Tag: One Beale

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News The Fly-By

Year That Was: Violence, Environment, and Health

Photo: Rowan Gratz

January

2021 was twice as deadly as 2020 for Covid-19 in Shelby County. In 2020, 903 died of Covid here. In 2021, 1,807 passed from the virus.

A consent decree forced Horn Lake leaders to approve the construction of a new mosque.

Family members wanted $20 million from the city of Memphis; Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW); and the Memphis Police Department (MPD) for the 2020 beating death of a man by an MLGW employee.

New DNA testing was requested in the West Memphis Three case for recently rediscovered evidence once claimed to be lost or burned. 

February

An ice storm knocked out power to nearly 140,000 MLGW customers.

The new concourse — in the works since 2014 — opened at Memphis International Airport.

Paving on Peabody Avenue began after the project was approved in 2018.

Protect Our Aquifer teamed up with NASA for aquifer research.

A prosecutor moved to block DNA testing in the West Memphis Three case.

March

A bill before the Tennessee General Assembly would have banned the sale of hemp-derived products, like Delta-8 gummies, in the state. It ultimately provided regulation for the industry.

The project to fix the interchange at Crump Ave. and I-55 resurfaced. Bids on the project, which could cost up to $184.9 million, were returned. Work did not begin in 2022 but when it does, it could close the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge (the Old Bridge) for two weeks.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee temporarily cut sales taxes on groceries.

April

The Mississippi River ranked as one of the most endangered rivers in America in a report from the American Rivers group.

Critics lambasted decisions by Memphis in May and Africa in April to honor Ghana and Malawi, both of which outlaw basic LGBTQ+ rights.

The federal government announced a plan to possibly ban menthol cigarettes.

Lawmakers approved Gov. Lee’s plan to update the state’s 30-year-old education funding plan.

Tom Lee Park (Photo: Memphis River Parks Partnership)

May

Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi prepared for the likely overturn of the Roe v. Wade decision, ending legal abortions in the state.

The Greater Memphis Chamber pressed for a third bridge to be built here over the Mississippi River.

Cooper-Young landlords sued to evict the owners of Heaux House for “specializing in pornographic images.” 

The Memphis City Council wanted another review of Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) plan to remove coal ash from the shuttered Allen Fossil Plant.

June

New research showed Memphis-area women earned 83 percent of their male counterparts income in the workplace from 2000-2019.

Gov. Lee ordered schools to double down on existing security measures in the wake of the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

MPD arrested four drivers in an operation it called Infiniti War Car Take-Over.

A key piece of the Tom Lee Park renovation project won a $3.7 million federal grant, which was expected to trigger nearly $9 million in additional funds.

Tennessee Republican attorney general fought to keep gender identity discrimination in government food programs.

Jim Dean stepped down as president and CEO of the Memphis Zoo and was replaced by Matt Thompson, then the zoo’s executive director and vice president.

Locals reacted to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

July

Memphian Brett Healey took the stage at Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Eating Contest.

One Beale developers returned to Memphis City Hall for the fourth time asking for financial support of its luxury hotel plans.

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) board placed Superintendent Joris Ray on paid leave as they investigated whether he violated district policies with relationships with co-workers and abused his power. 

The project to forever eliminate parking on the Overton Park Greensward got $3 million in federal funding.

Tennessee’s attorney general celebrated a win after a federal judge blocked a move that would have allowed trans kids to play sports on a team of their gender.

Tennessee’s top Pornhub search was “interracial” in 2021, according to the site.

August

A panel of Tennessee judges did not give a new trial to Barry Jamal Martin, a Black man convicted in a Pulaski jury room decked out in Confederate portraits, flags, and memorabilia.

Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert caught flak from the Tennessee Comptroller after traveling to Jamaica while her offices were closed to catch up on the controversial backlog of license plate requests from citizens.

MSCS superintendent Joris Ray resigned with a severance package worth about $480,000. Finance chief Toni Williams was named interim superintendent.

Officials said the Memphis tourism sector had made a “full recovery” from the pandemic.

A new bail system unveiled here was touted by advocates to be “one of the fairest in the nation.”

Eliza Fletcher (Photo: Memphis Police Department)

September

Memphis kindergarten teacher Eliza Fletcher was abducted and murdered while on an early-morning run. Cleotha Abston, out of jail early on previous abduction charges, was arrested for the crimes.

MLGW’s board continues to mull the years-long decision to, possibly, find a new power provider.

Ezekiel Kelly, 19, was arrested on charges stemming from an alleged, hours-long shooting rampage across Memphis that ended with four dead and three injured.

A Drag March was planned for the “horrible mishandling” of a drag event at MoSH. Event organizers canceled the show there after a group of Proud Boys arrived armed to protest the event.

October

Workers at four Memphis restaurants, including Earnestine & Hazel’s, sued the owners to recover alleged unpaid minimum wage and overtime. 

Shelby County was largely unfazed by an outbreak of monkeypox with only about 70 infected here as of October.

Animal welfare advocates called a University of Memphis research lab “the worst in America” after a site visit revealed it violated numerous federal protocols concerning the care of test animals.

While other states have outlawed the practice, Tennessee allows medical professionals and medical students to — without any kind of permission — stick their fingers and instruments inside a woman’s vagina and rectum while she is under anesthesia.

Joshua Smith, a co-defendant in the election finance case against former state Sen. Brian Kelsey, pleaded guilty in court.

The Environmental Protection Agency told South Memphis residents little could be done to protect them from toxic emissions from the nearby Sterilization Services facility.

West Tennessee farmers struggled to get crops to market because of the record-low level of the Mississippi River.

November

Groups asked state officials for a special investigator to review the “very real failures that led to [Eliza] Fletcher’s tragic murder.”

A group wanted state officials to change the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park.

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles were unconstitutional.

A plan to forever end parking on the Overton Park Greensward was finalized by city leaders, the Memphis Zoo, and the Overton Park Conservancy.

December

The Commercial Appeal dodged layoffs in the latest round of news staff reductions by Gannett.

Federal clean-energy investments will further ingrain Tennessee in the Battery Belt and help develop a Southeast Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (H2Hubs).

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee criticized Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) for canceling gender affirmation surgery for a 19-year-old patient.

State and local officials investigated an alleged milk spill into Lick Creek.

MLGW rejected Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) 20-year rolling contract but will continue to be a TVA customer “for the foreseeable future.” 

Former state Senator Brian Kelsey’s law license was suspended after he pled guilty to two felonies related to campaign finance laws last month.

Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.

Categories
News News Blog News Feature

“One of the Poorest Cities” Asked to Back Loan for Another Luxury Hotel

Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis

A private company wants Memphis taxpayers to pay for its luxury hotel if it doesn’t do well. 

That was, essentially, the ask before Memphis City Council members Tuesday. Officials with One Beale, the development that now has two luxury hotels open at the corner of Front and Beale Streets, came to Memphis City Hall Tuesday for the fourth time Tuesday asking for financial support of its development. 

The company is helmed by Chance Carlisle, brother of council member Chase Carlisle. Over the years of the One Beale project, Carlisle and his company has asked for — and received — a 30-year tax break on the project, the city’s first-ever rebate of the local option sales tax back to the company, and an unprecedented 50-percent backstop of the loan to build the hotel. 

Carlisle was back at city hall Tuesday to ask city leaders to backstop the entire loan — $161 million — for the project, payable only if revenues for the hotel fall below around 50 percent. This means if the city backs the loan (ever had a co-signer on a car loan?) and the hotel tanks, city taxpayers are left holding the bag. Why the ask? 

“The bond market has gone south,” Carlisle told council members early Tuesday morning, noting that the deal — as it is now —  “can not go forward as structured.” 

With that, Carlisle said his company has three options: approval of the 100 percent backstop, adding more company money to the project and dilute the ownership stake (“primarily our minority equity partners”), or “we can walk away and call it quits.”  

Why is it good for the city? Several council members said Tuesday that if the hotel deal falls through, the city won’t have enough “quality” hotel rooms to lure conventions to the Renansant Convention Center. 

”We know that we lose conventions because we don’t have the Downtown hotel rooms,” said council member J. Ford Canale. “So, I think that everybody would agree that the [Grand Hyatt Hotel]  is needed. 

“We’ll never be great and this city will never get to the next level or the next step without taking some risk.”

Memphis City Council member J. Ford Canale

“This project is needed to come to completion. And is there some risk involved? Sure there is. But every big decision, every bold decision has risk. We’ll never be great and this city will never get to the next level or the next step without taking some risk.”

While many council members were ready and eager to sign the dotted line, Shirley Ford, the city’s chief financial officer, said financial experts had not had time to fully vet the move. The adminIstration sent the proposal to Tennessee State Comptroller Jason Mumpower who, Ford said, had “very grave concerns about the direction the this investment has now taken.” With that, Ford reiterated numerous times that she wanted council members to have “complete information” about the project. 

The Tennessee State Comptroller has “very grave concerns about the direction this investment has now taken.”

City of Memphis chief financial officer Shirley Ford

If the city signs on, it does not mean money will flow from the coffers immediately or, maybe, even at all. Should Carlisle fail to make its money at the hotel, tax payers would then be expected to pay. 

“This is a contingency,” said council member JB Smiley. “We use the word if that means ‘possible,’ but doesn’t mean ‘certain’ that the city will ever pay a dime to support this project.”

But the city would have to carry the debt on its books. That could affect its bond rating, sort of like the city’s credit score. So, if a city is carrying $161 million in potential debt, it may mean it could have trouble borrowing money down the road.

Should the city have to pay back the loan, it would put an annual hole in the city budget that could go toward paying for police, fire, parks, and all the other things citizens expect their tax dollars to do. Council member Patrice Robinson put it plainly Tuesday. 

It is our responsibility to make sure that we make the best decision for the one of the poorest cities in the United States. And if we make a mistake, we can make them even poorer.

Memphis City Council member Patrice Robinson

“It is our responsibility to make sure that we make the best decision for the one of the poorest cities in the United States,” Robinson said. “And if we make a mistake, we can make them even poorer.

The council was slated to take up the measure during its full meeting Tuesday evening. This story will be updated later this week.   

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Hyatt Centric’s CIMAS Hires New Executive Chef

Chef Adam Arencibia (Credit: Hyatt Centric).

Something’s cooking over at the Hyatt Centric. The Beale Street hotel recently announced that a new executive chef will be taking the helm at its signature restaurant, CIMAS. Chef Adam Arencibia will assume leadership duties over the Hyatt Centric’s dining program and help lead the restaurant in a new direction.

CIMAS opened its doors alongside the hotel last year and boasted a large menu featuring a synthesis of Southern staples alongside South and Central American influences. And alongside its accompanying rooftop bar, Beck & Call, it has become a hotspot for hungry Memphians and tourists alike. But for now, the change in leadership won’t affect the current menu too much, which means favorites like the bluff mushroom quesadilla, breakfast tacos, and chilaquiles verdes are here to stay.

“The framework on the current menus was curated by chefs that do great work in their craft, so not much work needs to be done to improve it, if any,” says Arencibia. “We want to continue to focus on freshness of items, working with local growers, farmers and craftsmen to produce the highest quality we can offer to our current and future guests. Though, with the change of season comes some menu changes, and we’re excited to work on recipes that highlight spring and summer.”

Arencibia has been enthused by cooking since childhood, watching his mom dash around the kitchen and whip up new meals almost every day. But his early passion for the kitchen had to compete with his fascination for Top Gun. “I could recite it verbatim and wanted to become a pilot in some capacity,” he laughs, “but quickly figured out that neither school nor math were for me!” 

Instead, the rush of the kitchen and a fast-paced environment provided plenty of thrills. The Las Vegas native worked his way up to some of the biggest hotels in the city, working alongside top professionals like three-star Michelin chef Jöel Robuchon. “I learned a great deal about discipline and dedication for the ingredients we used and what the farmers or ranchers did to get them to us,” he says. “The attention to detail, processes and technique they taught me still run in my veins today. I also worked with Chef Michael Mina, where I learned a new vision of the same dedication to ingredients, but done in a new way of presentation and production.

“Mina’s culinary team is composed of incredibly talented people that are always raising the bar as to what’s next and what can be done better. I’ve always loved that way of cooking, even if something is working, I’m always thinking of how to make it better!”

For Arencibia, who moved to Memphis in 2021 as an executive chef partner at the Capital Grille, the decision to join Hyatt was an easy one. The move provided plenty of opportunity for growth, and he felt it was the best environment where he would have freedom to improve his craft. And a new direction at CIMAS means he’ll soon have the chance to do so. “Exciting things are coming,” he says. “My lips are sealed for now, but I know we’re eager to let Memphians know about the changes to come.”

Categories
We Saw You

Celebs at Grand Opening of Hyatt Centric Beale Street Hotel

From left: Michael Donahue of We Saw You and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top at the Hyatt Centric Beale Street grand opening. Photo by Kathy McLallen.

Expect a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on when Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Rush, Jerry Lawler, and Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top show up in the same place.

That was the scene at the grand opening celebration for the new Hyatt Centric Beale Street hotel, with plenty of excited people holding cell phones waiting to get selfies with the celebs. The event, held April 29th at the hotel on Beale Street and Front Street, drew about 300 people, who toured part of the nine-story, 227 room hotel that includes 12 guest suites. People gathered in the already opened CIMAS restaurant as well as inside and on the massive Beck & Call Riverfront Lounge patio with its Mississippi River view.

The hotel includes 9,000 square feet of meeting and event space created through the conversion of the William C. Ellis and Sons Ironworks and Machine Shop, originally constructed in 1879. It also includes an Event Lawn, 3,500 square feet of outdoor space that overlooks the Mississippi River and the pool deck.

Kevin Kane, Judith and Jerry Lee Lewis, and Jerry Lawler were at the Hyatt Centric grand opening party. Photo by Michael Donahue.

The rooms feature a neutral color palette with vintage graphics, leather headboards, and shower walls etched with Memphis centric names and sights.

The hotel is part of One Beale, the vision of the late Gene Carlisle. The $400 million development will include apartments, two more hotels, and more restaurants.

Bobby Rush, Yvonne Mitchell, and Al Kapone at the Hyatt Centric grand opening. Photo by Michael Donahue.

Gene’s son, One Beale developer Chance Carlisle, who cut the ribbon to herald the opening of the hotel, told the audience he was “worried that this day would not come.” It was “40 years in the making.”

And, he said, “We’re here and I couldn’t be more proud of it.”

Chance Carlisle cut the ribbon to celebrate the opening of the new Hyatt Centric Beale Street hotel. Photo by Michael Donahue.

The evening included music performed by DJ Alpha Whiskey, Chris Johnson, and a concert by Allen Mack Myers and Moore in the ballroom.

“If Mr. Ellis and Mr. Carlisle could be here, they’d be smiling ear to ear,” Mayor Jim Strickland told the guests. 

Allen Mack Myers and Moore performed in the ballroom at the Hyatt Centric grand opening. Photo by Michael Donahue.
Categories
Hungry Memphis Uncategorized

Beck & Call Bar to Open May 1st in Hyatt Centric

Beck & Call terrace in the new Hyatt Centric hotel

Get ready for some great river viewing while dining.

The new Hyatt Centric’s Beck & Call rooftop lounge is slated to open May 1st.

One Beale developer Chance Carlisle recently took me on a tour of One Beale and its completed and uncompleted spaces. This includes the 227-room already-opened nine-story Hyatt Centric at Front and Beale. 

There will be a total of five restaurants in One Beale. “All with riverfront views,” Carlisle says.

Troy Dixon, Hyatt Centric director of operations, provided me with descriptions of the hotel’s restaurants.

Beck & Call “pays playful homage to Southern cuisine that pairs perfectly with our curated bourbon and whiskey driven cocktail offerings. Whether you are in the mood for our delicious chilled shrimp with bacon, sweet corn skewers, or the delicious B&C burger, our menu strikes a perfect balance between rooftop sophistication and down-home comfort.”

Beck & Call
Beck & Call

While we toured Beck & Call, Megan Davey was working on a giant mural on the side of the restaurant on the enormous river-view terrace, which already was used for a South Main Business Association function, Carlisle says.

Megan Davey on the Beck & Call terrace

CIMAS is already open, serving, for now, breakfast and dinner in the hotel. While I was there, breakfast was being served against a glorious view of the mighty Mississippi. Menu items include breakfast tacos, cornflake encrusted French toast, carnitas breakfast hash, chilaquiles verdes, and something I can’t wait to try: avocado toast, which consists of a brioche, a soft-scrambled egg, and pickled Fresno chili.

CIMAS

According to the description from the Hyatt, CIMAS “draws its inspiration from the rich history and vibrant flavors of Latin American cuisine. Driven by locally sourced ingredients and routes in Southern cooking techniques, the menu reflects fresh and exciting preparations that highlight the very best elements of the season’s bounty. Artfully curated features for breakfast, lunch, and dinner combine heritage grains, heirloom vegetables, and carefully sourced proteins with heat, smoke, and vibrant salsas, creating the perfect ensemble.”

Chance Carlisle at CIMAS

The Market is “a small grab-and-go combined into the lounge area off the lobby in the Hyatt Centric,” Dixon says. This area features coffee, sandwiches, juices and salads from Raw Girls, and “other pastries and case goods.”

Other restaurants in One Beale will include Fancy’s Fish House, a restaurant specializing in casual American seafood. According to a description provided by Carlisle, Fancy’s Fish House will be “a place you want to be all day and night, a ‘go to’ spot. A lively and energetic watering hole with an indoor and outdoor experience. Classically crafted. Simple but not simplistic.”

Charlotte’s will be a speakeasy in One Beale.

Amelia Gene’s, a fine dining restaurant, is slated to open in 2020 in One Beale. The restaurant was named after Carlisle’s daughter. She was named “Gene” after his dad, the late Gene Carlisle.

Categories
Living Spaces Real Estate

From the Ground Up

One Beale is on the board. In its first week of condominium sales, the $175 million development has netted almost $17 million in unit reservations. Of the 68 “Phase 1” units released for sale by developers Carlisle Corp., 16 have now been spoken for. These units are in the North Tower of One Beale.

Five of the 16 units are penthouses, including all of the three-bedroom penthouses, which range in price from $1,730,000 to $1,840,000. Seven penthouses remain in the North Tower.

Of the units available currently for sale, sizes range from 1,300 to 4,380 square feet, with price tags from $554,000 to $1,840,000. A second phase of condominiums looks to be launched in the next few weeks.

“The success of our initial sales effort reflects the strong interest this project has garnered since it was first announced,” project manager Chance Carlisle said in a statement released by Carlisle Corp. “Residents of One Beale will enjoy an elegant and metropolitan lifestyle with the services of a four-star Hyatt Regency and Spa at their fingertips and a quick walk from all that downtown Memphis has to offer.”

The One Beale sales center, at 263 Wagner Place, right next to the site of the development, gives prospective buyers an idea of the level of comfort and glitz once the building opens its doors, projected for 2010. The sales center features fully designed, gawkable model rooms (see Feature Story, page 26) and an interactive tour. You can also get an idea of the view of the Mississippi River One Beale promises future residents — although the vantage is decidedly earthbound at present.

For more information on One Beale condo sales, call 271-2325 or go to www.onebeale.com.

On Friday, August 3rd, Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division will host the 2007 Neighborhood Leaders Conference at the MLGW Training and Development Facilities at 4949 Raleigh-LaGrange. The conference, called “Protecting Yourself and Your Neighborhood,” will teach concerned citizens a number of strategies for improving their homes, their neighborhoods, and their communities. The opening, plenary session of the conference will examine ways to reclaim neglected and abandoned properties, particularly with the aid of the Memphis Police Department, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Environmental Court.

Workshops planned for the conference include how to start a neighborhood watch program, ways to avoid predatory lending, how neighborhoods can better work with realtors in marketing neighborhood homes, ways to avoid foreclosures in your neighborhood, technology and crime prevention, and tips for energy-saving improvements in the home. There will also be a lunchtime presentation on the new MLGW electronic bill.

The conference is open to the public; registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and sessions run until 3:30 p.m. Breakfast and lunch are provided. Call 528-4322 for reservations and more information. ■ — GA

LivingSpaces@memphisflyer.com