-MCRP Studio
Assets
- friendly neighborhood
- good access to public trans
- central location (amenities); wide variety of services
- cottage style architecture
- fire and police facilities near
- central to Memphis
- university as cultural center
- great urban forest
- well kept yards
- quiet
- access to public library branch
- strong neighborhood associations
- walkable neighborhoods
- double coverage between city and university police
- integrated
- grid layout
- community center (Davis and YMCA)
- bungalow architecture
- bikability
- very little violent crime
- upwardly mobile (values, quality of life, etc.)
- open spaces
- close to campus
- businesses highly involved in redevelopment
- diverse
- neighborhood alliances
- locally owned businesses
- numerous churches
- houses well built
- good access to parks and university
- resources
Liabilities
- a lot of rental
- college student neighbors
- use of neighborhood as shortcut
- hard to distinguish b/t cut through traffic and crime
- increasing number of trains (types of materials transported)
- no neighborhood alert system for hazmat spill
- grid layout
- overflow parking from university and street congestion
- no shuttle system for university
- campus maintenance doesn’t maintain trash blown over to adjacent properties
- no high school in neighborhood
- campus school only goes to 6th
- threat of stadium (Normal Station)
- trash and litter
- east side of Highland and property condition
- lack of landscaping on periphery of campus
- condition of fraternity houses
- light pollution from campus parking lots
- noise from students
- speed on Central higher than surrounding streets
- not pedestrian friendly, esp. around tracks
- crime
- some businesses not assisting in redevelopment
- Park Ave
- Types of businesses
- increasing rate of rental housing (Normal Station)
- instability that results
- Graffiti on Highland
- rodents
- trash on Highland
- parking not defined on Walker
- asphalt on south side of Southern
- drainage still a problem around Black Bayou
- Drainage a problem in Sherwood
- Lack of public parking on campus
- Red and white housing on Getwell rental scheme
- No uniform sign code
Future Vision
- Restore blighted properties
- Repave central streets
- No absentee landlords
- No stadium
- Train underground
- Light rail through area
- Midland high school raises property values
- Bike route connecting to greater city area reducing traffic
- Bike path
- Highland strip more pedestrian friendly and connecting neighborhood
- Diverse range of stores that serve the entire neighborhood, not just the University
- Neighborhood and university working together
- No above ground power lines
- Diagonal parking along Highland
- Deal with the train
- Improved communication within the community
- Restrict PUDs
- Better zoning (similar to Normal station rezoning)
- Grocery store
- Better and increased amounts of landscaping on university property and in area, mitigate effects of parking lots
- Foot and bike police
- Consistently enforce parking and traffic regulations
- Retain neighborhood character
- Local business, faculty in neighborhood, eclectic mix of businesses
- PACA
5 comments:
Personally, I believe that the stadium could be an asset to the entire community.
-Area businesses would reap the obvious financial benefits of a true game day atmosphere.
-Neighbors would be able to experience a bigger community event than ever before. If you have chosen to live in the U of M area, then you already enjoy the ability to have things close by. This is just one more source of entertainment, and it's within walking distance!
-Alumni & fans returning to campus to see a game would boost enrollment, only adding to the strength of the University. A strong University begets a strong University neighborhood.
Many of the concerns regarding a stadium are simply unfounded:
The fairgrounds are not going to be recreated...thing more along the lines of AutoZone Park, something that melds well into the architecture in the area.
The UDI's original report cited areas to replicte like Durham, NC, Boston and a few others. ALL of these campuses have football stadiums, and NONE of them have declining property values.
Property values will not decrease. Look at Cooper-Young, Chickasaw Gardens, and Humes Heights - all of their values are on the rise.
The Beltline neighborhood is the only area in decline, and that was already the case before the LB was even built, much less expanded.
None of the neighborhoods around the Liberty Bowl have issues with litter, or with loitering fans in their area. Everyone is on the move to their tailgate location, or to the stadium itself. Neighborhood tailgate parties would be the only issue when it comes to this problem, and just like any other party a neighbor has, you expect your guests to behave responsibly.
Traffic will be an issue on Highland, yes, but keep in mind this is only 7 or 8 dates out of the entire year. Even for the largest games, Tennessee and Ole Miss, look at the neighborhood behind Tobey Park - only Garden Lane has cars lining it.
The U of M has plenty of parking that already exists at Central & Southern that would offset a lot of the cars. Also, keep in mind that people attending football games travel in groups, i.e, 4 or more people to a car, many times.
I apologize for the lengthy comment, but I wanted people in the University District to see more facts regarding the stadium.
I am a resident of Normal Station. I am completely against a stadium if it is proposed for south of the railroad tracks in the Normal Station neighborhood. If it is north of the railroad tracks, next to the campus, I would not have a problem with it. I would also not have a problem with one on the South Campus. NO STADIUM SOUTH OF THE TRACKS IN NORMAL STATION! If these people want a stadium on the campus so bad, buy up some property north of the tracks between Highland and Patterson and put it there.
Bill
As a Memphian for the last 19 years as well as an alumnus of the University of Memphis, I feel that building an On Campus Stadium at the University of Memphis will not only help the University long term, by attracting students and brining alumni back to campus, but the city as well through increased sales/ property tax revenue and hotel taxes.
If a stadium were to be built on campus, it would bring a collegiate atmosphere to the University of Memphis while also increasing the number of student applications giving the University a bigger pool of quality students to choose from. Along with increased applications from students, an on campus stadium will bring alumni/ fans which will help connect the current student body to the successful alumni therefore not only fostering a football atmosphere but a networking atmosphere as well. Also, by having the stadium on campus, we will see increased sales tax revenue from the fans and alumni who will visit the restaurants and bars along Highland and Poplar before and after the games, spending money at the bookstore on gamedays, as well as out of town fans who would take advantage of staying on campus at the Holiday Inn or Fogelman Executive Center.
An OCS will also increase property value for the city. By building an OCS, the city would no longer have a need for the stadium at the fairgrounds. Therefore, the city could tear down the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Tim Mc Carver Stadium and the Mid South Coliseum. By doing this, the city could create a park at the fairgrounds while also developing this area with homes similar to those that are on Central where the old main library used to be. These homes would sit on desirable land, with a park and the Krock Center as the neighborhood anchors. While developing the area that is the fairground into zero-lot housing, the area that is on Hollywood across from the Children's Museum could be developed into mixed use retail. This would provide an area for the students of CBU to eat, drink, play while also further increasing the tax base of the city.
By doing this, the city would have created growth in two parts of the city that would be vibrant, eclectic and generate a lot of sales and property tax. If a light rail could be developed along Central from The University of Memphis to Cooper and Central, we would be able to connect three of the biggest entertainment areas in the city and creating an entertainment district that would become the "heart'' of the city. All of this can be accomplished just by building an OCS and having a little vision. Thanks for your time.
Its time the University took a stand for what is best for the students and fans of the University of Memphis. How anyone could stand up against Memphis building a stadium on campus is beyond understanding. The school has always allowed the city to put their interest first when it comes to stadiums for the university. This time around we need to do what is best for the University. It must be built on campus. This will improve the entire area and provide a campus lifestyle that has been missing. The fans and students want and deserve it. Its time to drown out those that oppose and stand up for what is needed and right for the University. ON CAMPUS NOW!
That makes me laugh
Listing "liabilities" that involve students renting property, etc.
Did people not realize that they were moving into a university neighborhood?
Looks like someone needs to enroll at the university and take a class in THE OBVIOUS 101.
Working against absentee landlords and slumlords I get. Working for higher standards of property I get.
Not wanting to be around students? I'm sorry, but that is a choice that you already made.
I've lived near U of Texas, U of Mich., Ohio State, U of Illinois, Indiana U, and countless small schools (as well as specifically visiting the campuses of about 15 more universities), and student housing near campus is a no-brainer everywhere.
The other ridiculous thing is the "threat of a stadium," and the "vision" of "no stadium." I know for a fact that there are many people living in the area who disagree with that charicterization and vision.
I won't restate what the other commenters have said dispelling myths and providing true information about the positives of a stadium, but I will add that I wholeheartedly concur with them.
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