Mid-South Regional Greenprint

The Mid-South Regional Greenprint and Sustainability Plan has laid out ideas for how the region can become more eco-friendly by 2040.

The greenprint, which outlines everything from sustainable uses for area green spaces to improving public transit, was released on February 5th after two years of development and research. A vision plan for the greenprint was initially released in 2013.

In 2011, the county was given a $2.6 million grant to prepare for the plan, which aims to “enhance regional sustainability by establishing a unified vision for a region-wide network of green space areas.”

The plan covers Shelby County; Fayette County; Crittenden County, Arkansas; and DeSoto County, Mississippi.

By setting the stage for green-focused efforts, the plan also aims to set in motion a healthier Mid-South by providing more options in terms of transportation, food, housing, and physical activity.

One of the main focuses of the plan is transportation with a focus on providing more bicycle- and public-transit options. Although Memphis fares better than its surrounding counties when it comes to public transit, the plan looks at improving those options for the entire Mid-South.

“While downtown Memphis is a critical hub for population, employment, and commerce, the spread of population and employment density extends throughout the region, suggesting the need for greater connectivity to population and employment across all modes of transportation,” the plan reads.

In the greenprint, 196 miles of bicycle-friendly streets are laid out, including areas in which off-road routes are not feasible. Within these miles, 41 existing on-road bicycle facilities already align with the concept.

The plan also aims to growing a network of “green space hubs,” as well as improving existing parks in the area.

Major hubs that will be improved upon include the West Memphis Eco-Park, named as a “critical hub” in the plan, which will be across the Harahan Bridge on the Arkansas side; the eight-acre Friendship Park project in east Shelby County; and the new plan for the Loosahatchie Rver Greenway in Arlington, among others in Millington and DeSoto County.

The sustainability plan also describes efforts to provide fair housing by increasing access to neighborhoods for people with disabilities and those with lower incomes, as well as access to public transportation and walkability. The goal is to provide more pedestrian-friendly options for neighborhoods.

One example in the plan is part of the Frayser 2020 development, a neighborhood council-driven project that would create a new town center in the area. The town center at Frayser Boulevard and Overton Crossing will include a town square, social services, retail, and a transit hub.

The next step for the greenprint is government approval in the various muncipalites named in the plan. The Shelby County Commission has already approved the plan.

A plan will soon move forward that could eventually connect Shelby, Crittenden, DeSoto, and Fayette counties with a network of 500 miles of greenways.

It’s the first recommendation from those who have guided the Mid-South Regional Greenprint plan for the past three years.

Shelby County won $2.6 million in 2011 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop a long-term vision for the area’s green spaces, including parks, greenways, community gardens, storm water management, and waterways.

The planning process has so far included 80 organizations, 18 municipalities, four counties, three states, and input from thousands of residents, as well as civic and business leaders.

Bianca Phillips

The overall plan is broad, covering everything from fair housing to bus transit. But Greenprint leaders said they wanted to focus on greenways first.

“One of the things we quickly found is that everybody — regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, or race, or gender — saw a passion in connecting our communities through greenways and trails,” said Paul Young, Greenprint program administrator.

Young was speaking to a group last week comprised mostly of city mayors from within the Greenprint boundaries. Young, Greenprint Program Manager John Zeanah, and others told the mayors that the planning phase will be done in November and that their help was needed in the next step — implementation.

A draft of the greenways plan will be made public in a couple of weeks, Zeanah said, and the review process will be completed in November. Greenprint leaders will then take the plan to the elected bodies in 18 cities and four counties for their approval. He called this a “critical point” as the plan moves from discussion to implementation.

“We want to get uniform adoption so we can demonstrate regional buy-in,” Zeanah said. “This will be particularly important as we try to leverage funding from state, federal, and local governments and from private sources.”

No price tag for the greenways project has been made public so far.

The notion of such a large network of greenways was sold to the group of mayors as more than just a recreational amenity but also as a portal for community development, improved transportation options, and for better health and environment. But it was mainly sold as a possible tool for economic development.

“You can locate a business anywhere in the world today,” Ed McMahon, with the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Land Institute, told the group. “Why in the world would you locate it in Memphis, Tennessee over any other place across the globe?”

The answer he gave: quality of life. McMahon said the Memphis region could use the system as a tool to attract employers and employees alike. The system could also help brand the city, he said.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if Memphis, Tennessee, was thought of as the greenest city in the southern United States?” he asked. “I think you have an opportunity to build that brand.”

The plan was also made attractive to the gathered mayors since it can be implemented piece by piece, instead of all at once. No construction timeline is available yet.

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton preached vigilance to the group for when the time came to implement the plan.

“Do not be afraid to get knocked down a whole bunch of times,” Wharton told the group. “The [Shelby Farms] Greenline died in late 2001. Of course we resuscitated it. Taking over the CSX line died two or three times. Even in its short life, the Harahan Bridge project [Main Street to Main Street Multi-Modal Connector project] has died so many times.”