Tom Bailey Jr. - The Commercial Appeal -

Shelby County government has been awarded a regional, $2.6 million grant to develop a “Mid-South Regional Greenprint and Sustainability Plan,” the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today.

Shelby County’s was the only project in Tennessee to be selected for the 2011 sustainable communities grants.

The project is designed to initiate long-term comprehensive land use planning in the region.

Only 12 percent of the 468 applications from across the nation received funding.

Local partners in the effort include the Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization, Mid-South Regional Greenways Steering

Committee, Urban Land Institute-Memphis, Hyde Family Foundation, Memphis Regional Design Center, Community Development Council of Greater Memphis, and Mid-South Peace and Justice Center.