It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Tucker Jefferson!

October 27th Neighborhood Meeting

For the Fall neighborhood association meeting, Kim Williams, of Memphis College of Art came and spoke.



Kim spoke of the College's recent growth and future development.



Kim was open about their future plans for the college that would effect our neighborhood. But expressed her interest and openness to the neighborhood's concerns. She even offered to find residents helpful college students willing to do miscellaneous work.

If you have any questions, concerns, or just want a tour, please call Kim Williams at the Memphis College of Art.

Thanks, Kim, for taking time to talk with us!

Overton Square demolition eyed; developer wants upscale grocer, shops at site

By Tom Bailey Jr. (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Wednesday, August 26, 2009

An Overton Square developer wants to demolish the buildings along the south side of Madison, build an upscale grocery on the back parking lot and rebuild retail and restaurant space along Madison.

"All I know right now is that the potential developer is having his engineers, architect, me and everybody else doing as much research as possible to determine whether he can make this thing go," said Memphis attorney Ronald Harkavy, who represents developer Sooner Investment. "It's a very, very expensive undertaking."

The Oklahoma-based commercial real estate developer has a standing relationship with Associated Wholesale Grocers, which would operate a grocery store measuring just under 50,000 square feet at the southwest corner of the property at Monroe and Florence.

"They're not going there unless they go with a very fine grocery store," Harkavy said Wednesday. "That will be the anchor. Everything else will revolve around it."

Associated Wholesale Grocers' spectrum of stores extends from the low-end Price Chopper to the more upscale Sun Fresh and Apple Market.

Preservation organization Memphis Heritage and others have said that the developer has refused to discuss the plans.

Calling it a misunderstanding, Harkavy said the developer has not had specific plans to share.

Other details he confirmed:

A parking garage would be built underneath the grocery.

No retail buildings are planned to front Cooper, south of Madison.

A couple of restaurants would be placed at the curve of buildings at the southwest corner of Madison and Cooper and new retail would extend west on Madison to Florence.

Once the plans are more detailed -- a little more than a month from now -- they'll be presented to neighborhood organizations and others.

But the plan for demolition sets up a fight with Memphis Heritage.

The two sides don't even agree on the age of the buildings that line the south side of Madison from Cooper to Florence.

The front of the retail row was built in the late 1920s and early 1930s, said June West, executive director of Memphis Heritage.

"The structures represent the Midtown area in the early 19th (20th) century," she said. "We believe they're eligible to be on the National Register (of Historic Places)."

She said she has been told that the developer believes the structures were built in the 1970s. But it's only the back of the buildings, which face south, that were added in the 1970s, West said.

Whenever they were built, "they're not desirable," Harkavy said. "Old, dilapidated buildings."

Anticipating plans to demolish, Memphis Heritage and others got the City Council to place a moratorium on any razing until it is presented with plans.

I know it's going to be very controversial," said Councilman Jim Strickland, who met with the developer three weeks ago. "I'm just hopeful through the process of meeting and compromises that something can be worked out that will be beneficial to Overton Square."

Before seeking approval of the plans from local government, the developer has agreed to meet separately with at least three interested organizations: Evergreen Historic District, Memphis Heritage and Tucker Jefferson Neighborhood Association, Strickland said.

The plan would require a zoning change, so it would have to go before the Land Use Control Board.

"Their demeanor with me was open," Strickland said.

About 70 people gathered at Playhouse on the Square on Tuesday night for a public meeting hosted by Memphis Regional Design Center.

Executive director Charles "Chooch" Pickard presented several possible redevelopment site maps that were created by volunteer professionals in a design brainstorming session in July.

The exercise is a "tool" to show just how passionate citizens are about Overton Square's fate, Pickard said.

The design center, "a neutral party," is not necessarily opposed to demolition, as long as "something good is put in place. ... We want good design."

Overton Square is decades old and richly designed with balconies, stone pavers, awnings, porches, lamp posts, tile roofing and other design elements.

Public Input Meeting/ Mini Design Charrette for Overton Square

Date: Friday, July 24, 2009
Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm

9:00 am Tour starts at the SW Corner of Madison & Cooper

10:00 am Public Meeting will be located at Memphis Heritage, Howard Hall, 2282 Madison Avenue at Edgewood


The MRDC, MHI and AIA Memphis are interested in your input about the future of Overton Square. The current owners (Fisher Capital) and potential developers (AWG and Sooner Investment Realty) are still not responding to requests for more information on their plans or our suggestion of working with us to determine a solution that is acceptable to the community.

The assumed plans are to demolish the south side of Madison Avenue between Florence and Cooper and place a big box retail center on the southwest end of the existing parking lot with its back to Sidestreet, the Magnolia Room and Mr. Lincoln's. This is not a sustainable solution to the site.

The day will begin with a tour of the neighborhood and a brief presentation on the history of Overton Square. The rest of the day will consist of hearing suggestions from you from a consumer point of view as well as a design point of view. These ideas would culminate in a series of site plans and perhaps an image board or character renderings depicting the desired public realm. This may include options of saving the buildings (or portions of them) as well as options for new buildings on the site. Plans generated from the meeting will be shared with the community and the owners/developers.


The tour will begin at 9:00 am at the SW corner of Madison and Cooper. The Public Meeting will be held at Memphis Heritage immediately after the tour at approximately 10:00am. If you can't make it for the entire day, fell free to drop in and out at any time.

Please RSVP as lunch will be provided. Donations for the cost of lunch are greatly appreciated.

Please e-mail RSVP to:
Charles "Chooch" Pickard, AIA
Executive Director/Chief Design Officer
Memphis Regional Design Center
cpickard@mrdcinfo.org
(904) 491-3354


Sincerely,
June
June Waddell West
Executive Director
Memphis Heritage, Inc.
901-272-2727

great news about Overton Square

Dear friends of Overton Square,

Good News!
The following resolution passed unanimously in City Council yesterday,
Tuesday June 2, 2009:

"Resolution requesting that the Division of Planning and Development/Construction Code Enforcement issue no permit for demolition in Overton Square without approval by the Memphis City Council."


This action was taken to encourage the developers to enter into a dialogue with the various stakeholders in the areas surrounding Overton Square before their plans are set.

We feel it is much easier to be creative in the design stages than to wait until a final plan is submitted to the Office of Planning and Development.

We will continue to send out emails as we have new information.
Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
June

June Waddell West
Executive Director
Memphis Heritage, Inc.
901-272-2727

Overton Square plans remain cloudy; developers sidestep response to concerns

By Don Wade (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Friday, May 29, 2009

Two developers linked to a contract for purchase of the southern part of Overton Square met this week with Memphis Heritage and other Midtown stakeholders
Those developers were Scott Wilmoski, senior vice president for real estate development at Kansas City, Kan.-based Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc., and Leland Clark of Sooner Investment, a commercial and investment real estate company out of Oklahoma City.

Not that any of these details were clear from the meeting's outset.

"At first, they didn't want to give their name or who they worked for," said Jackie Nichols, executive producer for Playhouse on the Square. "And then they opened up a little bit.

"I've always been a person who takes people at their word until there's a reason to think any different. And sometimes, that's probably hurt me. They kept saying, 'We have (no development plans) to show you. We're here to listen.'"

Several weeks ago, word of a possible deal became public. Overton Square Investors LLC, the owner of the nearly five-acre Midtown site and an affiliate of Fisher Capital Partners LTD in Colorado, reportedly had a contract to sell the land to AWG.

As Memphis Heritage and others expressed concern over the direction of possible redevelopment -- especially the prospect of a low-end big-box grocery store and a strip mall -- AWG did not respond to calls and e-mail messages from the preservation group and other community members.

Now, Memphis Heritage executive director June Waddell West believes a stepped-up e-mail campaign "absolutely" inspired Tuesday's meeting here.

Calls on Thursday to Wilmoski and Clark seeking comment were not immediately returned.

"Our position is we're for development as long as the development is appropriate for the neighborhood," said Sam Goff, who heads Midtown Development Corp. "At least the lines of communication are open."

Nichols, too, said he left the meeting feeling "a little more positive," but he and West remain puzzled by some of the developers' tactics.

For example, Nichols said they initially indicated there was no contract on the property, but "toward the end (of the meeting) there was an admission there was some kind of contract."

West, herself a former developer, said: "We don't want to run off development. But I think transparency is better. That's just my style."

URGENT Overton Square Notice!!!

May 20, 2009

Our plan to have a conversation with AWG (Associated Wholesale Grocers) about their proposed development at Overton Square has not been successful. After many attempts to reach various officers of the company we have yet to be given the courtesy of a returned call. Our request for a meeting to discuss their plans and possible alternates fell on deaf ears. We had hoped that they would be willing to meet with Memphis Heritage and other groups/stakeholders that are concerned about the plan they are proposing.

Since they will not communicate with us it appears we must rally the voices of those that do not want to see this area of Overton Square bulldozed for an inappropriate and undesired development in the heart of midtown. The owners of the property (Fisher Capital) and the proposed developers (AWG) do not seem to understand the importance of this area to local residents and other Memphians. Unfortunately they see it as just another piece of land for low suburban sprawl, strip development. We feel it needs to be a much more defined urban space with more density such as a town center or an entertainment district, etc.

Fisher Capital continues to say that the buildings are "obsolete" and are not worth saving. The owners have not been willing to make needed repairs to the property to prevent its deterioration. In addition,based on information we have received from past tenants, the present owners have forced the relocation of over 7 retail/shops after saying in public that they have not been able to rent the space after trying for over 10 years!

We are asking that you let your opinion be known to the developers, AWG, and to the present owners, Fisher Capital. We are asking that they enter into a dialogue with stakeholders in the area to change their present development plans for Overton Square. Below is their contact information.

Thank you,
June
June Waddell West Please email and call them today. Thank you!
Executive Director
Memphis Heritage, Inc

Contacts at Associated Wholesale Grocers:
Name/Position/Email

Jerry Garland, President and CEO jgarland@awginc.com

Bob Walker, Executive Vice president and CFO bwalker@awginc.com

Mike Rand, Chief Operating Officer mrand@awginc.com

Steve Dillard, Vice President Corporate Sales Development sdillard@awginc.com

Corporate phone: 913-288-1000
Fax: 913-288-1587

Mailing address: Corporate offices for AWG

Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc.
5000 Kansas Avenue
Kansas City, Kansas 66106

A W G Memphis Division
8561 Aaron Ln.
Southaven, MS 38671
Phone: 662-342-4410
************************************************************************************
Owners of property: Fisher Capital
5619 DTC Parkway, Suite 1150
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Blake Fisher, real estate bffisher@fisher-http://capital.com

Don Fisher, co-founded Fisher Capital
Scott FIsher, finance
Phone: 303.414.9900 No other emails available other than info@fisher-http://capital.com