Memphis Business Journal - by Andy Ashby -

The Center City Commission and the city of Memphis are applying for federal funds that could transform Main Street from Uptown to E.H. Crump Boulevard.

The city and the Downtown development agency are pooling funds for a matching TIGER II grant that could fund $16.1 million worth of improvements to the 3-mile stretch of Main Street.

The TIGER II grant could provide $9.45 million to the project, and local funding sources are prepared to exceed the minimum 20 percent match to qualify for it.

Local funding would come from a variety of sources, including $2 million from the Center City Revenue Finance Corp.’s PILOT extension fund, $2 million from the City of Memphis Capital Improvement Program budget and $2 million from Community Redevelopment Agency Tax Increment Financing from Uptown.

Main Street work could include a $4.2 million renovation of Civic Center Plaza, $3 million for Uptown, $1.3 million for the Pinch District, $3.3 million for the stretch from Exchange Street to Peabody, $2.5 million for South Main, $200,000 for alley improvements and an estimated $1.65 million in soft costs such as architectural and legal fees.

Maura Sullivan, deputy director of planning for Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, says many businesses that move from Downtown cite infrastructure problems during exit interviews. Sullivan will become deputy chief administrative officer for the city on Sept. 1.

“It’s not improving our economic competitiveness along the (Main Street) mall,” she says. “We feel these improvements will enhance the productivity of the mall and livability for residents.”

The CCC’s master plan, updated last November, outlined $130 million worth of infrastructure improvements. It submitted a $43 million priority list to the city for inclusion in the capital improvements budget, but the city council turned those down.

The $16.1 million worth of improvements to Main Street was culled from the priority list.

“We were trying to fund all of that $43 million locally,” Andy Kitsinger, director of planning and development for the CCC, says.

The TIGER II grant is expected to be awarded later this year, with multiple bids winning out of more than 1,000 anticipated applicants.

The application touts that the improvements link the Uptown Hope VI project to the new Clayborne-Foote Hope VI project, as well as the North End terminal to Central Station. These links between public housing projects and public transportation options could make the Memphis application more attractive.

If the grant is awarded to Memphis, improvements would coincide with the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s plans to improve its rail lines along Main. It is planning to install Global Positioning Systems in trolley cars and make improvements to the rail line for a smoother ride.

“They’ve been waiting to make some of those improvements because the projects are all connected,” Sullivan says. “This would allow for an integrated approach to improving the mall service.”

Many business owners are hoping for improved maintenance along Main Street.

“I think $16 million would go a long way to improve the overall look of Main,” Tom Shelton, owner of Shelton Clothiers, says.

Shelton and his wife, Christine Shelton, opened the men’s clothing store at 147 S. Main five years ago. They opened Christine by Shelton Clothiers, a women’s boutique, this year at 119 S. Main.

One of the reasons they decided to expand their operations on Main Street was because their landlord, Belz Enterprises Inc., takes care of the street, pressure washing it regularly and maintaining the landscaping.

“It has a tremendous impact on my business,” Shelton says. “It’s much more inviting to spend more time on this block.”

Center City Commission

President: Paul Morris
Founded: 1977
Address: 114 N. Main St.
Phone: (901) 575-0540
Website: www.downtownmemphis.com