Objections to 3.0

Objections to the Memphis 3.0 Plan

While MidtownMemphis.org supports the larger goals of Memphis 3.0 – such as walkability, improved mass transit, reinvestment in urban neighborhoods and smart infill – we object to the shortcuts being taken because they risk undermining community sustainability. Development without planning is unnecessarily risky. 

1. Density Without Context

Memphis 3.0 promotes increased density and mixed-use development citywide. But without neighborhood-specific planning, applying those strategies uniformly can destabilize long-established communities. What benefits a corridor of vacant land may not be appropriate on a quiet residential street lined with single-family homes. For example, much of Cleveland Street and its environs are ripe for planned development; Glenview's community-created long-range plan of increased home-ownership is working, and 3.0 will imperil it. Memphis 3.0 does not see those distinctions. 

2. Lack of Small Area Planning

Memphis 3.0 recommends Small Area Plans so that its broad land use maps are effective. Skipping such plans will destabilize neighborhoods that have attained stability. This top-down process ignores local voices and will erode the distinctive identity of many Memphis neighborhoods.

3. One-Size-Fits-All Planning

Memphis 3.0’s citywide framework relies on generalized planning categories. But adjoining neighborhoods are very different in Memphis, and often so are adjoining streets. For example, much of the Tucker-Jefferson neighborhood has room for multi-family, but 3.0 applies the same to neighboring Belleair Drive. Memphis 3.0 makes it harder to preserve the fine-grained mix of housing and other uses that are central to the stability and success of many neighborhoods..

4. Displacement Risks

Increasing density without protections or guardrails can accelerate property speculation, can degrade neighborhoods that only recently recovered from landlord dominance, and can threaten to displace long-time residents – especially in areas already seeing new investment.

In Summary

We believe that growth must benefit Memphis, not harm it, and growth should be balanced with respect for existing neighborhoods and the people who live there.  

MidtownMemphis.org advocates for a more deliberate, inclusive process – starting with Small Area Plans – so that land use decisions are rooted in community values and local realities, not just policy maps. Density should support, not undermine, neighborhood sustainability.