Residents press Shelby County planners over Memphis 3.0 zoning map and code updates
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Summary
Residents and several commissioners pressed planning staff over a mid-February public draft of the Memphis 3.0 zoning map and Unified Development Code, seeking clearer outreach, district-level breakdowns and assurances about housing types and neighborhood protections. Staff said a public code draft will be released in March and the county zoning map and code text are planned for commission votes this summer.
Nicholas Wardrop, division of planning and development, told the Shelby County planning committee on March 4 that the county is updating three related documents: the Memphis 3.0 comprehensive plan, a new zoning map for unincorporated Shelby County, and the Unified Development Code text. The division released a first public draft zoning map in mid-February and expects to publish a public-draft code text in March, with votes on the county zoning map and code text planned for this summer.
The presentation prompted sustained public comment and multiple commissioner questions. Stephanie Walker, a resident who identified her ZIP code as 38107, told the committee she and other neighbors are confused and alarmed by color-coded map districts labeled RN2 and RN3, which she said appear to allow many uses "by right" without subsequent notice to neighborhood bodies. "The zoning has changed so many times," she said, urging commissioners to review the map closely in their districts.
Staff tried to answer technical questions on eligibility and data. Wardrop said the map update is meant to align zoning with the 2019 Memphis 3.0 plan and to encourage development in the historic core. He said the division has held dozens of public meetings and 42 formal public events since 2023, published explainer materials (including YouTube tutorials and topic guides), and made the mapping tool available for written comments (more than 70 comments to date). He encouraged residents to leave written comments directly on the map so staff can review each submission.
Commissioners and residents asked for simpler, district-level materials and more targeted outreach. Commissioner Sugarman said meetings in some districts drew very few attendees, and asked staff to break maps down by commission district so commissioners can bring clear materials to neighborhood meetings. Commissioner Brooks pressed for written federal guidance about Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goals after staff said the federal DBE rules were under review; staff agreed to share public Federal Register guidance with commissioners.
Wardrop said some limited, targeted up-zoning is being proposed in areas with vacant properties to encourage infill housing and walkable neighborhoods, and that the code update aims for simplification of the current, fragmented zoning text. Staff offered to provide commissioners with district-level maps, hold one-on-one briefings and return with regular updates through the spring and summer.
The committee did not vote on the map or code. Wardrop said the process will continue with public engagement sessions through March and that staff will bring the county zoning map and the code text to the commission for approval later this summer.Words and attributions in this article come from the committee presentation and the public comments recorded in the March 4 committee transcript.
