Dormitory space at The University of Memphis is limited, but attempts by a local developer to increase options for student housing were met with fierce resistance. Home and business owners near the corner of Highland and Central are relieved that plans for an apartment development have been scrapped.
In November, Maximum Development Corporation was planning to purchase the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer at 294 S. Highland.In an e-mail obtained by The Daily Helmsman, one of the project consultants wrote to city officials to announce the cancellation of the building project on Dec. 6.
"The project is cancelled. Our client will not pursue the purchase of the property or development of this project at this time," wrote Frank Gianotti, III, in an e-mail to Don Jones, principal planner with the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Planning and Development.
Gianotti is the operating manager for Tetra Tech, an engineering firm that was working on the project.
Developer Gary Prosterman, president of Maximum Development Corporation, said in November that his company was "proposing a residential apartment community geared towards students."
The plans detailed a seven-story, 60-unit apartment building located 30 feet from Central Ave.
"There was huge neighborhood opposition to the development," said Karen Wellford.
Wellford owns an antique shop at Highland and Cowden near the site.
"The biggest problem was there were going to be too many units and not enough parking," she said.
The church, which is currently vacant, and its lot are listed for sale by Investec Realty Services for $910,000.
John McDonald, affiliate broker with Investec, said Maximum Development Corp. withdrew its bid after opposition, led by homeowner and attorney Fran Riley, mounted against the project.
"It's always better to withdraw a proposal than have it defeated," McDonald said.
Neighbors were planning for a fight with developers who applied for a zoning change with the Shelby County Land Use Control Board on Nov. 11, 2004.
At the Nov. 11 meeting, representatives for the project requested a hold on the zoning change so that they could talk to concerned neighbors.
Protestors spoke their minds about the proposal and prepared to return for following Land Use Control Board meetings.
"Soon after the Land Use Control Board meeting, the developers withdrew their proposal," said Carolyn Jones, administrator for Luther Towers, a senior apartment community located next to the proposed building site. "Everyone in the neighborhood was very relieved that the developers decided not to build on the church site."
Plans indicated that the building would be oriented along Central, on a section where Richardson Towers, the only other nearby high-rise building, is located away from the street.
In addition to the building being a potential eyesore, residents and business owners were concerned about traffic problems resulting from the proposed number of parking spaces developers were planning for a building with more than 200 residents.
Initial building plans for the 1.28-acre lot called for only 159 parking spaces.
"The best and highest use of that land is not a church," McDonald said. "We thought that a dormitory-style building would serve The University well."
McDonald said that the church has already earmarked all of the money resulting from its sale for charity.
"Now, we're doing our best to get the highest price for the land and building," he said.
Carolyn Jones is still concerned about disruptions that any construction on the site will cause for her senior residents, many of whom have heart and lung problems.
"I was not looking forward to a fight about this development," Jones said.
In a November interview, Prosterman said, "We've made a concerted effort to reach out to interested parties and contacted heads of all the neighborhood associations near the site."
Jones and business owner Karen Wellford both said that they were never contacted.
"We were planning to have a meeting with them after the first Land Use Control Board meeting," Jones said. "Then they withdrew their plan."Attempts to reach both Prosterman and Maximum Development Corp. vice president Dan McEwan were unsuccessful.
