Midtown Whataburger rejected; U of M area gas station approved
A Whataburger planned for Midtown on Union Avenue on the site of the former Memphis Police station has been denied. (Eric Gay/AP Photo file)
An application for a new Midtown Whataburger was denied by the Shelby County Land Use Control Board Thursday, June 13.
The San Antonio, Texas-based fast food chain submitted a proposal to modify a special-use permit request for a drive-thru restaurant at 1925 Union Ave., on the site of the former police station.
In addition to the drive-thru, plans for the 3,305-square-foot location included an outdoor patio with nine tables, landscaping and 40 parking spaces on Union Avenue and South Barksdale Street.
The project was originally permitted and approved in 2022 under the condition that no drive-thru restaurants would be allowed unless approved by the LUCB and the Memphis City Council.
But the LUCB rejected the drive-thru restaurant, deeming it inconsistent with the Memphis 3.0 General Plan. Kendra Cobbs, staff planner with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, said the the project would hinder walkability and disrupt a proposed bus rapid transit line that would run past the site.
“So, for these reasons, staff does see that there would be substantial and undue adverse effects upon the adjacent properties, the character of the neighborhood and traffic conditions,” she said. “And for these reasons, staff is recommending rejection.”
Whataburger has several stores in the Memphis metro area, including locations on Germantown Parkway and Winchester Road.
New gas station approved
A new gas station at 3487 Poplar Ave. — most recently home to a Hop-In that was destroyed by a fire in January — was approved.
The fire started at the convenience store that was connected to the Exxon gas station at the corner of Poplar Avenue and Highland Street. The Memphis Fire Department deemed it accidental and determined it was caused by an electrical panel.
Cordova-area high school on hold
A plan to build a new high school in the Cordova area, on 40 acres of land near the northern border of Shelby Farms Park, is temporarily on hold.
Cost estimates for the project increased, and the LUCB voted to move the discussion to next month.
The school, which would have space for 2,000 students, would include athletics field houses, football fields and practice areas in addition to classrooms with abundant technology.
The initial cost estimate for the new school, also known as the East Region High School, was just under $100 million, but has since more than doubled to $213 million. Project managers cited inflation and a supply chain that’s made construction materials more costly as reasons for the increase.
Shelby County Budget Director Michael Thompson said in March that the administration will work with Memphis-Shelby County Schools to get the schools’ price tags closer to the original estimates.
LUCB is slated to meet again on July 11.
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Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board Whataburger Cordova midtown memphisAisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.
As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.
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