WREG.com

New Midtown property development gains excitement

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A new project is expected to spark a major uptick in business in one of the busiest intersections in Midtown.

Breaking ground on The Citizen apartment complex should mean things are going to get more exciting for Midtown.

“This is another sign that Memphis has momentum,” Mayor Strickland said. “It’s really going to be a crown jewel on Union Avenue.”

Decades ago, the old Holiday Inn building was crumbling – now, it’s finally getting a chance to shine like it did in it’s glory days.

“We think there is something cool about the building that we could never replicate,” Belz Director of Development Adam Groveman said. “It’s going to be a cool mix of old and new.”

The Belz family says they take pride in bringing The Citizen apartment complex to McLean and Union.

“We were apart of the community, we watched the building decay and become blighted. We were glad to be able to come back in and revitalize it,” Groveman said.

They say the block will have purpose again since it will be filled with shoppers and residents living in the apartment building.

“We were originally going to tear down everything and be all new,” Groveman said.

In a little more than a year from now, this very ground will be buzzing with tenants and state of the art design.

At one point, there was talk of bringing a smaller whole foods to this area, but developers say that won’t happen because there’s not enough room.

There is still plenty of room for other possibilities.