Add Victorian Village to the list of resurgent Memphis neighborhoods with new development projects to brag about. A new, $3 million residential subdivision is set to rise in the 600 block of Jefferson Avenue. Development group Village Werks recently launched the sale of eight single-family lots, five of which already are optioned or under contract.
Lot prices range from $83,500 to $99,950, and the finished home prices are expected to range between $350,000 and $400,000. The lot price includes conceptual design by planning firm
Design 500 Inc., which ensures the homes meet Victorian Village Landmarks District requirements.
Scott Blake, Design 500 President, is a partner in Village Werks, along with J.W. Gibson, J. Henderson and E. Price. The subdivision, dubbed Planters Row II, is the next pivotal development initiative in the Victorian Village community, according to Blake.
It's also a continuation of the development progress being felt around the neighborhood, specifically in the Memphis
Medical District and the
Edge District.
"All of this momentum is suddenly beginning to blossom with these projects," Blake says.
Blake says the group's end goal is to create an economically strong neighborhood that supports the Medical Center and surrounding area.
"The goals of the Medical Center, our neighborhood, Edge and
Downtown Memphis Commission, they're all exactly the same," Blake says. "They're all very strong partners in what we're working on."
Victorian Village's newest development comes on the heels of
The James Lee House redevelopment, which opened earlier this year. The mid-19th-century mansion was converted into a five-suite bed and breakfast at 690 Adams Avenue. The project may not have been a huge development, but it has been "transformative" of Victorian Village, according to Paul Morris, Downtown Memphis Commission President.
Village Werks development group is unique because of its vested interest in the neighborhood, which is bordered by Poplar Avenue to the north, Danny Thomas to the west, Madison Avenue to the south and Manassas Street to the east. Blake serves as President of Victorian Village Inc. Community Development Corp., and Blake, Price and Henderson all live and/or work in the neighborhood; all three also plan to live in Planters Row II. Gibson also is a partner in the James Lee House project.
"We're not professional developers," Blake says. "We just saw that this was a need for a community development, and we all pitched in and did it."
Construction on the first home in the Planters Row II subdivision should begin in 60 days. The 2,700-square-foot residence--custom built for Memphian Florence Hervery--will feature principles of "universal design," referring to broad accessibility to older people or people with disabilities.
Blake said the neighborhood's tagline--"where the living is easy"--refers to the universal design components of the homes, which will create a more comfortable living environment.
The first home's second bedroom also will be designed with private access, allowing it to double as a studio apartment. Blake envisions one of Planters Row II's homebuyers renting the apartment to a medical student.
"It's a way to create a much more diverse neighborhood, age- and income-wise, just in this one little gated community," he says.
Next up for Victorian Village is the Jefferson Avenue Parkway project, which is currently in the design stage and set to go out for bid in the next nine months, according to Blake. Taking advantage of Jefferson Avenue's width, the project would connect Front Street to the Medical Center as a pedestrian and bicycle corridor.
"It's the perfect place to maybe close a lane in either direction and make it a much more healthy green space," Blake says. Also in the works is a partnership between the City of Memphis and Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, which would transfer management of Morris Park--at Poplar and Manassas--to Methodist. Negotiations are ongoing, but Blake is hopeful for a resolution soon.
"It needs neighbors taking responsibility for the park, and this is a really important step there," he says.