The Memphis and Shelby County Economic Development and Growth Engine board approved the acquisition of 27.45 acres near the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. plant.

The development, called University Lofts, will be at 442 Monroe Ave. in the former Holliday Flowers property site. 

Distribution Realty Group plans to build three-warehouse, 2.3 million-square-foot distribution center at 5420 Tulane Road in South Memphis. 

The Memphis and Shelby County Economic Development and Growth Engine is looking to buy four parcels near the old Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. plant in North Memphis.

Local artist Ephraim Urevbu plans to renovate 825 Jackson Ave. into an artist studio and restaurant on the ground floor and two three-bedroom apartments on the upper floor for artist residencies.

This week’s Inked covers news on two new buildings and a parking garage on St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital campus and revised site plans for Central BBQ’s renovation in Midtown. 

The $44 million Uptown redevelopment project is expected to begin later this summer. But the original office of Dixie Greyhound chairman James Frederick Smith — his title still on the door — will be kept much as it is today. 

Felicia Suzanne’s is one of three businesses seeking grants from the Center City Development Corp. 

For the upcoming fall semester, the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Memphis campus will be able to accommodate up to 180 students in six competency-based programs.

The Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board approved a street closure for Hadden Street in South Main, an important piece for the Butler Row development to proceed. 

On Thursday, July 14, the Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board approved plans for a three-part expansion at the Junior League of Memphis. 

The Thursday 4 p.m. session at City Hall comes after the city administration balked at a change in the terms of a city-funded backstop for the hotel project. The delayed Tuesday vote came as the administration got some expressions of concern from state officials.

This week’s Inked covers news on Big River Market’s grand opening, June real estate figures, Jones Aur Commercial Real Estate’s new partnership and CBRE’s industrial market report. 

Rents exceeded $4 per square foot for the first time, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s second-quarter report.

The Design Review Board approved site plans for a new outdoor patio at Soul & Spirits Brewery in Uptown and a new mixed-use development along G.E. Patterson Ave. in South Main. 

This week’s Inked shares news on more multifamily plans for the Raymond James building, the Caption by Hyatt opening, a potential update on the former Office Depot building in the Medical District and 2021 annual report data from Memphis Tourism.

The 175-acre, $400 million mixed-use development near Colonial Country Club in Cordova is approved for an eight-year tax increment financing (TIF) of up to $23 million.

This week’s Inked includes updates on two businesses leaving Downtown Memphis, Felicia Suzanne’s new space, a new apartment complex on Front Street and new ownership for the Highlander Apartments.

Planners say a rebirth of the property at Poplar Avenue and Kirby Parkway could transform the area in a way similar to Thornwood’s effect on the north end of Germantown’s Central Business District.

Memphis Obstetrics and Gynecological Association, the Mid-South’s largest OB-GYN practice, has purchased the iconic Opera Memphis building at 6745 Wolf River Blvd. 

Buildings as tall as 100 North Main would be allowed in the Pinch District after a 5-1 vote by the Memphis and Shelby County Board of Adjustment on Wednesday.

Related story:

Mixed-use projects in Medical District, former Porter Junior High School site approved

The Board of Adjustment approved plans for a 49-unit apartment building in the Medical District along with plans at the historic Greyhound Station in Uptown and the former Porter Junior High School in South Memphis. 

This week’s Inked covers plans for an $18 million apartment complex near the University of Memphis and updates on the historic Greyhound site in Uptown, which the developers plan to transform into “an eclectic mixed-use development with apartments and specific retail uses.”

Nearby developments include Development Service Group’s The Rise, The Ravine and the pending Rise on the Ravine apartment complex, along with developer Bill Townsend’s investment in the historic Victorian Village. 

Center City Revenue Finance Corp. board members approved the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes for the mixed-use development in the Edge District.