Lakeland eyes land swap, defers decision on new homes
Lakeland Mayor Josh Roman (in a file photo) said, “I met with the property owner at Super 8, and he also discussed having access to that piece of property.” (Michael Waddell/Special to The Daily Memphian)
The City of Lakeland wants to swap a piece of land within its Gateway TIF district near the Interstate 40 and Canada Road interchange.
On Thursday, Nov. 2, the Lakeland Board of Commissioners discussed options for the piece of property north of the expressway junction in the Gateway district. The board also deferred a decision on a new residential project because of lingering questions.
As for the land swap, the city obtained a parking lot on Huff N Puff Road as part of a package deal for the Econo Lodge. However, the ownership of Super 8, another hotel group, owns the land between a Belz property the city offered to buy and the Econo Lodge that it acquired through condemnation earlier this year.
“I met with the property owner at Super 8, and he also discussed having access to that piece of property,” Mayor Josh Roman said. “The conversation came up about possibly doing a land swap. They own almost 2 acres next to the Econo Lodge.”
The city and the Super 8’s owner will discuss the value of the two properties.
“So if there’s a difference in value, there may be a check cut one way or the other, but it’s too early in the process to have those details per se,” City Manager Michael Walker said.
If a deal is struck then hopefully the Super 8 would work out an arrangement with theRefuge Church nearby at 9817 Huff N Puff for shared use.
“We just honestly need it for parking. We really would only ever use it on Sundays,” Scott Benjamin, theRefuge Church founding pastor, said.
Wesley Wright
Commissioner Wesley Wright favors swapping the parking lot for the land owned by the Super 8. He prefers the land next to the Belz site, where the city already has an offer, and the Econo Lodge. That arrangement would give the city “contiguous land (that’s) way more useful and valuable.”
“You can use it for development much easier than just an island parking lot,” Wright said.
Nearby church officials and business owners report a noticeable decrease in crime since the Econo Lodge shut down.
There is an entrance to the city-owned gravel parking lot on Huff N Puff Road, and an option is to go ahead and put a curb on it to prevent trucks from using it, as was the case when the Econo Lodge was open. Temporary fencing was installed when the city recently took possession of the property.
On Thursday, the board also pushed a decision on the outline plan for the 86-acre Equestria planned development on Memphis-Arlington Road. Equestria is proposed adjacent to The Grove and Oakwood Grove neighborhoods.
Renaissance Development LLC and President/CEO Doug Swink plans 119 homes there, with nearly half of the acreage devoted to open space.
Michele Dial
Traffic concerns and home placement along Lakeland Trace, much of which is yet to be built and is planned as a main north-south connector road for the city, is the sticking point.
“The primary feedback that I’ve received from neighbors that live in the existing neighborhoods is with the safety and the flow of traffic and it impeding on the neighborhood feel of where they live currently,” Commissioner Michele Dial said.
The suburb’s Municipal Planning & Design Review Commission gave a favorable recommendation to the BOC for the project in September.
Topics
Lakeland Econo Lodge Huff N Puff RoadMichael Waddell
Michael Waddell is a native Memphian with more than 20 years of professional writing and editorial experience, working most recently with The Daily News and High Ground News.
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