Gus's

MEMPHIS, originally uploaded by momo (-. -)y-~~~.

Hope for the Sterrick or Chickasaw Bluffing?

An interesting thread arises on the long quiet Urban Planet Memphis discussion board.

For what it's worth, I like The Memphian.

Let me go on the record in saying that I think the C and I bank building should be a Starbucks or a Chick Fil-A (or dare I say it...both). There's an alley behind it that would work for a drive through.











Actually, looking at the rendering below from when the Regional Chamber was looking at the space, and given its proximity to the Downtown School and the Law School, it might make a nice branch library to replace the Cossitt.

Maybe somebody with deep pockets like the Hyde Foundation or the Jernigans could pay for a library on the site outside the system?

Skid Row Redevelopment Update

(Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal)

Read about it in the Daily News

Since you'll be curious, here is an inexhaustive list of the stores in the Wolf Creek Market:

World Market
-like Pier one if they didn't take themselves so seriously and stocked Marmite and imported beer. This would even draw from East Memphis

Best Buy
-it might be a good idea for MPD to relocate their theft investigation division to the front door of this store if Midtown got one, but I'd still be excited

Sports Authority
-I've maintained throughout the Bass Pro...looking for a word...is debacle premature?...that Midtown and Downtown need a good sporting goods place to take advantage of the best outdoor activities in the city. This would be another good fit.

Haverty's
-feh

Petsmart
-Lots of pets in Midtown/Downtown

Linens N' Things
-nothing wrong with pillows

Office Depot
-big box retail that already exists in Midtown!

Target
-enough pixels have been spilled on this one, but let's just say we the proximity is probably going to negate our gas savings

Knowledge Tree
-Ms. vi loved this place when she was a teacher, so we'd have to be on guard for impulse buys, though I love the seasonal bulletin boards she puts up in the house.

Factory Card Outlet
-I for one, am tired of paying Hallmark prices.

Cato
-I think they sell clothes, but this makes me think of Inspector Closseau, so that's a good thing.

The Melting Pot
-I'm so tired of having to drive 20 miles to get Swiss.

Chick Fil-A
-Midtown will probably need two. The pickle juice marinade is laced with cocaina. I sort of hope they put this one in the Buddhist Temple foursquare.

That is some serious deliciousness right there, better even than the 201 Poplar snack bar biscuit (doubt me if you must, but set aside an extra 10 minutes on your next traffic ticket and see if I'm wrong). I've never been to Bryant's, so I won't make the claim that the Chick Fil-A chicken biscuit is the best in town.

Anyway, I'm excited to see some discussion of this development. WSG's website is pretty slim on details of their other projects. I checked out the Canyon Ranch project mentioned in the article. Looks nice, but am I alone in wondering if the condo market for wealthy singles and retirees is a little tapped in Memphis?

Does anyone know of condo developments nationwide that actively court families with children, mixed in with the aforementioned right sizers and downsizers?I'd love to move the family to a pedestrian oriented development, but two bedrooms at $250,000 isn't going to cut it. Is a 3-4 bedroom condo priced around $200,000 outside of the realm of possibility? It seems like by courting two demographics only, the Downtown condo market has created a built-in gap.

Uptown is making a serious go at accessible New Urbanism, but they still have a long climb. Perhaps I should stay away from the Uptown Yak board, but it seems they are still experiencing a good deal of growing pains. That said, it seems doubtful that New Urbanism will ever be that successful if Mixed-Use Development = Expensive and Room for One Child.

At any rate, I'm excited that the WSG development may actually make functional use of the Madison trolley line. This is a natural fit for Medical Center students/employees headed to work/school, as well as Downtown residents headed to shop. If there are any children in the 300,000 square feet (which is only 200 units at 1500 square feet) of residential, then they could take the trolley to the Downtown Elementary School. If this all comes to pass, do you credit MATA with prescience or dumb luck?

Barbecue Nachos