Tag: Mississippi River Parks Partnership

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Ground Broken on $60M Tom Lee Park Project

CREDIT: Mississippi River Parks Partnership

Mississippi River Parks Partnership

An aerial view of the Cutbank Bluff design, illustrating the improved entrance at VancePark, an accessible pathway down the bluff, and stone scrambles that provide informal seating alongthe way.

Local leaders broke ground Wednesday for a reimagined, $60-million Tom Lee Park.

Construction on the first phase of the redesign is slated to begin next year, according to the MRPP. That phase will create Cutbank Bluff on the park’s west side.

The beginning of construction comes three years after the completion of the Memphis Riverfront Concept by Studio Gang, a Chicago-based architecture and urban design firm. the design team now includes Scape, a New-York-City-based landscape architecture and urban design studio.

Studio Gang was hired in 2016 by the Riverfront Development Corp. (RDC). Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland organized the Riverfront Task Force in 2017 to reimagine the city’s entire riverfront. The RDC was replaced as the riverfront’s steward in 2018 by the Mississippi River Parks Partnership (MRPP).
Mississippi River Parks Partnership

View of the Cutbank Bluff looking across Riverside Drive from the Civic Plaza in Tom LeePark.

“In 2017, I challenged my Riverfront Task Force to deliver a world-class riverfront in record time,” said Strickland. “This groundbreaking marks a major milestone toward that goal. Now, we can all begin to look forward to the day when we cut the ribbon to open the nation’s best riverfront park right here in Memphis.”

Funds for the $60-million project have come from the city, county, and state funds, and a number of corporations, foundations, and individual donors.

“At the end of an unusually challenging year, it’s thrilling to be able to celebrate groundbreaking on Memphis’ next civic jewel,” said Tyree Daniels, MRPP board chair. “All the meetings, planning, mediation and fundraising have led us to this moment. Almost a hundred years in the making, Tom Lee Park will serve Memphians for generations to come. Its transformation starts now.”
Mississippi River Parks Partnership

Entry path to Vance Park Plaza.

Parts of the Riverfront Concept have already come to life, including the five-mile River Line trail and the transformation of two former Confederate parks into River Garden and Fourth Bluff Park.

“This is an important step toward the revitalization of the Mississippi Riverfront as a vibrant place for all Memphians,” said Studio Gang founding principal Jeanne Gang. “Our design for Tom Lee Park responds to the observations, ideas, and knowledge shared by Memphians since we began working to envision a new riverfront with them in 2016. The new park will celebrate the diversity and enthusiasm of these voices by creating flexible and resilient spaces for community life to flourish along the water’s edge.”

Kate Orff, founding principal of Scape, called the groundbreaking a “major benchmark for public space in Memphis.”

“It’s fitting that the first area of Tom Lee Park to break ground is a gateway to Downtown — the new design aims to improve connectivity and equitable access across the park for all Memphians, celebrating the environmental and cultural history of the Mississippi riverfront,” Orff said.

Here is how Studio Gang and Scape describe what’s ahead for Tom Lee Park:

Tom Lee Park’s landscape and features are inspired by the dynamic rhythm and patterns of the Mississippi River. Guided by the inspiration of Tom Lee, Memphis’ very worthy wero for whom the park is named, the park will be a place that welcomes all and where community thrives 365 days a year beside the river.

The new park features four zones of activity separated by generous, flexible lawn spaces. Together, the park features combine to create a dynamic and engaging experience with breathtaking river views at every turn, from north to south.
Mississippi River Parks Partnership

View along the Bluff Walk in Vance Park plaza, including the relocated ‘Whirl’ sculpture.

The Civic Gateway features the Cutbank Bluff, a radically redefined park entrance and access point from Vance Ave. and the first ADA-accessible route up and down the bluff. The new access leads to the Gateway Plaza hosting a major water feature and natural stone seating nestled beside a shaded community tree grove.

The central Active Core will buzz with activity as the home to the park’s signature all-ages play space and outdoor exercise equipment at River Fit. The one-of-a-kind 20,000-square-foot Civic Canopy will host music, sports, events, and more with the unrivaled backdrop of the river. A river deck and two river lawns will play host to the free nightly show of spectacular Mississippi River sunsets while pavilions and shaded seating provide options for food and restrooms.
Mississippi River Parks Partnership

View from the base of Cutbank Bluff, including informal stone ‘scramble’ seating.

Designed as the quieter, more-serene, and peaceful part of the park, the Community Batture will feature topographic changes that unlock new river views, sloping lawns for family enjoyment, meditative paths, a Peace Walk, and a River Overlook that will accommodate smaller outdoor gatherings. Community Tables and Hammock Groves provide places to relax, unwind, and gather in small groups.

The Habitat Terraces, at the southern-most end of the park offer an intimate and immersive experience with nature, featuring educational spaces, sound and sensory gardens, and plenty of native plants and wildlife.

Throughout, Tom Lee Park prioritizes resiliency, survivability, and sustainability with native plantings grown from seeds collected as part of the first-ever Massive Seed Project.

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MRPP: Mud Island Amphitheater Fix ‘Complicated’; Will Cost $2M-$10.5M

CREDIT: Mississippi River Parks Partnership

Courtesy: Jerred Price

The Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) announced plans this week to help revive Mud Island Amphitheater. The group formed a committee to begin working to ultimately bring concerts back to the 5,000-seat amphitheater.

The venue is part of the massive Mud Island River Park, opened in 1982 at a cost of $63 million. When it opened, the park included three restaurants. While those are closed, Mud Island still features an indoor museum (now closed because of COVID-19), a boat launch, a monorail with two terminals between a suspension bridge, and a five-block long scale model of the Lower Mississippi River.  The Tennessean/1982

Here’s how it was described in a 1982 full-page ad in The Tennessean right before it opened: “Not a theme park. Not an amusement park. Mud Island is a 50-acre Mississippi River adventure built by the people of Memphis.”

Mud Island River Park is one of several riverfront parks managed for the city by the Mississippi River Parks Partnership (MRPP). The group was criticized earlier this week by DNA president Jerred Price for allowing the park to fall into “despair” and allowing the stage at the amphitheater to remain unused since 2018. The group proposed finding a corporate sponsor who would get naming rights to the venue for money to fix it up. (See below.)

Courtesy: Jerred Price

George Abbott, director of external affairs for the MRPP, said the amphitheater is special but should be considered a part of the entire Mud Island River Park. To deliver the venue as a “minimum viable product” — for safety upgrades to even allow shows back there at all — it would cost $2 million. But to do it right for modern productions, it would cost more than $10 million. He said MRPP asked city leaders for the money this year but couldn’t blame them for not approving it. — Toby Sells

Memphis Flyer: What do you think about the DNA’s plans for Mud Island Amphitheater?

George Abbot: There’s no denying that the amphitheater really sits in an incredible location and has a beautiful backdrop behind it. As such, it’s an important asset for our city.

But I think it’s very hard to consider the amphitheater in isolation. Mud Island was really built as a complete experience. I wasn’t alive when it opened. But I’ve heard people talk about it. You went there to eat at one of the restaurants. You visited the museum. There were shows every hour in the amphitheater. (The amphitheater) was really designed as a piece.

(The MRPP has) been in place for just over two years. We’ve had multiple discussions with venue operators about what can take place in the amphitheater, what needs to happen, which upgrades need to go in there. There hasn’t been a show in the amphitheater since 2018. [Allison Krauss and Widespread Panic were among the last shows there.]

MRPP: Mud Island Amphitheater Fix ‘Complicated’; Will Cost $2M-$10.5M (2)

If you look at the cost-assessment, you begin to see how it’s inextricably tied to the rest of the island. You’re looking at roughly around $2 million in capital expenses, that needs to be put in [the amphitheater] to achieve a minimum viable product. That’s only the amphitheater itself.

Then, you begin to ask the question: Well, how do people get there? Then you start looking at some of the capital expenses for the two [monorail] terminals on either end. Then, you start asking questions about the monorail, and about the parking lot, and the escalators and elevators. It all adds up. We’ve worked with a couple of different firms to do cost estimates for all of Mud Island and they can get up to more than $20 million in capital expenses.

The discussions we’ve had with venue operators, and promoters all took place in a pre-pandemic environment. Looking ahead to the future, who knows what what the concert industry looks like and what the live-event industry looks like.

That, to me, actually creates a very exciting opportunity for the amphitheater. This could be a prototype of the new concert-going experience. But to get there, you need a little bit more understanding of what the landscape looks like. You need a very savvy, smart, and experienced operator to partner with us to get there.
[pullquote-1] I don’t think there’s really anyone who disagrees with the fact that we’ve got an asset on our hands. The discussion really is, again, we need the right partner to be in place, to operate this at a level that we all want to see here in Memphis. We’ve spoken of some of those offerings and we’ll continue to have those discussions. But it takes some time and I don’t think really any concert promoters or operators are looking very far in the future right now.

Courtesy: Jerred Price

MF: As far as priorities right now for the MRPP, are Mud Island and the amphitheater, maybe No. 2 or No. 3 and Tom Lee Park is No. 1?

GA: I wouldn’t necessarily rank them because we’ve been working on both of those projects at the same time.

We are stewards of public assets. As such, it is our responsibility to steward public assets in the way that brings the most benefits to the city. That’s one of the reasons I find it difficult to recommend spending that. … Let’s say you do the minimum viable product for the amphitheater. It’s about $2 million.

We actually asked for that money in the (the city’s Capital Improvement Program budget) this year. The city didn’t give that that money to us. But, to be fair, I don’t really blame them so much for that. That delivers you the safety upgrades inside the amphitheater itself. That doesn’t do anything about access.

Some of the operators we’ve spoken to have estimated that you’d need about $8.5 million on top of that $2 million for the upgrades to the amphitheater — things like raising the roof so you can fit in modern productions — to really make it a competitive facility.

So, I don’t blame (city leaders) for not approving that money while there isn’t some kind of a comprehensive plan in place for the island.

Our job as stewards of public assets is to invest in places where they can have the most impact, which is precisely why there has been a focus not just on Tom Lee Park, but on all of our parks that are adjacent to Downtown. As such, they’re accessible to many, many more people without necessarily having to drive and bringing the associated economic benefit to Downtown businesses.

One of the problems with Mud Island, for me, is that it was always kind of pitched as like the theme-park-type experience. It was difficult to access and most people would drive Downtown or you’d even drive directly on onto Mud Island, the parking lot over there, and that was kind of your day out. That’s what it was designed as.

Mississippi River Parks Partnership

You’d come Downtown. Experience the theme park. Stay in the theme park. Eat here. Entertain yourself here, and then get back in your car, and drive away.

If we think of how we build a successful and thriving Downtown, you want people to do multiple things on that trip. So, you come Downtown, maybe have dinner on the [Main Street] Mall. You visit a riverfront park and then go to a show at the Orpheum, all without having to get back into that into that car. Every time someone gets back into that car, it’s a potential that they drive away and they drive out of Downtown.

So, connectivity is key and that’s always been Mud Island’s weakness. And that’s why our focus in the past couple of years has been on those places that are accessible, that bring the economic impacts of Downtown, but that also are accessible and close to the neighborhoods to the north and south of Downtown that have been economically depressed for a long time.

For some people, visiting the riverfront is kind of the place where they find peace. It’s the place that is kind of the equivalent for a vacation. So, it makes sense to invest in places that are most accessible to them.

MF: Is Mud Island River Park open right now?

GA: It is. All of the riverfront parks are open. What is closed are the the inside facilities. So, that means that the (Mud Island) terminals and the walk bridge are closed, but you can still access the park from from Island Drive.

Mississippi River Parks Partnership

MF: What do you say to the folks who go over there and they see the cracks and the weeds and are concerned about the maintenance and upkeep of Mud Island?
GA: It’s important to make a distinction between maintenance and capital expenses. We could talk for a long, long time about Mud Island, but the program was built with an assumption of self-sustaining revenue. There was the ticket price. There were businesses there and restaurants over there.

Very, very quickly after it opened those visitorship projections didn’t didn’t bear out. And … it became a loss-making project. Four or five years after it opened, it was kind of kicked around. It was managed by various entities. I’m pretty sure [Pyramid developer] Sydney Schlencker managed it at one point before the [Riverfront Development Corporation] was created.

Because the revenue isn’t there, the backlog of maintenance issues began all the way back in the 1980s. There’s a point where it becomes a capital expense. What’s in our contract and what’s in our budget for the city is the general day-to-day maintenance. The things that are not in that are these … capital expenses.

We’ve done the cost estimates and baked in everything over there to get it to the 1982 standard. You’re looking at more than $20 million. But, again, it’s difficult for me to recommend that as a good use of public assets. Because that delivers you … Okay, we got Mud Island that’s just the way it was in 1982, with a program that that didn’t succeed in 1982. It’s now 2020.

Mississippi River Parks Partnership

You know there’s a very, very different recreation market and a very, very different concept market. [Mud Island] really needs kind of a comprehensive plan … I mentioned that connectivity was always a disadvantage of Mud Island, but it can also be an added advantage, depending on what you’re using it for. Like, you’re at once close but far away. So, you almost need to find that longtime use to take advantage of that.

There’s a lot of concrete over there. It was built with one idea of how it can be used. When that use didn’t pan out, it then became a problem. I think that that’s why you if you look at the Tom Lee plans, you’ll see that pretty much everything in the park is flexible and multipurpose, which is which is the way that we build nowadays.

That’s the way that we build kind of every project. There’s very few single-use projects. Even if you think of somewhere like (Crosstown Concourse). It’s that mix of shops, school, healthcare, and apartments. It has flexible sets that can be reconfigured depending on how the economy changes and how our tastes change.

That’s really the gold standard for public spaces now. We want to avoid building things like, like Mud Island to have one program and build things that are flexible and that can adapt and change over time.

MF: Is there anything you want to add or anything we left out?

GA: I would just like to make two additional points because I think I noticed in [the article on Jerred Price] there were these claims that we used to have hundreds of concerts a year at the amphitheater. We looked back. The last time there were double figures (for concerts) annually was 2011. The most concerts ever held in a year on Mud Island was 21 and that was back in 1997.

So, again, just thinking about how we’re spending dollars. That’s 21 nights a year. As good stewards, we’ve got to say, okay, what would it take to get us to 21 nights a year and could that even happen?

MRPP: Mud Island Amphitheater Fix ‘Complicated’; Will Cost $2M-$10.5M

Everyone forgets that it’s 5,000 seats over there with the bleachers. You take the bleachers away — the bleachers are terrible — it goes down to 4,000. Just as a comparison, the Landers Center is 8,000. Snowden Grove is 11,000. So, they’re really not competing on the same playing field.

There’s a question as to could you even get back up to that 21 nights per year? And then if you do, what’s the outturn you need to get there? What’s the return on that? This is a more complicated issue than it appears on the face of it.

I think a lot of people have memories of going to concerts there and if it could just be that again, it would be great. But then once you peek beneath the hood and look at the numbers, it becomes more complicated.

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Riverside Drive to Reopen August 3rd

CREDIT: Google Maps

Google Maps

Riverside Drive will reopen to vehicles on Monday, August 3rd but will close again on weekends, according to the Mississippi River Parks Partnership (MRPP).

In a Thursday morning email, the MRPP said the street will close each Friday at 6 p.m. and open again at 6 a.m. on Monday mornings “to allow people to use the street and park safely.” The Tom Lee Park parking lot will remain closed.

The MRPP said it regularly counts visitors to the parks it manages and takes note of their activities. During the coronavirus pandemic, more people have been using the riverfront parks and using Riverside Drive “to spread out across Tom Lee Park and onto the street.”

“An analysis of interviews with park visitors over the past couple of months shows that ‘peace,’ ‘safe,’ and ‘convenient’ are overwhelmingly used to describe the atmosphere and nature of Tom Lee Park with Riverside Drive closed to vehicles,” reads the statement. “The partnership will continue our work with Mayor Jim Strickland, Memphis Police Department, and city engineering to find ways to continue to deliver this atmosphere even as cars and motorcycles return to Riverside Drive.”

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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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Final Plans Unveiled for New Tom Lee Park

CREDIT: Mississippi River Parks Partnership

Mississippi River Parks Partnership

Shade, small hills, paths through forests, a cafe with a porch, a covered space for recreation, a new entry plaza, a canopy walk, and more are in store for the now-flat, wide-open Tom Lee Park after a $60 million renovation planned to begin this fall.

The final concept for the new design of the park was unveiled Wednesday afternoon by the Mississippi River Parks Partnership (MRPP). The design is close to original concept plans drawn up in 2017 by Chicago-based design firm Studio Gang. That firm and New York-based landscape architecture firm SCAPE teamed up for the design’s final concept.

The total budget for the 30-acre park is $60 million. Half of the money — $30 million — will come from state, county, and city coffers. The remainder of the money will be raised privately. The Hyde Family Foundation has already given $10 million to the effort.

Mississippi River Parks Partnership

MRPP said the plan positions Tom Lee Park as ”Memphis’ next civic jewel by reconnecting the city with the Mississippi River and creating a beautiful place for community life to flourish on the water’s edge.”

“For 100 years we’ve dreamed of a riverfront whose majesty was a match for the river it frames,” MRPP president and CEO Carol Coletta said in a statement. “Today, we finally have the opportunity to make the most of our position at the widest and wildest point on the Mississippi River.

“Memphians are going to be thrilled with what’s coming to their riverfront. This work is already winning national awards and it will produce a riverfront we’ll all be proud of for generations to come.”

The riverfront’s transformation began in 2016 as Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland organized the Riverfront Task Force. Since then, the Riverfront Development Corp. (RDC), long time caretakers of the riverfront, was replaced by the MRPP. That group moved quickly and has already completed some projects by the Mississippi River: River Garden, River Line, and Fourth Bluff Park. MRPP is now working to rehabilitate Cobblestone Landing.

Mississippi River Parks Partnership

Tom Lee Park’s new design is not final. It will continue to develop before the firms produce construction documents. Groundbreaking on the new park is expected later this year.

The timeline on the project has been pushed back as officials with Memphis In May (MIM) have worked to ensure the new design will allow them to maintain crowd sizes at their signature events — Memphis In May International Barbecue Cooking Contest and Beale Street Music Festival.

MIM announced Tuesday it would hold the festival in the park as it is now next year. The announcement came the day before MRPP unveiled the new park designs.

Mississippi River Parks Partnership

“When this spring’s events were delayed, Memphis in May asked (MRPP) for use of the park in the fall and we were happy to work with them to accommodate the revised dates for Memphis in May 2020,” Coletta said. ”A week ago, (MRPP) informed Memphis in May that we would alter our construction schedule to accommodate Memphis in May in Tom Lee Park proper in May 2021 — even as we will start construction on the project this fall.”

MRPP said the new design “meets or exceeds all design constraints generated through a mediation process with Memphis in May and will continue to develop in anticipation of groundbreaking within the year.”

The new design is also grounded in community engagement. The MRPP got input from more than 4,000 people during the concept phase with local high school students weighing in, site visits, speaking at public events, and a design display at Beale Street Landing.

Mississippi River Parks Partnership

“Just like this region has been shaped by the Mississippi, our design for Tom Lee Park has been shaped by the input of the many Memphians who have graciously shared their knowledge, ideas, and dreams with us,” said Studio Gang founding principal Jeanne Gang. “This new park is meant to be a place where everyone can come to enjoy their favorite activities and to take in the natural wonders of the Mississippi. Embracing the local knowhow that characterized the working waterfront structures that operated here for so long, the architecture is designed to celebrate the material history of Memphis by making new use of salvaged wood and metals.”

Here’s a more complete list from the MRPP of some of the new design features to be included in the new Tom Lee Park:

The new park design is grounded and inspired by the dynamic ecological features of the Mississippi River. Architecture and landscape will work closely together to make the park an accessible, exciting, and welcoming place for all.

Mississippi River Parks Partnership

Five new, highly efficient buildings, an open-air canopy, more than 250,000 square feet of open lawn space, and a series of immersive landscape environments spanning the park’s 30 acres will accommodate a diversity of activities and programming, from family gatherings to corporate events and major public festivals.

The design improves park access from Downtown with five new and improved park entry plazas — called “landings” — at key connecting streets including Beale, Vance, Huling, and Butler as well as an entry from Ashburn-Coppock Park at the south end.

ADA-accessible pathways at the north and south ends of the park democratize access while improved staircases and safer crossings of Riverside Drive lead to generous landing points in the park itself.

The nature and ecology of the Mississippi river bank will be showcased throughout the park with a restored soil system, enhanced topography to frame unobstructed river views, and native plantings to promote the longevity of the renewed landscape.

The new Tom Lee Park is comprised of four primary zones from North to South:

Mississippi River Parks Partnership

1. The Civic Gateway at the northern end of the park welcomes visitors from Beale Street and Vance Park with:

• Cutbank Bluff, a radically redefined bluff entrance and access point from Vance Park;

• A new entry plaza with shade trees and water feature;

• Landscape improvements at Beale Street Landing.

2. The Active Core features areas and structures for active and flexible use, including:

• An open, 20,000 square foot Civic Canopy that offers a covered space for recreation and events;

• Three highly efficient Point Bar Pavilions house a small café with porches overlooking the river, equipment storage, and public facilities;

• Open, expansive lawns featuring a signature Play Area with varying topography and unique playscapes;

• Centrally located River Groves provide shaded areas for people to sit and enjoy views of the river or activities below the Civic Canopy.

Mississippi River Parks Partnership

3. The Community Batture is a forested area situated on higher ground, providing a different perspective of the river within the park and places for families to gather and barbecue. New spaces include:

• Meditative Paths that weave through the forest to create intimate gathering spaces for people to connect with the landscape;

• A Peace Walk that creates a new landscape that integrates the Tom Lee Memorial into its surroundings

• A Civic Glade that offers a sunny area in the restored riparian forest for smaller-scale gatherings, activities, or events;

• Two Point Bar Pavilions to house visitor amenities and park utilities.

4. Habitat Terraces at the southern end of the park offers a more intimate experience of the natural landscape, and will include:

• A Canopy Walk that connects the park to the city by means of an elevated path through the biodiverse forest of Tom Lee Park’s southern zone;

• Immersive Platforms which offer park-goers a quiet acoustic environment to experience the sights and sounds of the Mississippi River.

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Mediation Ends with Final Tom Lee Park Design Agreement

CREDIT: Toby Sells

Toby Sells

Tom Lee Park redesign.

(UPDATE: MRPP president and CEO Carol Coletta comments below the main story.)

(ORIGINAL POST) Mediation on the design of Tom Lee Park has concluded and the newly designed park will include three large, wide-open fields for festivals, a four-lane Riverside Drive, sports equipment that can be removed, and a design review committee to ensure the agreement remains true.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland ordered the Mississippi River Parks Partnership (MRPP) and the Memphis In May International Festival (MIM) into mediation earlier this year to hammer out an agreement on a proposed $60 million redesign of the park. City of Memphis

Strickland

MIM unveiled its plan for the park in February. Only few days after the reveal, MIM officials said publicly that they worried the redesign would not accommodate the many activities it hosts in the park in May.

A debate over the park sprawled into the public realm as some Downtown restaurateurs urged passage of the plan. However, the Memphis Restaurant Association (MRA), the Metro Memphis Hotel and Lodging Association (MMHLA), and the Beale Street Merchants Association issued a public statement against the proposed redesign. The debate spilled into social media where Facebook groups like “Save Tom Lee Park and Festivals” pushed against the plan.

City officials released the final agreement Thursday morning after “months of hard work,” according to statement from Strickland, who called the process “successful” and one that found a “mutually beneficial solution.”
Studio Gang

The original re-design of the park.

“We now have a clear direction not just for the designers of the park, but also a process for review and approval by the city of Memphis and the Army Corps of Engineers before any construction can begin,” Strickland said.

That process includes the city of Memphis riverfront Concept Steering Committee. It will be the city’s internal design review committee and will monitor the design and construction process of the park. The committee will keep open lines of communications with the parties throughout the process.

Strickland noted four key takeaways from the agreement and the redesign process as a whole:

1. Memphis in May will be held in Tom Lee Park in 2020. In 2021, it will be held at an alternate site to accommodate construction in the park. The festival will return to the park in 2022 and will be at home there for years to come.

2. Riverside Drive will remain a four-lane street. We will incorporate speed-limiting designs in the final product, because we want the street to enable better access to the park.
Studio Gang

A wildlife observation tower proposed in the original redesign of the park.

3. In addition to providing new amenities for citizens, the proposed renovations to Tom Lee Park will improve the infrastructure for Memphis in May.

4. No city money from our general fund or capital improvement budget will be used — meaning that not a cent of this will impact service delivery like police and fire. The city is routing $10 million in sales taxes in the Tourism Development Zone (TDZ) that would otherwise have gone to the State of Tennessee. The remaining money for the park would come from Shelby County, the state of Tennessee, and private sources.

Read more details of the agreement below:

[pdf-1]
MIM had not issued a formal statement on the agreement as of Thursday morning. We’ll update this story when they do.

Carol Coletta, MRPP president and CEO, comments:

“For more than 100 years, Memphis has dreamed of a great riverfront. The Memphis Riverfront Concept lays out a vision for a connected, catalytic, and fun six miles, the best riverfront in the country, anchored by a transformed Tom Lee Park.

With Mayor Strickland’s announcement today of a resolution to the mediation process with Memphis in May, the final design process to turn Tom Lee Park into the signature public park on the Mississippi River can begin. The Partnership thanks Mayor Strickland and COO Doug McGowen for their leadership through this process.

Since the beginning, our goal has been to produce a new park that will be an unmatched public asset for the people of Memphis and Shelby County and will be able to host great festivals and events. Today, that goal remains intact.

Now, the design team will re-convene and restart work. Early next year, we’ll be able to share more on the evolution of the design. All of the elements we unveiled in February will remain in the park, and you can expect the design to be better than ever.

Visionary donors have already committed $40 million toward a capital campaign goal of $60 million. With renewed momentum, the campaign will proceed and enable a transformation of Memphis’ most visible real estate into an iconic image for Memphis.

Thank you for your continued support as we work to deliver a riverfront that works for everyone.”

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Downtown Business Groups Issue Conditional Support for New Tom Lee Park

CREDIT: Chris McCoy

Studio Gang

A view of Tom Lee Park from Studio Gang’s 2017 Riverfront Concept Plan.

Three major Downtown business groups said Monday they support an improved Tom Lee Park but not at the expense of Memphis in May and its revenues.

Much noise has been made about the Mississippi River Parks Partnership’s (MRPP) $60 million plan to renovate Tom Lee Park. That plan would transform the now-flat, largely featureless expanse with gentle hills, trees, and permanent structures.

Much of that noise has been made from those fearing the updated park would force the festivals to move or shrink. MRPP has said neither of those would happen.

On Monday, the Memphis Restaurant Association, Memphis Metropolitan Hotel & Lodging Association, and the Beale Street Merchants Association issued a joint statement in support of an improved park but only if it does not harm Memphis in May.

Here’s the statement in full:

“We support an improved Tom Lee Park that showcases and embraces the Mississippi River.

Together, the Memphis Restaurant Association, Memphis Metropolitan Hotel & Lodging Association, and the Beale Street Merchants Association desire a park that fits the needs of the citizens of Memphis but that also accommodates the annual activities and events associated with Memphis in May and its $137 million-dollar annual economic impact on the city of Memphis and Shelby County.
[pullquote-1] If Memphis in May events are relocated or restructured, it could have a devastating effect on Downtown businesses and cause a loss in critical tax revenue from the Memphis and Shelby County hotel/motel tax and directly impact the revenue projected to be generated through the Downtown Tourism Development Zone — funds that can not be recuperated.

Downtown Memphis offers the amenities and services our community and visitors desire when participating in Memphis in May events. We are committed to a solution that supports improvements, encourages business, is accessible, and that allows thousands of citizens and visitors to experience our riverfront.”

Categories
News News Blog

Tom Lee Construction Pushed to Fall, Petition Aims for Pause on Park

CREDIT: Toby Sells

Toby Sells

Tom Lee Park redesign.

The Mississippi River Parks Partnership (MRPP) pushed back the construction start for Tom Lee Park to this fall while a petition surfaced online to pause the park plan for more discussion.

MRPP unveiled its plan for the park in January. It includes hilly contours, built facilities, trees, trails, and more. The plan sparked concerns from some, worried the plan would shrink Memphis in May (MIM) events and move it to a new location for one year — 2020 — while the new park was under construction.

MIM officials said in February that the plan has “issues,” “challenges,” and “problems.” They said the plan would reduce the capacity for crowds, stages, and tents at Beale Street Music Festival and the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.

The two groups have been working toward a compromise on the situation with former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Janice Holder since March.

Before that mediation began, MRPP executive director Carol Coletta said construction on the new park would begin as soon as MIM ended this year. Tuesday evening, the group issued a statement saying they’ll soften that timeline.

“Construction on the new Tom Lee Park will begin this fall once construction documents are complete,” reads the statement. “The park, currently closed to the public for Memphis in May, is expected to re-open in June following a period of remediation to repair any damage resulting from the major festival weekends.

“Tom Lee Park’s construction schedule is now likely to align with a simultaneous project to fix and improve Memphis’ historic cobblestone landing, also scheduled to begin this fall. Aligning these projects will minimize disruption to Riverside Drive.
[pullquote-1] The new Tom Lee Park will join significant improvements to the riverfront already completed, including an enhanced Mud Island Park, the 5-mile River Line trail from Wolf River to Big River Crossing, and River Garden.”

This new timeline comes after a new petition began online to “Save ‘Tom Lee’ Park!” — though, the new construction start date and timing of the petition appear to be unrelated.

The petition, started Monday by Todd Adams, had 1,027 signatures as of late Wednesday morning. It needs 1,500 signatures before the request is formally sent to a raft of state and local leaders including Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, the Memphis City Council, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, the Shelby County Commission, governor Bill Lee, and some federal lawmakers from Tennessee.

“Memphis River Parks Partnership reps have said several times ‘Memphis in May officials have been involved the entire time,’” reads Adams’ petition. “Yet, here we are in mediation because Memphis In May officials have publicly said that this current design brings many red flags and concerns.

Chris McCoy

Sunset over Tom Lee Park

“We are petitioning the city to stop any construction/demo until a joint statement is made by MIM/MRPP and until they reach an agreement. We are petitioning for the city of Memphis to be transparent with the citizens.”

However, petitioners say they are not against a newly re-designed Tom Lee Park. They say they want a “new, smart park design that allows the park and the festival to co-exist.”
[pullquote-3] “This is ‘Memphians’ sticking to our history, and our biggest festival and money-making weekends of the year — economic impact far beyond this so-claimed ‘park’ boom you speak of,” reads the petition. “We MUST AND INSIST on a park plan/model that will allow easy flow of people, logistics, safety, and convenience for our big MIM events. ANYTHING LESS IS NOT AN OPTION!!! [capitalization and punctuation their own].”

Categories
Letter From The Editor Opinion

Letter From the Editor: Take Me to the River

CREDIT: Bruce VanWyngarden

Memphis has been named a best travel destination, or a variation thereof, several times in recent weeks. The website Travel Lemming called Memphis “the next hot Southern city.” Frommer’s Travel Guide put Memphis in its “19 Best Places to visit in 2019.” The Travel Channel said Memphis was the “hottest Southern Destination of 2019.” And TripSavvy, a leading travel site, named Memphis as the best overall travel destination of 2019. Like, in the world. Dang.

They like us. They really like us.

But why? Well, the usual litany gets mentioned in most of these stories: First, there’s the Holy Trinity of Beale Street, barbecue, and blues. Then there’s the National Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, Bass Pro Pyramid, the Peabody, the Memphis Zoo, and, of course, all the music attractions: the Stax Museum, Sun Studio, the Memphis Rock n’ Soul Museum, the Blues Hall of Fame, etc. Also getting some press lately are Crosstown, South Main, Overton Square, Broad Avenue, and Cooper-Young.

Bruce VanWyngarden

Scale model of the new Tom Lee Park

That’s a pretty impressive litany.

But increasingly, these travel stories are also starting to mention the charms of the Mississippi River. Here’s Trip Savvy: “The Mississippi River, the second longest river in North America, forms Memphis’ western border. … There are nearly five miles of parks along the river, which are ideal for outdoor recreation. In addition, riverboat cruises, canoe rentals, and other water activities are available. Visitors can also walk along a scale model of the lower Mississippi River on Mud Island … or cross the Mississippi on the Big River Crossing, a new bridge with walkways and bike trails.” They didn’t even mention our cool, new bridge lights.

And, as you may have heard or read, our Mississippi riverfront is about to get a major makeover, including a massive re-design of Memphis’ front yard — Tom Lee Park. Last year, the Mississippi River Parks Partnership (MRPP) picked Studio Gang, a Chicago-based design firm, and SCAPE, a New York landscape and urban design firm, to lead the redevelopment of the riverfront. This week, they unveiled the plans for Tom Lee Park and set up a nifty scale model of the proposed transformation for public viewing at Beale Street Landing.

I went down to check it out, and, well, it’s pretty transformative, to say the least. The now prairie-like expanse of the mile-long park will soon have small hills, trees, pocket parks, connective gravel paths, a sheltered recreational and concert space, water features, three large fields (called “pools” in the plan), and a nature area with a bird-nesting tower.

When the plan was released, skepticism was rampant and it hit the usual notes: Why use outside developers? What’s wrong with the park now? The plan is too cluttered. How will Music Fest and the barbecue contest work? And what if we get another flood like 2011, when Tom Lee was a couple feet under water, will it all get washed away?

Good questions, especially the last two. So I posed them to George Abbott, director of external affairs for MRPP. He said the plan for Music Fest is to utilize the three large fields for concert stages, and use the sheltered facility as the Blues Tent. As for the barbecue fest, it appears the likeliest scenario may be to put the teams on Riverside Drive. 

And what if another flood comes? Abbott said the design firm has had experience creating parks with fluctuating water features nearby, and the park is designed with an awareness of the Mississippi’s flooding potential. How that stops the river from rising, I’m not sure, but presumably the park-scape is designed to weather it.

I’m from Missouri, so I’m as skeptical as they come (Show me!), but I have to say, this park design is pretty impressive, maybe even spectacular. I think the biggest questions will revolve around Memphis in May events. If we get the usual rains for Music Fest, those gravel paths will get a workout, and the “pools” may live up to their name. That said, I really hope MRPP can pull off this ambitious re-imagining of one our seminal public spaces. Call me Pollyanna, but I’m even kind of excited about it.