The City of Memphis is interested in hearing from Memphians about what they believe is the best use for the Memphis Fairgrounds. As a sponsor of the Roundhouse Revival on Saturday, May 23, 2015, the City of Memphis will be there, asking citizens to share their views on the future of the Fairgrounds by participating in an in-person or online survey and through social media. The City of Memphis is also hosting four community meetings giving the public even more opportunities to express their opinions. Two meetings will be held on June 1 & 2 across the city.
“It has been several years since the original meetings were held about the Fairgrounds’ future, and because of renewed public interest, we wanted to give the public new opportunities to weigh in with their ideas and opinions,” said Mayor A C Wharton Jr. “It’s a rare opportunity to create jobs and expand our economy without any tax dollars from city government, and we want to make sure we make the best decision possible. We can’t do that without the help of our citizens.”
Robert Lipscomb, director of City of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development, said the meetings are part of a “new model for planning in Memphis.” “We have created a process that has never been used in Memphis,” he said. “Two national organizations with reputations for finding solutions for highly complex development opportunities across the U.S. — the NCI and Urban Land Institute— will lead a process that invites community input, evaluates ideas for development, and issues recommendations.
The public engagement meetings will be facilitated by NCI, which is nationally known for its programs to engage the public in the planning and design of major development projects.
Memphians are encouraged to participate in this very important public engagement information-gathering process.
At the meetings, Memphians will be asked for their opinions about the future of the Fairgrounds and also what citizens love about Memphis. The results of the public meetings will be forwarded to a special ULI team of national experts which will analyze scenarios for the future of the Fairgrounds and make its recommendations
The Roundhouse Revival is a free event on Saturday, May 23rd from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in front of the Mid-South Coliseum, 996 Early Maxwell. The community engagement meetings in June start at 5:30 p.m. and end at 7:30 p.m.
Community Engagement Meetings
Monday, June 1 The Airways Professional Building
3385 Airways Blvd., Memphis, TN 38116
Bert Ferguson Community Center
8505 Trinity Road, Cordova, TN 38018
Tuesday, June 2 Memphis Kroc Center
800 E. Parkway South, Memphis, TN 38104
Cunningham Community Center
3773 Old Allen Road
Memphis, TN 38128
In order to give every citizen the opportunity to voice their opinions, if they are not able to attend a community meeting, they can provide input through the website www.memphisfairgrounds.org, Facebook: Memphis Fairgrounds, Twitter #whatiloveaboutmemphis and #MemFairgrounds, or text to 9017307570.