The Forge Memphis has recently introduced a $10 million private investment into Mud Island.
The project “will require no incentives from any governmental bodies.”
According to The Forge Memphis, the project is “an aerial adventure course with accompanying programming and activities designed to deliver unique year-round activities for adventurers of all ages.
The project was presented to Memphis City Council on Tuesday, August 9th, and according to Doug Carpenter, founder of Doug Carpenter and Associates (DCA), “takes very little footprint off of Mud Island.”
“I think that it leaves so many open opportunities for other people, organizations, and businesses to join us in activating Mud Island … I think that’s an area that people are really impressed with, the amount of activity we can generate with as little groundspace that we have to take.”
Carpenter said there was originally an idea to put a zipline across the Mississippi River. After hiring a firm to do a study on the area, Carpenter also asked for a study on Mud Island.
“Mud Island has been looking for a solution,” Carpenter said. “It’s a really unique piece of property and requires unique responses. The feasibility of a zipline across the Mississippi River did not work out, but the Mud Island potential was really large.”
Katie Elizabeth Carpenter joined Doug and Frank Ricks, principal and founder of LRK, an architecture firm based in Memphis, as a co-founder to develop a business plan. In the process, the team met Jeremie Bacon, founder of The Forge Adventure Parks.
Doug said that for the last two-plus years, the team has been designing, redesigning, and evaluating how they could “be a positive catalyst for the reemergence of Mud Island.”
“Our design team has created a course that is really remarkable in an urban setting,” Doug said.
The Forge Memphis will include a Skybridge zipline tour, an aerial challenge course and climbing areas, and a food and beverage operation in the current Gulf Grill space.
According to the press release, the Skybridge tour will include two ziplines, with the first carrying guests “500 feet from the top of the Skybridge over the Wolf River Harbor toward the Memphis skyline, connecting with a custom-built tower and elevated rope bridge.” The second will “carry guests almost one quarter of a mile over the Wolf River Harbor at speeds up to 50 miles per hour, landing near the Mississippi River model’s Gulf of Mexico.”
“It’s really a remarkable zipline experience over the Harbor, where you have views of the city, day and night. Then you have views of Arkansas, and the flood plains, and the mighty lights on the bridges,” Doug said.
Doug added that behind the Gulf Grill is a depressed area that will have two to four climbing elements that will “blend in with the treescape there.”
The planners also hope the project activates Mud Island with music festivals, races, summer camps, and other programming.
“It’s a public space, so we want it to be a public space. We love the Riverwalk, it’s quite frankly one of the coolest things around, and we want more people to experience that. Our grand vision is that at any time, if you went on Mud Island with no prior knowledge, you would find something interesting to participate in, to watch, and to listen to,” Doug added.
There is also room for educational programming for school groups on topics such as water conservation and water ecology, says co-founder Katie Elizabeth Carpenter.
“It’s more than just a zipline. I think that’s something really important that we want to emphasize. There’s lots of opportunities for programming and activations outside of the adventure aspect,” Katie Elizabeth explained.
“It’s not just entertainment, there’s an educational component. It’s really important for us, in Memphis, to provide that to people who quite honestly, may not have had those experiences outdoors, in this kind of environment,” Doug added.
The Forge Memphis anticipates a nine- to 10-month construction period with hopes of a grand opening in the summer of 2023.
While Doug said the next steps are to execute a lease agreement with Memphis River Parks Partnership and the City of Memphis, the other components of the business plan have been accomplished.
“We have designed and engineered plans for all of it, and we will be privately funded. We are asking for zero subsidies from the city, or the state … or any of those bodies. We truly are a lease agreement away from executing the plan. Once that’s done, that will start the construction calendar essentially.”