Planning staff says Memphis 3.0 map aims to add housing near commercial nodes to revive neighborhoods

Brett Ragsdale, director of the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, told commissioners on April 8 that a full draft of the Unified Development Code was published March 27 and that the draft zoning map breaks the city and county into 20 districts in order to streamline rules and encourage housing near commercial corridors.

Ragsdale and Nicholas Wardrop, who is managing coordination for the rewrite, said the revised code cuts the UDC's word count by roughly 45% and that the most-commented-on portions of the map are the three residential neighborhood bands labeled RN1, RN2 and RN3. RN1 is intended mainly for single-family areas; RN2 would allow duplexes and three-unit buildings and RN3 would allow low-rise apartments, the presenters said.

The planning team framed the shift as a strategy to put more people within walking distance of commercial nodes and downtown, make transit more viable and address concentrated vacancy that discourages business investment. Ragsdale said the map applies a different level of flexibility within about a two-mile radius of downtown and in other identified commercial corridors where neighbors have asked for revitalization.

"We're proposing housing flexibility in areas that either feature significant vacancy or are near a commercial node that neighbors want to see revitalized," Ragsdale said. The presentation includes maps and a table explaining criteria used to place parcels in RN1–RN3 bands.

Commissioners asked about outreach and how unincorporated county areas were treated. Ragsdale said the county component of the map generally seeks to match zoning to what exists on the ground in unincorporated areas and that municipal capacity should continue to accommodate much of future growth.

The planning staff said they will ask the Land Use Control Board for a recommendation at its May 14 meeting, putting both the county and Memphis City Council on a path for final votes toward the end of June. Staff said they will continue neighborhood meetings and provide documentation online for review.

Next step: planning staff will meet with the Land Use Control Board on May 14 and return to the commissions for final action later in June.