Mediation recently brought to a close the ongoing dispute over Memphis’s Tom Lee Park and its updated design.  The mediation helped Memphis in May and the Memphis River Parks Partnership resolve issues related to the park design.  Now, a second set of renderings is due to be reconfigured for the park by May.

It is expected the new designs will contain some similarities to the original proposal, but there will be modifications that ensure the new design fits the agreement reached in mediation. 

According to Carol Coletta, President and CEO of Memphis River Parks Partnership, “We are moving on to the next chapter.”

Mediation had previously halted plans to move forward based on the original design proposal and the renderings attached to it.  According to Memphis in May organizers, that plan would have limited their ability to host the Beale Street Music Festival and the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest – two events that draw hundreds of thousands of people to the area every year.

Now that the dispute is behind them, the design team can begin plans for reworking the 30 acres of land.  Coletta explains, “We are all eager to produce this park for Memphis, but we want to make sure we do it on time and on budget.  We are thrilled to be at the moment where we can start the design and we go full steam ahead knowing what the Corps needs, what the festival needs.  We also know now a lot more about what an ideal program for the park is.”

The project is expected to last for approximately 22 months and only displace Memphis in May for one year.