Main Street Apartment Partners Propose 144-Space Parking Lot Adjacent to Hotel Chisca

By Liviu Oltean, Associate Editor

The Chisca Hotel

Main Street Apartment Partners L.L.C., the developers behind the Hotel Chisca project, will present on Nov. 5th a proposal for the development of a parking lot to the Downtown Memphis Commission.

If approved, the parking lot will occupy a currently vacant lot, just east of the Hotel Chisca. The site is bounded by Dr. M. L. King Jr. Avenue to the north, Second Street to the east, Pontotoc Avenue to the south, and Mulberry Street to the west.

The ancillary parking lot will feature 144-spaces surrounded by a six-foot tall steel perimeter security fence; two two-way access driveways into the lot; and three pedestrian access gates. In addition, the project will provide new sidewalks on the north, south and east frontages of the Chisca Apartments.

In order to accommodate the project, the developer proposed to close a portion of Mulberry Street, which has been found problematic by the Downtown Memphis Commission staff, who recommended against closing the street.

“A guiding principle listed in the DMC’s Downtown Memphis Design Guidelines is that projects receiving a DMC incentive should, in a meaningful and tangible way, enhance the pedestrian experience. […] As a general rule, closing public streets runs counter to basic urban design theory about how to strengthen pedestrian connections and enhance the pedestrian experience,” they declared in their official report.

Located at 272 South Main Street, Hotel Chisca is being currently repositioned as a luxury, multifamily building and has received a 20-year PILOT. Upon completion, it will feature 161 luxury apartments with ground floor retail and restaurant space.

Image Courtesy of Sean Davis via Flickr