MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Raleigh Springs Civic Center on Austin Peay Highway is just about ready to open.
For the past two years, the city of Memphis has been working to redevelop the former Raleigh Springs Mall into a community center. What was once a mall is now home to a skate park and a Memphis police precinct.
City officials said there won’t there won’t be a grand opening ceremony for the nearly $42 million project until later this month. But the public has already started making use of the area.
Skater Hans Molitor said he’s at the skate park three or four times a week.
The skate park gets plenty of use, said Mary Claire Borys, City of Memphis Manager of Strategic Initiatives for Housing and Development.
“If we never turned off the lights, I think they’d skateboard all night long,” Borys said.
She said the skate park and walking trail surrounding the 11-acre pond are open to the public, and officers from the Old Allen Precinct and Union Avenue Traffic Division Precinct have settled into their new building.
The project isn’t completely finished. The new library is still under construction and it won’t be open to the public until later this year.
“We can come in. We can do development. We can show with our own dollars that we believe in this part of town and we’re already starting to see this pay off,” said Borys.
A few people WREG spoke to at the skate park said they’re very appreciative of the site, but it could use a few improvements.
“Some port-o-potties you know, that would be helpful. Maybe a picnic table or two and some bigger trash cans,” said Molitor.
Borys said development on the site won’t end once the library is complete. With 20 acres of land left, the possibilities are endless.
“We’re really excited to continue to focus on the evolution of the Austin Peay Highway area and what that means for the future of Raleigh.”
The Union Avenue Police Precinct will be sold for private development and the Old Allen Precinct is being repurposed for Public Works.
They’re still working to determine what will happen to the former library on Powers Road.
