Public Meeting About the Cobblestones

This coming Tuesday, TDOT and the Corps of Engineers will host an important public information meeting regarding Memphis' plans for Cobblestones improvement. Details:

Tues., Aug. 11 -- 5:30 - 7:30 pm
The Balinese Ballroom
330 N. Main Street, Downtown

The Riverfront Development Corporation states

The purpose of the Historic Cobblestone Landing Restoration and Walkway Project is to stabilize and restore the Memphis Cobblestone Landing and provide limited usability, connectivity and accessibility improvements.

The Friends for Our Riverfront* and the blog Memphis Cobblestones both have many questions, real problems and tons of cool side information about the Cobblestones plan.

My questions:

1. will the improvements intentionally or effectively decommission the cobblestones as a boat landing?
2. will they harm the Cobblestone's status as a National Historic Landmark?

the RDC answers my first question, listing

• Continuation of and improvements to the docking of boats

as an objective.

No muddiness there, except that it's listed as objective 5 in a prioritized list. So my filtrated question for the RDC is,

"Forget prioritized objectives -- I want to land my boat on the Cobblestones. Will I be able to do this after the improvements?"

* despite its reputation as an opponent of the RDC, the FfOR and its skirmishes with the RDC have sharpened the spotlight on Memphis riverfront. In this case, the FfOR have really publicized a public meeting that will give the RDC a chance to pitch their cobblestone ideas.

Where Do We Deserve an Urban Waterfront?

Wagner Place.


The Bluff and flooding have always separated downtown Memphis from the River. However, this location could very much satisfy Jeff Speck's suggestion for these reasons:

• Closest that urban downtown comes to the river.
  
  


• Smallest Bluff drop to the Riverfront.
  
  
  
• City of Memphis owns the property.
  


• No easements as with the Promenade, so it can be developed commercially.
  


• Adjacent with the Promenade so public developments like the University of Memphis Law School and extension of the Bluff Walk are perfectly complementary.
  


• Will create back-and-forth walking continuity between downtown and Tom Lee Park/Beale Street Landing/Cobblestones.
  


• It's presently a surface parking lot so (almost) any urban development is a step forward.
  


• If Memphis is serious about 2 other Speck suggestions -- fixing the 3rd St. Promenot and the Main/South Main knuckle -- we would have a continuous downtown from Autozone Park to Peabody Place to Beale Street to Main Street South Main to the Riverfront.
  


• Because the Cobblestones are a man-made extension onto the River and this site is in front of the Cobblestones, this would be very much an urban waterfront.
  


• Because it would be between the River and Autozone Headquarters/Waterford Plaza, any development would have to be the 3 or 4 story buildings that Speck used as in his presentation (example). Which for me is an advantage.
  

What are the downsides?