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University
Planning District
About University
The University District is a regional asset with safe, walkable neighborhoods, thriving mixed use centers, diverse and affordable housing options. The district has active public spaces and strong connections between anchors and neighborhoods.
University District Workshop #2 -
What We Heard
Future Land Use
Future Land Use Map: Connecting Places, People, and Activities
The Future Land Use Map is a vision for Memphis’s future. It’s not a set of strict rules, but rather a guide that reflects the kind of places and activities we want to see in our city as it grows. It’s about creating a community that works for everyone.
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What do the Letters and Numbers indicate?
The letters indicate Place Types, which makes Memphis unique. And the numbers indicate the highlighted places in the neighborhood.
Memphis 3.0 organizes the city into six Place Types—categories that help us understand and plan for the unique character of different areas. Each Place Type is designed to reflect how people live, work, and interact with their surroundings.
A : Anchors: Vibrant, walkable hubs at the heart of accessible, well-connected communities, filled with mixed-use spaces where people can live, work, and play.
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AN : Anchor Neighborhoods: Walkable, connected neighborhoods that support and complement the Anchors.
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CM : Communities: Residential areas that make up the majority of the city, where people live and build their lives.
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CR : Corridors: Auto-oriented commercial strips with retail and services designed for easy access by car.
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SP : Special Uses: Areas focused on industrial, logistical, or transportation activities, often with large blocks and fewer intersections.
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PC : Parks and Civic Spaces: Natural areas, parks, schools, and institutions that serve as gathering places for the community.
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Other Highlighted Places: Some topics or needs are specific to certain places, and that’s what makes them deserving of special attention.
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An extended explanation can be accessed here.
Land Use
Summary of Community Feedback
Staff Analysis
A
Anchor Neighborhood Main Street
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Future: Walkable, mixed-use centers with house-scale buildings lining main streets, serving as moderate-intensity anchors for surrounding neighborhoods.
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Existing: The area is mainly composed of low-intensity commercial and multi-family housing units.
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Community members would like to see more public spaces along Tillman to sit and find shade. Residents also mentioned long wait times for MATA and would like to see Mata Bus stops to be furnished to protect riders from adverse weather conditions.
For Context: There was a grocery store on Tillman and Sam Cooper but it closed. Residents expressed the need for grocery stores in the area. They also expressed the need for more speed calming measures and increased walkability.
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Zoning should maintain and promote the diverse building types of the neighborhood.
1. BINGHAMPTON GATEWAY (LESTER/ TILLMAN)
Land Use
Summary of Community Feedback
Staff Analysis
A
Anchor Neighborhood Mix of Building Types
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Future: Small, walkable mixed-use centers with house-scale buildings embedded within residential neighborhoods, providing convenient services and community gathering spaces.
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Existing: The area is composed of diverse building types and a community gathering place.
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Community members would like to see an increase in the amount of housing diversity around Hale & Merton. They believe this will help with housing affordability. Residents also expressed interest into connecting the diverse building types to Hale Ave.
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Zoning should maintain and expand neighborhood scale mix of building types.
2. MERTON & HARVARD
Land Use
Summary of Community Feedback
Staff Analysis
A
Anchor-Urban Center​
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Future: Walkable, mixed-use centers with house-scale buildings lining main streets, serving as moderate-intensity anchors for surrounding neighborhoods.
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Existing: The area is currently mainly composed very light retail low intensity commercial services surrounded by primarily multi-family and single-family housing.
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Community members requested the need for wider sidewalks and traffic calming measures and increased lighting. Residents also expressed the need for physical medians and protected bike lanes.
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Zoning should primarily focus on maintaining walkable and mixed-use centers. Traffic calming measures should be implemented within the district.
3. SCOTT ST & BROAD AVE
Land Use
Summary of Community Feedback
Staff Analysis
A
Anchor- Neighborhood Main Street​
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Future: Walkable, mixed-use centers with house-scale buildings lining main streets, serving as moderate-intensity anchors for surrounding neighborhoods.
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Existing: The area is primarily made up of a main street with low intensity retail and commercial spaces on each side of the corridor.
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Residents expressed the need for more parks and multi-family housing. More Walkable areas along Poplar & Highland. Residents also made it a point that there should not be any more gas stations at this location.
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Zoning should maintain the diverse mix of neighborhood building types and limit the construction for gas stations in the area.
4. SOUTH HIGHLAND & POPLAR
Land Use
Summary of Community Feedback
Staff Analysis
A
Anchor Neighborhood Main Street​
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Future: Walkable, mixed-use centers with house-scale buildings lining main streets, serving as moderate-intensity anchors for surrounding neighborhoods.
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Existing: Light to heavy retail on each side of the corridor.
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Residents were concerned that the Anchor FLU at Poplar/Highland implied park space conversion to commercial use and requested its removal. Many felt Poplar was a barrier to a Neighborhood Main Street (NMS) designation and feared it would encourage duplex development in high land-value areas.
*Future Land Use: The Planning Team followed up with community members after this meeting to clear up confusion. After that meeting the community members agreed to NMS for Poplar understanding the Mix of Building Types and its correlation with zoning.
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Zoning should reflect the established pattern of housing to the east of the Anchor and encourage infill development in the vacant parcels to the West of the Anchor.
AN
Anchor- Neighborhood- Mix of Building Types
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Future: Small, walkable mixed-use centers with house-scale buildings embedded within residential neighborhoods, providing convenient services and community gathering spaces.
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Existing: Small shopping Center with some on-street parking surrounded by primarily single family.
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Residents expressed concern that the FLU map implied the intent to create duplexes in Galloway Golf Course neighborhood. A combination of prior misinformation and staff supplied materials led to confusion about what ANS meant; a gap in understanding that could not be closed within the allotted time and format
*Future Land Use: The Planning Team followed up with community members after this meeting to clear up confusion.
After that meeting the community members agreed to NMS for Poplar understanding the Mix of Building Types and its correlation with zoning.
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Zoning should maintain the already existing neighborhood scale housing of the neighborhood
5. POPLAR PLAZA
Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning & Development
Comprehensive Planning Department
125 N Main Street, Ste 468
901-636-6601
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