“The back door to Downtown” is seeing a resurgence of residents and businesses, especially as construction continues on the nearby interstate. 

Carpenter Art Garden wants to lease land from the city, while Calvary Church wants to teach kids to ride horses.

When the Federal Aviation Administration announced in March it would invest $14.8 million into upgrades at Memphis International Airport, the agency also announced it would grant Millington’s airport $1 million toward the new terminal. 

An affiliate of Gulf Coast Commercial Management, 210 Development bought the 450,000-square-foot office and retail center in 2022 for $49.1 million. 

The Crump Firm is expanding its presence in East Memphis at the Crescent Center. St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral moves forward with a $1.4 million renovation project. 

Although total home sales have decreased from last year, June sales rose 43.3% over May’s sales.

In 2022, AOD Properties was awarded a $60,000 Exterior Improvement Grant from the Downtown Memphis Commission to renovate the building at 154 G.E. Patterson Ave. 

The recent approval of a number of a apartment projects concerns some residents, but many stem from zoning classifications made decades ago. 

“There’s more light here and love and healing here that other spaces don’t have,” said the owner of Lucyja Hygge, a shop full of incense and teas, as developers plan to demolish it.

A new housing development project planning to fill a long-vacant lot in the Peabody-Vance neighborhood received a tax incentive from the Downtown Memphis Commission. 

Hayes and Amy McPherson extend their footprint on North Main Street to take one of the shop’s staples — canned coffee sodas — across Memphis and beyond. 

“In the time since the PILOT was approved, macro-economic conditions in the real estate industry have not only not improved but have instead deteriorated further,” one of the developers wrote in a letter attached to the extension request.

“This project will be one of the largest African American-led real-estate projects in the city’s history since the days of Robert R. Church,” the local developer wrote in the team’s PILOT application. 

Built in 1965, the building includes 400 parking spaces in a four-story garage and 156,342 square feet of leasable office space in the 10 floors above.

According to Monster Golf’s website, players interact with animated monsters, which “talk, wiggle and squawk” as players make their way through the course.

If approved, it would become the sixth TacoNGanas location, with trucks in Cordova, Midtown and East Memphis. 

This marks the first time since 2009 that a city in Tennessee was granted one of these funds.

Esco Restaurant & Tapas is scheduled to open this year on the ground floor of the 200 S. Second parking garage at 156 Lt. George Lee Ave.

In this edition of Inked, The National Civil Rights Museum expansion gets a foundation, Tesla will expand its charging station on Park Avenue and there will be a new Starbucks on Winchester.

As Molly Smith finalizes the end of Bhan Thai, new owners Thuan Pham and family percolate plans for a cafe.

In this week’s Inked: University Lofts is moving forward in the Edge district, a private shooting range has plans for Cordova, the Highland Strip gets a Red Koi and Rumble Boxing opens its first Memphis location.

Collierville-based Township Development Services is expanding its team. The eastern road network and BlueOval City’s imminent production is creating new business opportunities.

In February 2022, the LUCB rejected plans to build the Tournament Trails Center complex at 3581 Tournament Drive-South, but a decision in April 2022 from the Memphis City Council reversed that decision. 

Developer Tom Intrator said the Dream Hotel planned for South Main could break ground as early as November.

Related content: 

First phase of Intrator’s Pinch District gets closing deadline modification

Developer Tom Intrator received closing deadline modifications for three of his Downtown projects that already have tax incentives.