of ways to enjoy themselves in Bluff City.

Yesterday, DCA launched Discovering Memphis Naturally, a web resource designed to focus on various outdoor amenities and experiences around Memphis. The site is the product of a collaborative effort between DCA and city organizations like Memphis Tourism, the Downtown Memphis Commission, and the City of Memphis’ Park Division.

DCA

“In a broad sense, we wanted to recognize the growth of our outdoor assets,” says Carpenter. “That includes the maturation of places like the Green Line, Shelby Farms Park, Big River Crossing. When we looked at all of these things, we saw that there wasn’t a collective voice representing all of these outside assets. So our intention is to bring these things together as a comprehensive way for all the entities that thrive as a result of our citizens’ participation to work together.”

The idea took hold about a year ago, when Carol Coletta, president and CEO of the Memphis River Parks Partnership,  called numerous outdoor-focused organizations together to discuss how Memphis could garner more recognition for natural spaces. While everyone was on board, there wasn’t any concerted effort at the time to create a strategy. When COVID-19 hit, it put a big strain on many of these organizations from a business perspective, but it also seemed like Memphians had a greater need for physical and mental health excursions. When Memphis Travel shared research supporting that claim, as well as statistics indicating that people out-of-state were more willing to take long road trips to the Bluff City, Carpenter set about gathering funds.

“Memphis Travel’s research showed us that people preferred to drive over flying, and were willing to go up to 600 miles away for new distanced outdoor activities,” explains Carpenter. “Since traditional tourism isn’t as robust right now, we can build this collective voice, and hopefully industry will follow. We’ve seen more bike tours, bike sales are up, and this could be a new chapter in Memphis’ recruiting and retention efforts.”

Discovering Memphis Naturally will have a digital marketing presence within that 600 mile radius, stretching as far as Dallas or Little Rock. While the website currently contains plenty of great options, Carpenter hopes that it will continue to grow through the addition of less-well-known offerings.

The website is divided into five distinct categories: Bike It, Paddle It, Climb It, Park It, and View It. Each splits off into a detailed breakdown of each area that offers comparable activities, along with links for further learning. While the obvious suspects are there (bike trails, parks), the fifth section, View It, casts an eye on some of Memphis’ unique attractions, like a series of murals, or the “I am a Man” sculpture. “We want this to put a broad spotlight on Memphis’ culture,” says Carpenter. “For travel, not everyone is a mountain biker. Some people would rather take a tour of the murals we have in town, and I think you’ll start to see more programming focused on activities like that soon. We want people to come here and appreciate every bit of the culture: our murals, our sunsets, our art, our bridge lights, our trails, all the things that make us a really interesting place.”

Going forward, Discover Memphis Naturally aims to be a unified voice for all the organizations that partner under its umbrella, providing more coverage, giveaways, and other promotional ideas to get people out and about. “It’s been 24 hours since we launched,” says Carpenter, “but we’ve got a lot of exciting things to share in the coming days and months.”

But enough staring at your screen; time to head outside.

Discover Memphis Naturally can be accessed at memphisadventures.com

The site is currently hosting its first giveaway on its Instagram account

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MRPP and DMC Host a Series of Socially Distanced Independence Day Celebrations Downtown

CREDIT: Memphis River Parks Partnership

Although friends and families can’t celebrate Independence Day exactly the same way they may have in the past, that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a socially distanced outing by the river.

Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRRP) and Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) present the first Quintessential Summer Celebration, featuring five days of independent celebrations for families to enjoy the full suite of amenities that Downtown Memphis has to offer.

“Usually the Memphis River Parks Partnership and Downtown Memphis Commission put on a Downtown Fourth of July celebration,” says Helen Hope, program associate with MRPP. “But this year, obviously, we can’t have 3,000 people all in one space in one day. So the idea we came up with is a socially distanced event with socially distanced activities, things for people to do to still celebrate. It will look a little bit different, but I think it could also be pretty fun.”

Memphis River Parks Partnership

Kayaking on the Mississippi

Attendees can pick up special lunch and dinner deals from Downtown restaurants and head over to Tom Lee Park, where there will be socially distanced areas for families and groups to picnic by the river.

Groups will also be able to take advantage of recreational activities like kayak and stand-up paddle board rentals, Explore Bike Share rentals, and more.

“This is an opportunity for people to see a different Downtown and a different riverfront,” says Penelope Huston, vice president of marketing and communications for DMC. “And we’re really excited about marrying this standard Downtown experience with all these new green tourism aspects of Downtown. You can be at the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum in the morning and be on the river in a kayak in the afternoon.”

Quintessential Summer Celebration, Wednesday, July 1st-Sunday, July 5th, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., free.

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Beale Street Reopens; Sorry, No Travelers

Memphis Pride Fest

Beale Street restaurants and shops opened to customers Thursday with additional safety protocols.

The Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC), which manages the street for the city of Memphis, announced the reopening Thursday afternoon. While shops and restaurants can open there, the DMC said the street is closed as an entertainment district. Crowds of more than 10 people are still prohibited.

Beale Street will be blocked off to cars at 5 p.m. Pedestrian traffic will be allowed only on sidewalks.

Beale Street has long been Tennessee’s No.1 tourist destination.

Beale Street bars cannot sell drinks from on-street carts or through pass-through windows. Drinks are not allowed to be carried from a restaurant to the street, “lid or no lid.”

Bars are not allowed to schedule live music (or DJs) during open hours. They also cannot play outdoor music.

All Beale Street establishments will close to dine-in customers at 10 p.m.

The Blue Suede Brigade will help police with added security. 

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Get in the Flow: Your Inner Yogi Hosts Virtual Classes

CREDIT: Julie Song

Your Inner Yogi (YIY) recently released its free online yoga series on Instagram via its weekly Friday Night Live series, in partnership with the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC). It was originally meant to be part of DMC’s Yoga in the Park program until COVID-19 put a wrench in those plans.

“Originally, we planned for these classes to be held outside at Court Square Park,” says yoga instructor Caroline Collins. “The classes were supposed to start in April, and it was really a way for us to engage with the community.”

But YIY and DMC were able to think quickly on their toes and take the series online, starting with a Vinyasa Flow session led by Collins. Now, two weeks later, Collins will lead the same class.

Julie Song

Caroline Collins of Your Inner Yogi

“In my upcoming classes in May, I plan to teach Vinyasa Flow, which essentially means one breath links to one movement,” says Collins. “It means that you’re tuning into your breath first. And you’re allowing your breath to be your guide, so that a movement comes on an inhale and another movement comes on an exhale.”

Yoga is an ancient practice that has been found to provide a slew of benefits, including boosting physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. Collins says that everyone should have access to these benefits, regardless of their ability to pay, and she stresses the importance of self-care during times like these.

“Right now, as we’re dealing with a new normal, I think a lot of us have found ourselves trying to figure out what our routines look like since everything was uprooted,” she says. “Facing these new challenges can impact everything from our thoughts and our perceptions, to even manifesting in physical ways. So yoga gives us the opportunity to come back home to ourselves to reconnect, take things one breath, one moment, at a time, and helps us focus on the present.”

instagram.com/yourinneryogi, Friday, May 1st, 6:30 p.m., free.

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Dinstuhl’s Opens Downtown Location

CREDIT: Shara Clark

Shara Clark

Dinstuhl’s new Downtown location at 147 S. Main

Dinstuhl’s, Memphis’ oldest candy shop, opened a new location in Downtown Memphis on February 6th. The 1,600-square-foot space is at 147 S. Main, next door to The Majestic Grille, near the corner of Peabody Place and S. Main.

Today, the shop is stocked for Valentine’s Day, with heart-shaped boxes of Dinstuhl’s famous handmade chocolates, chocolate heart lollipops, and more. Some of the store’s most popular candies, including Cashew Crunch, pecan brittle, and divinity, are also available.

Dinstuhl’s original location, opened in 1902, was located on Main Street — 197 ½ Main, according to Dinstuhl’s president Rebecca Dinstuhl: “It was not named North or South [Main] at the time … In today’s world it would be Main and Adams. Those [original] buildings are no longer there.”

Per the return to Downtown, Dinstuhl says, “The Downtown Memphis Commission [DMC] approached us to see if we would have an interest in opening a store on Main Street through their incentive program called Open on Main. It assists retailers who want to test the water, to get into the Downtown area, and bring retail back to Main Street.

“The more we investigated it, we realized this was a golden opportunity for Dinstuhl’s to see if Downtown’s a viable retail market for us today. We’ve been away from Downtown for about 40 years from our last storefront there. We then were at Second and Madison, and we closed that store in 1974.”

Working with the DMC and Belz Enterprises, Dinstuhl’s secured the space on S. Main. “We feel like it is the right location for our products, and we’re very excited to return. We’ve already been welcomed with open arms by the local community and the business community, and we’re just so thrilled to be back.”

Through the Open on Main program, Dinstuhl’s has signed a one-year lease to “test the waters,” says Dinstuhl. “We believe very strongly that it is going to be successful, so we do have a five-year option through Belz Enterprises to continue that location.

“We’re celebrating our 118th year, so we thought this was a great time to come back.”

The shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

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Shoppin’ on the River: Fall Night Market this Weekend

CREDIT: Fall Night Market/Facebook

Last November, River Garden Park opened along the Downtown riverfront where Mississippi River Park, a wide open field, used to be. Now with lots more to do within a beautiful setting, River Garden Park has been host to a number of events, such as Full Moon Kayaking, Tai Chi on the River, and the seasonal Night Market series.

Fall Night Market, the series’ fourth event organized by the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) and Memphis River Parks Partnership, will feature an outdoor market full of local vendors.

Fall Night Market/Facebook

Riverside Market

“Fall Night Market is uniquely Memphis with a beautiful riverfront setting,” says Penelope Huston of the DMC.

IV, Najee Strickland Designs, and Mili’s Flowers and Gifts are just a handful of vendors that will be selling their wares.

A performance by Relay of Voices will help provide a unique Bluff City experience. The collaborative group and relay team, led by executive and artistic director Victoria Bradford Styrbicki, has spent some time running (yes, running) 2,400 miles down the Mississippi River, stopping in and exploring around 100 communities to conduct “movement research” to study how people within those communities live around the body of water.

To show what they’ve learned, Relay of Voices will be performing a storytelling piece about their experiences on the Mississippi River and in Memphis. “We love showcasing local talent in this way,” Huston says. “We really like the idea of demonstrating how flexible the River Garden space is and how the park can be used in so many ways: fitness space, educational classroom, shopping and entertainment center, dance studio, kayak launch point, and more.”

Fall Night Market, River Garden Park, Friday, September 20th, 5-8 p.m., Free.

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Beale Cover Likely to Generate $500K for Security Measures This Summer

CREDIT: Beale Street Merchants Association

Beale Street Merchants Association

Beale Street


Since the $5 cover charge to enter Beale Street has been reinstated, nearly $400,000 has been collected, but officials with the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) say none of the funds have been spent yet.

The Beale Street cover charge was reinstated in early May after a weekend of shootings and stampedes occurred on or near Beale Street.

The following Tuesday, Memphis Police Department Director (MPD) Michael Rallings, along with representatives with the DMC asked the Memphis City Council to put the fee back in place. It was originally slated to be in place only through Memorial Day weekend, but after more incidents occurred over the holiday weekend, Rallings returned to council again in June, asking that the fee stay in place through the end of September.

Between the second weekend in May and the second weekend in July, the entrance fee has been collected from 99,481 visitors totaling $382,460. But, none of that money has been spent yet, according to the DMC.

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Officials anticipate that the fee will generate $644,000 by the end of September if there are no rain days. Assuming there are some rain days, about $500,000 will be generated. This amount will be enough to cover the intended uses of the funds prescribed the city council, according to the DMC.

Per the council, the money will eventually be used for additional lighting and cameras on Beale, a new, non-climbable fence around Handy Park that will prohibit items from being passed through, bollards on Rufus Thomas and Second Street, and closer real-time monitoring of cameras on Beale.

The enhanced monitoring of Beale will cost $75,000 a year, while the fence will be a one time expense of $200,000, the additional lighting and cameras are a one time expense of $30,000 each, and the bollards $165,000. 

DMC officials say they are working to “maximize the utilization of these funds to further our security measures.” The commission is in the process of evaluating which sections of the street need more lighting and preparing the fence project for bid.

Jennifer Oswalt, president of the DMC, said by installing more and better lighting, safer street access, and other measures that promote pedestrian safety, the plan uses design elements to address some of the current security issues.


The goal is to “enhance the patron experience and change the way crowds moves through the street without creating an increase in the perceived level of security measures.”

“Memphis is the original American music city, and we owe so much of that to the authenticity of the Beale Street experience,” Oswalt said. “Working with the 24 security and safety recommendations determined by the consultant hired in 2018, we are developing a plan to create a truly welcoming and safe entertainment district.”

In early 2018, the city hired the firm Event Risk Management Solutions to find ways to control the crowd on Beale. The firm, led by Peter Ashwin, produced 24 recommendations for the city. Among them was the reintroduction of the entrance fee.

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The council voted then to reinstate the fee on an as-needed basis, despite push back from some members. Now, the fee will be in place through the end of September and will likely return next summer.

Other recommendations included setting the maximum capacity on the street to 20,000 people, restricting Beale Street to pedestrian traffic only, and redesigning the street’s entry points. All 24 recommendations have been implemented at this point.

DMC staff believes that the fee, working in conjunction with the other 23 recommendations, is leading to less overcrowding on weekend nights and reducing the overall risk of an incident occurring on the street.

This story has been updated with the latest admission numbers from the DMC.


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City Council to Consider Keeping Beale Street Cover Through Summer

CREDIT: Beale Street Merchants Association


Beale Street Merchants Association

Beale Street

The Memphis City Council will consider later on Tuesday (today) extending the fee to enter Beale Street on certain nights through the end of the summer.

The council voted in May to instate a temporary $5 entrance fee slated to last through Memorial Day weekend.

The fee was put in place after a pair of shootings and stampedes took place one weekend earlier in May.

Jennifer Oswalt, president of the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) said last month that since 2014, there have been 24 stampedes on a non-charging night and one on a night when there was a charge.

Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings said then that the fee would help with crowd control and that during his time with the department, the only solution that’s worked consistently to reduce the number of incidents on the street is Beale Street Bucks.

However, police reported that during the time the most recent fee was in place over Memorial Day weekend, despite barricades, crowds rushed the gates and surged the street. Police say this led to disorderly conduct, altercations with officers, and minor injuries.

Rallings said the incidents would have been worse without the fee in place. 

MPD

Live footage of the Beale Street crowd on the Friday night before Memorial Day

Now, the council will vote on a resolution sponsored by Councilman Berlin Boyd, that will keep the fee in place on Friday and Saturday nights through the end of September.

“Beale Street is a tough place, and I don’t want to discriminate against anyone, but I think it’s reasonable control,” Rallings said of the fee. “I’m just trying to make it to October without some negative incident that jeopardizes what happens on Beale Street.”

The entrance fee is one of the 24 recommendations made by the crowd control consultant, Event Risk Management Solutions, last year. Council chair Kemp Conrad said 20 of the 24 recommendations are in place or in the process of being implemented.

Conrad said the $5 fees will go toward implementing security measures on the street, such as installing more SkyCops. Since the fee was reinstated in early May, about  $160,000 has been collected. Conrad said about $340,000 more is needed.

The council voted in 2017 to end the Beale Street Bucks program, which charged a $5 fee on Saturday nights during peak season. In 2018, the council voted to implement the fee on a needs basis.

Some of the criticism of the fee in the past has been that it discriminated against certain groups of people. But, Rallings said Tuesday that the data collected through scanning IDs between May 24th and 27th doesn’t support that.

He highlighted a graph showing that the majority of visitors were from 38127, which encompasses Frayser and other parts of North Memphis; 38126 composed of parts of Downtown and South Memphis; and 38109 near the Tennessee/Mississippi border. The data also shows that a significant portion of the visitors that weekend were from Chicago. 

MPD

Beale Street visitors by zip code

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Beale Street Cover Charge Returns

Beale Street


After two shootings and two stampedes on or near Beale Street took place over the weekend, the Memphis City Council narrowly voted Tuesday to implement a temporary fee to enter the street.


The resolution to instate a $5 entrance fee was sponsored by Councilman Berlin Boyd and council Chair Kemp Conrad. The measure was approved with a 7-5 vote after a lengthy debate.

Boyd said the council members all needs to work together to figure out “how to police the crowd” and “mitigate possible litigation” that could result from incidents like the ones that occurred over the weekend.


“For the general public, I want you guys to know that this is temporary for the month of May,” Boyd said. “We will come back after the month of May because we need to help the MPD officers on Beale Street.”

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Boyd said at the end of May the council needs to re-evaluate and have a “robust” discussion to come up with a permanent solution that doesn’t entail a fee.

Memphis Police Department director Michael Rallings said early on Sunday morning there was a shooting at Fourth and Gayoso followed by a stampede caused by false reports of gunshots. Sunday night, there was a second shooting at Fourth and Beale that led to another stampede.

Rallings said that a common suggestion is adding additional officers to patrol Beale Street, but added that might not be the solution. He said one of the weekend shootings happened right in front of officers who could not prevent it from occurring.

“We have plenty of security there,” Rallings said. “But it’s an issue of crowd control, trying to manage less people, and making the environment more safe.”

Boyd said that during one of the incidents on Sunday, the hired Beale Street security walked away instead of de-escalating the situation.

“That’s the reality that we’re dealing with a dangerous situation,” Boyd said. “We don’t want those coming down to Beale Street to be in harm’s way. I just want everyone to know how severe it was to cause us to do this.”

Councilwoman Cheyenne Johnson questioned how a $5 charge would work to reduce stampedes and other incidents from occurring on the street.

Rallings said the fee will help with crowd control, and that during his time with the department, the only solution that’s worked consistently to reduce the number of incidents on the street is Beale Street Bucks.

Jennifer Oswalt, president of the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) added that since 2014, there have been 24 stampedes on a non-charging night and one on a night when there was a charge.

Beale Street Merchants Association

Beale Street

Councilwoman Jamita Swearengen also raised concerns about bringing the fee back, questioning the need for crowd control.

“We want a number of people to attend Beale Street,” Swearengen said. “We want individuals that come in for Beale Street Music Festival and other festivals to come on Beale Street…. You got to pay for parking, pay to get on Beale Street, pay for this, pay for that. That doesn’t make any sense.

“If police get out of their cars and stop eating and sleeping, we could control the crowd.”

Swearengen said she would not support the move and that the council was “shooting ourselves in the foot.”

Swearengen, along with council members Joe Brown, Patrice Robinson, Jones, and Johnson, voted against the fee. Council members Boyd, Conrad, Frank Colvett Jr., Worth Morgan, Reid Hedgepeth, Gerre Currie, and Ford Canale supported it.

The fee will be in place on the remaining Saturdays in May, as well as a handful of other days that officials expect large crowds. Conrad said 100 percent of the proceeds from the cover charge will go toward security on the street.

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An entrance fee is one of the 24 recommendations made by the crowd control consultant, Event Risk Management Solutions, last year. Conrad said 20 of the 24 recommendations are in place or in the process of being implemented.

The fee is one of the four that had not been implemented until Tuesday. The other recommendations not in place are asking the state to close the street as a public street, replacing the trash bins on Beale with clear liners, and forming a joint command post center where officers can monitor the area live and dispatch when necessary.

The council voted in 2017 to end the Beale Street Bucks program, which charged a $5 fee on Saturday nights during peak season. Then in 2018, the council voted to implement the fee on a needs basis.

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Beale Street Cover Charge Returns