In keeping with our I-269 theme of the day, we’re reprising a post written by Gene Pearson:
Many political leaders and grass roots organizations in Memphis today are advocating “smart growt,” “sustainable development,” and something called “new urbanism” as an answer to the ills of “urban sprawl,” which robs the core city of its vitality and extends costly urban services over low density settlements (can you say unfair tax?). Some people say these approaches are oxymorons!
No matter what approach we adopt, the Memphis urban area is spreading outward because of sewer lines, roads, and zoning. Local governments create the locations for residences and businesses using this trilogy of public policy mechanisms.
To curb urban sprawl these policies must be in sync and deny sprawl-type developments. Unfortunately, we may have cast the die for sprawl for many years to come.
Sewers: Ugh! Do we have to?
While septic tanks can be used to support buildings, these on-site waste disposal units limit growth to large lots, especially in the Memphis area due to our clay soils. These large lots do not have the negative effects of urban sprawl.
For urban expansion to happen a network of sewerage collection lines must be laid with their ultimate destination the Mississippi River and huge treatment plants built to EPA standards.
Memphis built two treatment plants in the 1970s at the end of the Nonconnah Creek and the Wolf/Loosahatchie rivers. Over the years urban expansion has been dependent on large sewer lines along these streams and their tributaries. The extent of their coverage determines where urban growth will occur.
Some communities have their own sewer lines and treatment facilities, but Memphis has been the provider of sewer lines and treatment facilities for most of Shelby County and part of Desoto County in the Horn Lake Creek basin.
In 1994 the Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Commission adopted an agreement called the “Balanced Growth Plan.” On the one hand, Shelby County agreed to provide money to Memphis to help in revitalization, a paltry $2 million (and Memphians pay the majority of Shelby County taxes anyway). In return Memphis agreed to extend sewer lines into the Gray’s Creek basin located in east central Shelby County between Arlington and Collierville and extending from western Fayette County to Cordova, and create millions of dollars for developers.
This plan is a curious policy with Memphis supporting sprawl and at the same time trying to revitalize areas being decimated by sprawl.
The Gray’s Creek sewer plan created capacity for the complete urbanization of the last drainage basin in Shelby County and required construction of a parallel main line along the Wolf River. Bonded debt was incurred to build these lines, which will be paid off by increased charges on our MLG&W monthly bills.
Desoto County is another matter all together. With the help of its congressman and earmarks, Desoto is on course to place sewer lines over every square inch of the county to attract population in the name of economic development. Their debt for schools and other public facilities will no doubt become as problematic as in Shelby County but will continue to pull population from Memphis.
Result: Urban Sprawl 1, Smart Growth 0
Roads: The Tail Wagging the Dog
The Memphis urban area has been dominated by the needs of the automobile since the late 1940s when the early 20th century trolleys (light rail transit) were abandoned.
In 1995, with the anticipation of the Interstate Highway System, Memphis produced a plan for roads showing I-40, I-55 and the I-240 beltway having a prominent role in the urban area expansion.
An update of the 1955 plan was completed in 1969 which added Germantown Parkway, Nonconnah (Bill Morris) Parkway and an outer parkway loop that today is labeled as State Route 385 (aka I-269) and is to be an expressway not a parkway.
Planners in 1969 argued that the outer parkway, which linked Shelby Forest, Arlington and Collierville was designed as a “pleasure” drive to allow Memphians the ability to access the countryside as was done in the early 1900s via the old parkway system. Another curiosity.
In the 40 years since the 1969 plan, some planned roads have been removed (for example, I-40 through Overton Park and the Southern Ave. Expressway), but 385 (I-269) has remained and become a larger loop into northern Desoto County.
The 1969 plan along with many updates over the years was produced by the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) whose board of directors consists of the chief executives (mayors) of Shelby, Desoto and Fayette counties and the mayors of municipalities located in the Memphis urban area plus Mississippi and Tennessee departments of transportation.
The MPO holds open meetings but very few people attend or even know about the schedule. A very strong advisory group dominated by the Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce and developers push for increased road capacity further and further from Memphis.
With outward growth enabled by road construction, daily commuting to downtown Memphis filled the I-240 loop and new lanes were added to a road originally designed to move interstate traffic around Memphis. Then more people moved to the suburbs.
Then downtown businesses began to move to suburbs to be close to clients and employees and well……..
Result: Urban Sprawl 2, Smart Growth 0
Zoning: Restriction on Private Property Use
All of the sewers and all of the roads built to support sprawl can not beat the ultimate public policy for urban expansion – zoning. In fact zoning decisions by local governments often proceed road construction and force the roads to be built.
Then somebody looks at population location trends and concludes that infrastructure (sewers and roads) must respond to these trends and the cycle starts again.
But what causes the trends? Zoning of course.
In Shelby County the County Commission alone approves zoning changes in unincorporated places except those areas within 5 miles of Memphis’ border. Memphis, with its home rule charter, has been given the power by the state to regulate land development outside its boundary up to 5 miles. The other 6 municipalities in Shelby county do not have this power.
Thus, the Memphis City Council and the Shelby County commission, most often against the recommendations of their professional planning staff, have independently agreed on zoning regulations that created Cordova growth (with the commercial development along Germantown Parkway) and Hickory Hill (with the now abandoned Hickory Ridge Mall and its replacement retail further east along Winchester). If either government had voted no, the development would not have happened.
Of all the actions taken to support new land development and force the construction of new outlying schools, zoning has been the ultimate reason. Memphis could not say no and our budget problems in the County and City can be traced back to decades of zoning without considering the fiscal impact.
Result: Urban Sprawl 3, Smart Growth 0
Today many people now want to act regionally and create “smart development along the I-269 corridor”. Isn’t this the ultimate oxymoron?
“In 1995, with the anticipation of the Interstate Highway System, Memphis produced a plan for roads showing I-40, I-55 and the I-240 beltway having a prominent role in the urban area expansion.”
I think you meant 1955.
Typo, You are correct. The public policy to build beltway roads was set in 1955.
Gene, thanks for laying this all out again. Eventually everyone will get it, or at least enough to elect some folks that do.
The saddest thing about the sewer issue is that we incur debt to facilitate sprawl though new services while refusing to reinvest in the dilapidated system that floods basements across Memphis with sewage every time we have a hard rain–it’s a double hit on reinvestment in our core neighborhoods.
The 385/I-69 will do the same thing to Cordova, Hickory Hill and South Memphis that the 240 loop did to the inner city in the ’70s and ’80s.
Not to pick nits, but I disagree with the assertion that large lots do not have the negative effects of urban sprawl. In fact, such lots can in fact exacerbate the issue enormously. Large lots fragment woodlands essentially destroying the necessary support system to sustain native vegetation and animal populations. Such tracts also render far more agricultural land fallow when compared to compact development. In areas such as the Grey’s Creek basin, the impermeable clay layer that protects the Memphis Sands- our source of drinking water- is not present thus allowing anything and everything that is poured on the surface the ability to work its way into our drinking supply. Large lots will also not necessarily reduce the demand for suburban housing. They same 100 homes that once occupied 50 acres in a development may now consume 200 acres.
The best scenario would be to follow the plan made for the basin and adopt the same policy elsewhere. Preserve large tracts of agricultural land and woodlands via high density, focused development along existing roadways and serviced by sewer lines. If “downzoning” would permit 50 homes on a 100 acre tract (assuming large lots of 2 acres/unit), concentrate those homes on ¼ acre lots (or smaller) along one edge of the tract, preferably along an existing roadway access. Such a development- assuming 50% was dedicated to streets and internal open space- would occupy only 25 acres of the available 100 thus preserving the remaining 75 acres as a single tract safeguarded by an environmental or agricultural easement.
whereever I travel, it’s always interesting to read from a few elitist who seem to have all the answers at the ready (urban planning, roads, sprawl, etc)
if that is so, why is Memphis in the bad shape that it obviously is ?? good luck Memphis
On the Beach ( it’s a lot better, fer shure )
Well, these elitists have been working on issues to improve the quality of place and livability for decades. What have you done lately?
That’s what we though.
If Memphis has been working on these sorts of things “for decades” as you put it, you, along with others should be embarassed about the LACK of PROGRESS on many many many fronts .
“Livability ” ?? friend, livability in a progressive and thinking city or town, have more to do with ATTITUDES, EDUCATION, COMMUNICATION, RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT (meeting the citizens’ needs), and basic concepts like ” RACIAL HARMONY”, which is anathema to most of Memphis and the region.
It’s not remarkable to point out “individual performance”. The community is judged on its history as a socio-cultural unit en masse, and its perception by those OUTSIDE that unit.. and Memphis’ character perception outside that unit is terribly deficient and flawed (if you havn’t noticed….duh)
Anonymous: After you graduate from high school, we’d be glad to talk to you about all this, because you need more information and context. And if you don’t like the results from people who have been willing to work on Memphis problems, what’ve you accomplished lately.
We’d reply to your last paragraph but as usual, it’s just gobbly-gook..lots of sound and fury signifying nothing. But, we get your point. You don’t have to repeat it over and over.
“The community is judged on its history as a socio-cultural unit en masse, and its perception by those OUTSIDE that unit…”
So you are both critical of an area because you believe its residents behavior base their decision making on a broad stroke perception like ethnicity, yet you try to justify your perception using the same methodology Once again anon, you are the living embodiment of hypocrisy via your decidedly off topic comment.
urbanut, you act and comment as if you own this blog or website !
what’s your beef with other commenters ? are you this blog’s policeman ? moderator ? if you’re not, your opinion is just another post, like everybody else, right ?
Just pointing out your hypocrisy anon. In case you were unaware, it is a blog and thus I am entitled to an opinion.
yes, EVERYone is entitled to an opinion, and that’s precisely the point ! your prissy and self-righteous personalized, yet directed opinion seems to suggest that your opinion always trumps another poster’s opinion, when it clearly does no such thing, only in your own head
One opinion is not necessarily more equal than another opinion it’s ALL opinion whether you pass judgment on whether another’s post is hypocritical or anything else
you seem busy hellbent on making your own overly prissy-like value judgments of anyone else’s opinion on practically every topic
wonder what your true motivation could possibly be if “it is a blog and thus I am entitled to an opinion” ?
In a democracy, that same assertion should be true for everyone else as well, and not reserved for you through your own convoluted sense of special entitlement.
Anon-
…and yet here you are posting what is the very definition of a “prissy and self-righteous personalized, yet directed opinion that seems to suggest that your opinion always trumps another poster’s opinion, when it clearly does no such thing, only in your own head”. As you stated, “In a democracy, that same assertion should be true for everyone else as well, and not reserved for you through your own convoluted sense of special entitlement”. Thus you continue to portray yourself as a hypocrite.
It is very clear that what is truly upsetting you is the lack of special treatment your often misguided and uninformed opinions have received on this blog. You dole out “opinions” of other posts on this site and yet seem to think you should be immune to critique yourself. If opinions were nothing more than just that, I find it odd you would become so emotional over another individuals post. The sad performance continues…