Riverfront Development Roundtable Brings Groups Together
          by Gene Burr and Cathy Marcinko
Visiting the riverfront right now ought to impress anyone with the literally earth-changing improvements that have transpired in the past few years. With the construction of Tom Lee Park, Memphians, for the first time in recorded history perhaps, have a magnificent playground from whose edge we can safely admire the majesty and power of the river. Equally wonderful, we now have a second spectacular vantage point-- the public Bluffwalk --with a vista that includes our downtown and historic waterfront with buildings (old and new), the cobblestones, three great bridges, and miles and miles of uninterrupted river, sky and land on the far shores. One can see here why one of Memphis' founders, General James Winchester, called this "the west coast of Tennessee!"
No wonder people have closely followed the work of the Riverfront Development Corporation (RDC) as it unfolded a planning process to improve even more our greatest and most historic asset (our very raison díetre). Hundreds have attended the public hearings conducted by the RDC and have accessed their Web site. But The Keystone wanted to encourage a more informal, in-depth dialogue among stakeholders to learn what they really thought about different aspects of the plan to date. So on April 6, 2001, The Keystone convened a riverfront redevelopment forum at the office of Memphis Heritage.  Those invited included park advocates, conservationists, downtown residents, historic preservationists and public agency reps.
Benny Lendermon, RDC president, attended the two-hour-plus meeting to update forum participants. In his opening comments, he stressed that, long term, the plan needs to provide for opportunities for private development and investment as well as publicly-funded improvements. The principal features of the plan, still a "work in progress," now include the following elements and considerations:
  •  Union Avenue will become the principal link from the Central Business District (CBD) to the riverfront.
  •  Better connections should be provided between Tom Lee Park, the CBD and the city.
  •  Constructing a land bridge from the CBD to Mud Island will improve accessibility and the development potential of the island.
  •  A lake created by the land bridge will have a consistent shoreline which will provide better waterfront development opportunities than the Wolf River does now with its fluctuating water levels. [The Wolf River actually flows into the Mississippi at Mud Island's north end now.]
  •  Development on Tom Lee Park is no longer viewed as feasible, as the fill used to build the park canít support development.
  •  The historic cobblestones will be preserved and will be a centerpiece of the riverfront development.
  •  The Mud Island Riverwalk and River Museum will remain but the museum may be reconfigured.
  •  The southern tip of Mud Island could be made into an incredible park site.
  •  Mooring of larger vessels is more feasible in the area of Beale Street than in the Wolf River harbor.
  •  The plan calls for extending the Bluffwalk along the riverfront.
  •  The ramps on and off the Interstate 40 bridge presently consume valuable riverfront land and should be moved to Second and Third Streets.
  •  Everything we do should be authentic.
  •  Development will minimize any obstruction of existing views of the river.
Participants commented as follows:

Dianne Dixon, architect and member of the Memphis Landmarks Commission: I have no objection to the plan as presented. The thinking behind it seems very sound. The Landmarks Commission always benefits from good discussion and this process can likewise benefit. I want to be a resource to the effort.
 
Guy Weaver, archaeologist: I became involved with the cobblestones in 1994 when an excavation prompted a cultural resource assessment. There have been major changes in attitude toward the cobblestones since then as a historic resource. Adaptive use of the cobblestones for docking smaller craft is appropriate and the ramp treatment at the foot of Beale Street is reversible. The Bluffwalk extension is being done in a manner friendly to the cobblestones. However, erosion at the western edge is a serious problem that needs to be addressed and the Corps of Engineers needs to mitigate the erosion being caused by their dredging of the harbor. In addition, the "blowout" effect on the cobblestones by large boats causes damage (large holes) that can be alleviated in the future by the relocation of the boats south, to the foot of Beale Street. Parking at the north end is also a problem that needs to be resolved, as is the buildup of silt on the cobblestones. The silt contains acids that erode the limestone and silt should be removed annually.

In conclusion, Iíd like to recommend three actions: 
1) Seek National Historic Landmark designation for the cobblestones, which should enable the city to seek some grant funding for rehabilitation; 
2) Ask the Corps of Engineers to provide funding to mitigate the effects of erosion of the cobblestones; and
3) Appoint a wharfmaster to oversee maintenance of the cobblestones, collection of fees, etc.
 
Jack Tucker, architect: The riverfront has been my front yard for 25 years. The RDC design guidelines are well laid out, not much to disagree with, and I have confidence in the design team. The idea of the land bridge may be a problem, however. A bridge like Ponte Vecchio [a bridge lined with shops that crosses the Arno River in Florence, Italy] may be a better solution. I'm not sure why the lake is important and it will take time to relocate the industries [on the Wolf River]. I question any destruction of Mud Island Park just to build another park. Sixty-three million dollars was spent on developing Mud Island! I worked on it for four years. It would be better just to correct its problems. To protect and enhance the Riverwalk is important! It's a work of art! The proposed connection (a pedestrian bridge from Mud Island to an enhanced landing at the foot of Beale Street) makes sense. Removing non-essential buildings on the Overton Block also makes sense. Sensitivity to the architecture of Cotton Row on Front Street and Wagner Place is very important! Along with the cobblestone landing, the Wagner Place facades of the historic Cotton Row are the only and oldest remaining truly historic vestiges of the Memphis riverfront. Building new structures between them and the riverfront would be a travesty.

Jack Tucker, left, and Paula Casey
Paula Casey, president of Downtown Neighborhood Association: I have lived downtown for 17 years and I have consistently supported Memphis Heritage and the National Ornamental Metal Museumótwo groups that have a very keen interest in what happens with the riverfront. I'm very pleased with the process and I think the RDC should be commended, particularly Benny, who has been very accessible. I have to applaud what Guy [Weaver] said about the cobblestones. It is absolutely critical to preserve the cobblestones! I'm not sure about the lake concept and the housing development concept for Tom Lee Park. A friend of mine from the Smithsonian Institute praised the River Museum. The Mississippi River is the greatest river and the museum does a good job of telling its story. Commercial development on Mud Island is a concern. We need to figure out how to get people in and out of Mud Island. The designers have done a good job of bringing the city to the river. The interstate ramps need to be removed, forcing traffic to Second and Third streets. [At present, there are on and off ramps at Riverside Drive/Front Street] 
John Lawrence, Center City Commission: The Center City Commissionís strategic plan, a county-wide community outreach process, spawned several studies, including the Main Street Plan, the Streetscape Master Plan, the Wayfinding/Directional Signage Plan and a riverfront initiative. Even though the RDC has taken over the riverfront portion, they are using the thoughts and ideas generated by that process and incorporating them with the other downtown initiatives that are under
way. The RDC has used the CCC as a resource. The Main Street planning involved many public forums and the RDC is aware of the effort that has gone into the development of the Center City plan. Some of our board members are also on the RDC board. My role with the CCC is primarily in economic development. The RDC consulting team has embraced all the appropriate interest groups in their efforts.
Tom Fox, Memphis Area Transit Authority: The intent of MATA's downtown rail system is to reduce the need for automobiles for internal circulation.  Concentrating development (such as on the riverfront) and improvement to pedestrian systems will only strengthen the rail system. The proposed connection to the Medical Center reflects that intent. The trolley stations will be in the middle of the street to facilitate easy pedestrian access and safety. Preferably, there should be no freight rail on the riverfront. Amtrak continues to use that line. Two-way trolley traffic would work better on the riverfront. We are working on better coordination of traffic signals on Main Street to get better flow. An additional station is proposed in the South Bluffs area at some point in the future. The trolley loop works pretty well for people parking on the ends heading for downtown destinations.
Sarah Flowers, Chickasaw Bluffs Conservancy: Memphis is the "Bluff City" and is on the bluffs of the mighty Mississippi River. The bluffs provide the best views of the river and the Chickasaw Bluffs Conservancy wants to keep those views intact. Too often the land is picked off a little at a time and the people left with precious little. The river walk should be extended both north and south to the state lines. There is a plan to create a Mississippi River walk from its source to the mouth, much like the Appalachian Trail and we would like Tennessee to do its part. Memphis is the hardest, but we feel it can be done. The riverfront walkway signage needs improving; it is confusing. The Bluffwalk and Riverwalk signage should be clearly distinguished, but uniform. My concerns with the proposal to put housing on Tom Lee Park were largely resolved today [by Benny Lendermon's saying houses would not be built there because the parkís soil is not stable enough to support buildings]. We want to work with the RDC and we will take back to our group the news that Tom Lee Park canít support the proposed development--I am sure if they could, they would develop it! I am concerned however for the future of Mud Island. The Riverwalk and the museum are important features of Mud Island and should be preserved, though the museum could be improved. The Riverwalk is one of our crowning achievements and it makes me happy to hear that it will be preserved.
Don Richardson, Chickasaw Group, Tennessee Chapter of Sierra Club: In February 2001 the Chickasaw Group came up with general guidelines for the riverfront development process, which we provided to the RDC. We support free public access to the riverfront and prefer pedestrian and bicycle traffic over vehicular traffic, moving water to still water, and natural environments over the artificial. Historic resources should be preserved, and construction and maintenance expenses for the riverfront development should be kept to a minimum. Residential or commercial development of public parks is unacceptable. We are concerned with the proposal to build a lake by damming the Wolf River harbor. Buildup of contaminated sediments in the new lake could threaten human health, so potential
risks need to be determined. The issue of solid waste management must be addressed. After heavy rains, riverboat-sized amounts of litter flow out of the storm drains into the harbor, filling it with all imaginable kinds of debris. What is the logic of spending hundreds of millions of dollars developing the riverfront to entice people to come to it only to be greeted by garbage in the water and on the shores?  We should build on existing assets such as Chickasaw Heritage Park, the only complete ancient plaza and mound system in any city in America. Development of this and other natural and historical sites will be magnets to the riverfront. Improved signage for the Bluffwalk and stabilizing the bluffs currently eroding into the river south of Ashburn-Coppock Park are aspects of long-range planning that need to be considered now for the entire 12-mile riverfront--not just the downtown area. I am excited to see more citizens and organizations get involved to make this a truly community-driven reality. The RDC can only benefit from ongoing input from these groups to accomplish our mutual dreams and goals.
Glenn Cox, Park Friends, Inc. - We are an organization of community and park advocates. We opposed the proposed residential development of Tom Lee Park and moving Riverside Drive closer to the river. The proposed northward extension of the Bluffwalk is positive. We need to keep the bluffs visible! We do question the proposed lake and the land bridge. We support the park proposed for the tip of Mud Island and offer our assistance in its development, but we are against fees for accessing riverfront parks and amenities. We support the "Central Park" concept for downtown.
Randy Hendon, Citizens to Save Our Parks: The main concerns of our organization are the two downtown parks, Confederate Park and Jefferson Davis Park. It is important that the history and integrity of those parks be maintained. We stopped the idea of converting Confederate Park to the Cancer Survivors' Park for that reason. We will continue to watch the riverfront development process to ensure that these parks are preserved.
Emily Trenholm, Memphis Heritage: The Memphis Heritage board has not taken a formal position on the Riverfront Development Plan and these comments are essentially my own. I am impressed with the consultants' sensitivity to historic structures; it is inevitable in a project of this scale that some tough decisions will have to be made relative to historic preservation. Overall and long-term through the implementation phases, the quality of design and construction will be very important to the project and will require continued public involvement. Also with respect to the valuable public lands at stake, we need to remember that sometimes the highest and best use of a certain property is to hold onto it until the appropriate use comes along. Another point: we should not take down historic structures only to have them replaced with something that simply evokes the past. Coordination between the RDC and the Center City Commission is important and the goals of Main Street revitalization should not be sacrificed to riverfront objectives!
Picking up on the communal spirit of the gathering, the Sierra Club has volunteered to organize and
host the next roundtable meeting, so that these discussions can be continued. Watch for updates in
future issues of The Keystone (and the Tennes-Sierran.)

If youíd like to learn more about the riverfront redevelopment planning process, call the RDC at 901-
312-9190 or visit their website at www.memphisriverfront.com for information and meeting schedules.