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Council adopts joint ‘Building Home Program’ ordinance to spur property reuse and equity reporting
Summary
The Memphis City Council adopted a joint city‑county ordinance establishing a Building Home Program under the Tennessee Homestead Act; the County required future amendments to the implementation plan be enacted by ordinance and the council added measurement requirements to address racial equity metrics.
The Memphis City Council on June 24 approved a joint ordinance establishing the Memphis and Shelby County Building Home Program under the Tennessee Homestead Act and adopted accompanying language clarifying amendment and reporting procedures.
The ordinance, Ordinance No. 5946, was presented as a joint measure with Shelby County and was up for third and final reading. Director John Zena said the County Commission made several changes on third reading that the city needed to mirror, including requiring that future amendments to the program’s implementation plan be made by joint ordinance rather than by resolution.
Zena told the council the county also changed the manner in which the County Board of Commissioners may adopt the ordinance from a simple majority to a two‑thirds vote because of purchasing‑rules concerns in the county charter. He said the change affects only the county’s adoption rules. Zena further described edits to the program’s implementation plan to ensure property transfers from either the city or county are moved by the appropriate governing body.
On performance reporting, Zena said the county requested stronger, more specific annual metrics that address historical inequities in land access and racial equity. "There are some specific measurements that the Division of Planning and Development will be tracking as it relates to the program outcomes," Zena said; he added the change “does not affect how the program operates.”
Council members praised the ordinance as an opportunity for reinvestment and wealth building in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Vice Chair JSW moved the ordinance; the council recorded the vote and adopted the measure with Councilwoman White recused. The ordinance number recorded in the agenda was 5946.
Council members said the measure will permit property transfers and programmatic activity intended to return parcels to productive use and expand opportunities for small and emerging developers. The ordinance directs annual reporting and metrics tracking by the Division of Planning and Development.
