The corner of Jackson Avenue and Decatur Street is about to look a lot different. Construction has officially begun on Smokey City Market, a mixed-use development that Smokey City residents and community advocates have been working toward since 2018, when the Uptown Community Plan first put it on paper.
The City of Memphis and Shelby County Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) announced the project start alongside developers AEQUO Fund and The Works, Inc., two organizations with track records of building for the people who actually live in the communities they develop.
What Phase 1 Looks Like
The first phase begins with demolition of the former Gordin’s Butcher Shoppe at 999 Jackson Avenue. On the south side of the site, 20 townhomes will be built for moderate-income buyers, offering real ownership opportunities in a neighborhood that deserves them. The north side will have affordable rental units inside a new mixed-use building. Across Jackson Avenue, adjacent to Memphis Toast, a temporary beer garden will go up at 962 Jackson Ave.
AEQUO Fund and The Works are utilizing their own funds to handle demolition and cleanup at 999 Jackson, construct the beer garden, and complete pre-development for the housing piece. They plan to finance the completion of the townhomes and will pursue federal housing tax credits for the remaining part of Phase 1. The full phase is targeted for completion by June 2028.
“Today begins the implementation of a dream the Smokey City Neighborhood residents have had on paper since the adoption of the 2018 Uptown Community Plan. The CRA has been working on behalf of the neighborhood to acquire the blighted properties, clean them up, and engage a community-oriented developer who understands the value of creating generational wealth in the community,” said CRA President Andrew Murray.
The Full Vision
Phase 2 brings CareHaus, an intergenerational care-based co-housing building, plus commercial space for dining, retail, and services on the northwest block of Jackson and Decatur. The final phase will create affordable apartments on the northeast block.
Eleven parcels. Three phases. One neighborhood that’s been holding the vision. For full project details, visit cramemphis.org/projects.
