Public Input Meeting/ Mini Design Charrette for Overton Square

The Memphis Regional Design Center
in conjunction with
Memphis Heritage and AIA Memphis

invites you to join us for a
Public Input Meeting/ Mini Design Charrette for

Overton Square

Date: Friday, July 24, 2009

Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm

9:00 am Tour starts at the SW Corner of Madison & Cooper

10:00 am Public Meeting will be located at Memphis Heritage, Howard Hall, 2282 Madison Avenue at Edgewood

The MRDC, MHI and AIA Memphis are interested in your input about the future of Overton Square. The current owners (Fisher Capital) and potential developers (AWG and Sooner Investment Realty) are still not responding to requests for more information on their plans or our suggestion of working with us to determine a solution that is acceptable to the community.

The assumed plans are to demolish the south side of Madison Avenue between Florence and Cooper and place a big box retail center on the southwest end of the existing parking lot with its back to Sidestreet, the Magnolia Room and Mr. Lincoln's. This is not a sustainable solution to the site. The day will begin with a tour of the neighborhood and a brief presentation on the history of Overton Square. The rest of the day will consist of hearing suggestions from you from a consumer point of view as well as a design point of view. These ideas would culminate in a series of site plans and perhaps an image board or character renderings depicting the desired public realm. This may include options of saving the buildings (or portions of them) as well as options for new buildings on the site. Plans generated from the meeting will be shared with the community and the owners/developers.

The tour will begin at 9:00 am at the SW corner of Madison and Cooper. The Public Meeting will be held at Memphis Heritage immediately after the tour at approximately 10:00am. If you can't make it for the entire day, fell free to drop in and out at any time.

Please RSVP as lunch will be provided. Donations for the cost of lunch are greatly appreciated.

Please e-mail RSVP to:

Charles "Chooch" Pickard, AIA

Executive Director/Chief Design Officer
Memphis Regional Design Center
cpickard@mrdcinfo.org
(904) 491-3354