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Lamar
Planning District
About Lamar
The Lamar District is a safe and desirable community, where heritage assets are protected and used as catalysts for economic and cultural opportunities. The Lamar planning district is supported by improved pedestrian infrastructure and quality housing, and community members have access to parks and open space and opportunities to visit local, innovative, and well-designed commercial businesses.
Lamar District Workshop #2 -
What We Heard
Future Land Use
Click on the map to zoom in
Future Land Use Map: Connecting Places, People, and Activities
The Future Land Use Map is a vision for Memphis’s future. It’s not a set of strict rules, but rather a guide that reflects the kind of places and activities we want to see in our city as it grows. It’s about creating a community that works for everyone.
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What do the Letters and Numbers indicate?
The letters indicate Place Types, which makes Memphis unique. And the numbers indicate the highlighted places in the neighborhood.
Memphis 3.0 organizes the city into six Place Types—categories that help us understand and plan for the unique character of different areas. Each Place Type is designed to reflect how people live, work, and interact with their surroundings.
A : Anchors: Vibrant, walkable hubs at the heart of accessible, well-connected communities, filled with mixed-use spaces where people can live, work, and play.
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AN : Anchor Neighborhoods: Walkable, connected neighborhoods that support and complement the Anchors.
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CM : Communities: Residential areas that make up the majority of the city, where people live and build their lives.
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CR : Corridors: Auto-oriented commercial strips with retail and services designed for easy access by car.
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SP : Special Uses: Areas focused on industrial, logistical, or transportation activities, often with large blocks and fewer intersections.
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PC : Parks and Civic Spaces: Natural areas, parks, schools, and institutions that serve as gathering places for the community.
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Other Highlighted Places: Some topics or needs are specific to certain places, and that’s what makes them deserving of special attention.
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An extended explanation can be accessed here.
Land Use
Summary of Community Feedback
Staff Analysis
A
Anchor–Neighborhood Crossing (ANC)
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Future: Small, walkable mixed-use centers with house-scale buildings embedded within residential neighborhoods, providing convenient services and community gathering spaces.
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Existing: A mix of small-scale commercial structures with minimal vacancies, along with community institutions like the historic Mt Pisgah Church and Orange Mound Community Garden. All buildings are built to sidewalk.
No specific community feedback.
Zoning should maintain the existing scale and pattern of development.
1. ORANGE MOUND
Land Use
Summary of Community Feedback
Staff Analysis
A
Anchor–Neighborhood Crossing (ANC)
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Future: Small, walkable mixed-use centers with house-scale buildings embedded within residential neighborhoods, providing convenient services and community gathering spaces.
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Existing: A single corner store exists at an abnormal intersection of minor roads. Adjacent parcels are Single Family residential, vacant, and Brentwood Park.
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No specific community feedback.
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This area received no public comment in both Workshop 1 and Workshop 2, which makes staff question whether the area is a community anchor. Memphis 3.0 actions for this site were exclusively about neighborhood art projects and park maintenance. While these are admirable and important community priorities, they are not strategies to create a walkable mixed-use center within the residential neighborhood. Staff expanded the ANC designation in the proposed map to allow greater place-making opportunities, but the lack of clear support for this action suggests that the existing corner store and adjacent park should be thought about as important pieces in a larger pattern of a predominantly single family neighborhood.
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Zoning should maintain the existing pattern of development.
2. BRENTWOOD PARK
Land Use
Summary of Community Feedback
Staff Analysis
A
Anchor–Neighborhood Mainstreet (A-NMS)
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Future: Walkable, mixed-use centers with house-scale buildings lining main streets, serving as moderate-intensity anchors for surrounding neighborhoods.
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Existing: Getwell is a 5-lane road lined with small- medium-scale commercial structures. There is a mix of neighborhood services and auto-centric uses.
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No specific community feedback. Residents expressed broad support.
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Zoning should maintain the existing scale of development and limit auto-centric uses.
AN
Anchor Neighborhood- Mix of Building Types (AN-M)
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Future: Walkable neighborhoods within a 5–10-minute walk of a Community Anchor, featuring a mix of single-unit and multi-unit housing, with potential for low-intensity commercial uses along corridors.
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Existing: Prevailing pattern of Single Family homes and duplexes with minimal vacancies. Small apartment complexes exist near the Anchor site.
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No specific community feedback. Residents expressed broad support.
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Zoning should maintain the current pattern of development and enable a context sensitive increase in permissible housing types.
AN
Anchor Neighborhood- Primarily Single Family (AN-S)
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Future: Walkable neighborhoods within a 5–10-minute walk of a Community Anchor, consisting mainly of single-unit housing, with a focus on preservation and infill development.
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Existing: Prevailing pattern of Single Family homes with limited duplexes and minimal vacancy.
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No specific resident feedback. Residents expressed broad support.
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Zoning should maintain the existing pattern of development.
3. GETWELL & SHARPE
Land Use
Summary of Community Feedback
Staff Analysis
A
Anchor–Neighborhood Crossing (ANC)
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Future: Small, walkable mixed-use centers with house-scale buildings embedded within residential neighborhoods, providing convenient services and community gathering spaces.​
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Existing: Development on the North side of Barron is predominantly vacant commercial uses, with an active light industrial use to the west. Development on the South side of Barron is a mix of active and vacant parcels, with most active uses being small-scale services and auto-centric uses.
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​No specific community feedback.
While the staff proposal was an expansion of ANC to encompass additional properties, and resident feedback was broad acceptance, the additional properties turn this anchor into a corridor site which makes a designation of Neighborhood Main Street more appropriate.
Zoning should maintain the existing scale and pattern of development and limit auto-centric uses.
AN
Anchor–Neighborhood Crossing (ANC)
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Future: Walkable neighborhoods within a 5–10-minute walk of a Community Anchor, consisting mainly of single-unit housing, with a focus on preservation and infill development.
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Existing: Prevailing pattern of Single-Family homes with duplexes and small apartment complexes in development pockets
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No specific resident feedback.
While staff proposal was AN-S with two pockets of N-M, a more accurate designation would be to classify the anchor neighborhood as AN-M to better reflect the existing mix of building types. Additionally, the lack of residential infill opportunities means that future commercial development is dependent on a greater mix of housing options. A designation of AN-M is appropriate for the area.
Zoning should enable a context sensitive increase in permissible housing types.
4. SHERWOOD
Land Use
Summary of Community Feedback
Staff Analysis
A
Anchor–Neighborhood Mainstreet (A-NMS)
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Future: Walkable, mixed-use centers with house-scale buildings lining main streets, serving as moderate-intensity anchors for surrounding neighborhoods.​
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Existing: Lamar /Kimball /Pendelton is a 6-way intersection of major and minor corridor roads. Existing uses are a mix of auto-centric and small- medium-scale commercial services.
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No specific community feedback. Residents expressed broad support.
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Zoning should maintain the existing scale of development and limit auto-centric uses.
AN
Anchor Neighborhood- Primarily Single Family (AN-M)
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Future: Walkable neighborhoods within a 5–10-minute walk of a Community Anchor, featuring a mix of single-unit and multi-unit housing, with potential for low-intensity commercial uses along corridors.
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Existing: Southwest of Lamar, there is a prevailing pattern of Single-Family homes with minimal vacancy. To the east and southeast, there is a mix of Single-Family homes, duplexes, and apartments. There is minimal vacancy on the small-structure lots, but two of the four large apartment sites are vacant.
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No specific community feedback. Residents expressed broad support.
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Zoning should maintain the current pattern of development and enable a context sensitive increase in permissible housing types.
AN
Anchor Neighborhood- Primarily Single Family (AN-S)​
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Future: Walkable neighborhoods within a 5–10-minute walk of a Community Anchor, consisting mainly of single-unit housing, with a focus on preservation and infill development.
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Existing: Prevailing pattern of Single Family homes with duplexes and small apartment complexes.
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No specific resident feedback. Residents expressed broad support.
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Zoning should maintain the existing pattern of development.
5. LAMAR & KIMBALL
Land Use
Summary of Community Feedback
Staff Analysis
A
Anchor–Neighborhood Mainstreet (ANM)
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Future: Walkable, mixed-use centers with house-scale buildings lining main streets, serving as moderate-intensity anchors for surrounding neighborhoods.​​
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Existing: The Lamar-Airways shopping is bounded by the intersection of Lamar Ave, Airways Blvd, and Park Ave, all of which are corridor roads. The site has one major structure with multiple smaller structures infilling the large parking lot.
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Residents envision the Lamar/Airways shopping center to act as a gateway into the Orange Mound neighborhood. Amenities such as food, entertainment, large brand grocer, and clothing markets were made along with institutional uses such as medical care and City/County office space (neighborhood city hall).
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Concerns about code enforcement for property owners was repeatedly raised.
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Zoning should support the multifamily housing and commercial uses that area around the area.
6.A. LAMAR & AIRWAYS (LAMAR-AIRWAYS SHOPPING CENTER)
Land Use
Summary of Community Feedback
Staff Analysis
A
Urban Center (A-UC)
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Future: Walkable, mixed-use centers with multi-story block-scale buildings, forming districts that serve as higher-intensity anchors for urban neighborhoods.​​
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Existing: Orange Mound tower is a vacant industrial site adjacent to Lamar-Airways shopping center.
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Residents see the future Orange Mound tower as being a local version of Crosstown Concourse; housing local artists, markets, and office space.
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Multiple conversations centered around Orange Mound being a future “destination neighborhood”, leaning into its history as one of the first Black subdivisions and highlighting the success of today’s residents. OM Tower could serve as a centerpiece to showcase the neighborhood that supports the adjacent neighborhood anchor.
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Zoning should maximize non-industrial uses and provide flexibility for future restoration efforts.
6.B. LAMAR & AIRWAYS (ORANGE MOUND TOWER)
Land Use
Summary of Community Feedback
Staff Analysis
A
Anchor–Neighborhood Crossing (ANC)
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Future: Small, walkable mixed-use centers with house-scale buildings embedded within residential neighborhoods, providing convenient services and community gathering spaces.
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Existing: Site is a single convenience store and vacant lot. The north side of the intersection is occupied by active churches.
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No specific community feedback.
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While the staff proposal was the creation of a new Neighborhood Crossing, limited feedback suggests that the convenience store may be better thought of as an important piece in a larger pattern of a predominantly single-family neighborhood. More discussions should be held to discern if the community sees this site as an opportunity for growth into a walkable mixed-use community.
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Zoning should maintain the existing scale and pattern of development.
A
Anchor Neighborhood- Primarily Single Family (AN-S)​
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Future: Walkable neighborhoods within a 5–10-minute walk of a Community Anchor, consisting mainly of single-unit housing, with a focus on preservation and infill development.
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Existing: Prevailing pattern of Single-Family homes with limited vacancy. There is a larger apartment complex and duplex development to the south, and a smaller apartment complex to the east.
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No specific resident feedback.
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Zoning should maintain the existing pattern of development and allow for context sensitive infill.
7. SHARPE & HIGHLAND
Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning & Development
Comprehensive Planning Department
125 N Main Street, Ste 468
901-636-6601
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