Memphis' Cooper-Young neighborhood tentatively wins 'historic overlay district' status

The Memphis City Council voted Tuesday to tentatively give Cooper-Young "historic overlay district" status, giving residents a hard-fought but inconclusive win as they try to limit changes in their Midtown neighborhood.

After a debate that stretched into the evening, the council voted 7-3 to tentatively create the city's 15th historic district, a local designation that gives the Landmarks Commission oversight of changes to the 1,460 homes in the area bounded by Central to the north, East Parkway to the east, Southern to the south and South McLean to the west.

The Office of Planning and Development had already begun referring cases to the Landmarks Commission because of a Tennessee Supreme Court opinion that legislation "as good as law" could be applied as if it were law, said OPD Director Josh Whitehead.

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However, even though planners are already acting as though the neighborhood has "historic overly district" status, the status won't be final until the minutes are approved.

Council member Kemp Conrad made a motion, which the council approved without objection, to delay approval of the minutes as council members craft an ordinance to address the residents' concerns without a historic overlay district. Some of those concerns: the demolition of historic buildings for the development of duplexes and architecture that's not in keeping with the neighborhood vibe.

The Landmarks Commission is tasked with preserving the character of historic neighborhoods and can enforce stricter constraints on residential developers. The neighborhood is already on the National Register of Historic Places.

Council member Jamita Swearengen, whose district includes the neighborhood, urged approval of residents' request, emphasizing that they weren't elected by developers.

"It amazes me how we, as public servants — some of us focus a great deal on developers and some of us focus a great deal on constituents," she said.

Voting for the proposal were council members Joe Brown, Kemp Conrad, Janis Fullilove, Martavius Jones, Worth Morgan, Philip Spinosa Jr. and Jamita Swearengen. Voting no were Frank Colvett Jr., Reid Hedgepeth and Bill Morrison. Council chairman Berlin Boyd and member Edmund Ford Jr. abstained. The proposal needed seven votes to win.

Reach Ryan Poe at poe@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter at @ryanpoe.