It's time to take action!

On Thursday, November 6th, the Board of Commissioners will vote on the latest Lakeland Commons proposal. This is the final vote the developers need in order to make Lakeland Commons a reality. Two of the five commissioners support Lakeland Commons. Click here to read more.

Consider the following:

• Is there community suport?
  Over 570 Lakeland residents have signed the petition stating they are opposed to commercial development at this location
  
  
• Is the Lakeland Commons project in line with the vision for the future of Lakeland?
  The Farr & Associates project to rewrite the Land Development Regulations and Design Guidelines to follow the Comprehensive Plan is not yet complete. This project gives 'substance' to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) that was adopted in March 2006.
  
  The CLUP simply states "Primarily planned developments containing neighborhood commercial uses with no one user having greater than 75,000 square feet, limited office, religious facilities, schools, public buildings, and institutional uses. Development requires public water and sanitary sewer service. Streets are designed with an urban cross-section."
  
  The Farr plan goes beyond a simple definition in the CLUP and defines the specific requirements and provides the substance for the vision that the CLUP intended but does not provide.
  
  Whereas the Lakeland Commons proposal includes an anchor grocery store at 75,000 sq. ft. and a total of 220,000 sq. ft., the Farr guidelines for a 'Residential Support Center' would only allow for a total of 50,000 sq. ft. and no single user having more than 30,000 sq. ft.
  
  
• What impact will this development have on Memphis Arlington Road?

When the CLUP was adopted, Memphis Arlington Road lost the 'Scenic Corridor' designation between Seed Tick and Canada Road--exactly along the property line of Lakeland Commons. The city is in the process of restoring this designation in order to protect and preserve one of Lakeland's most scenic roads. Although the developer has included protective measures in their proposal, wouldn't it be more prudent to ensure the protection through Lakeland ordinances rather than a developer's preliminary development proposal?

The traffic studies indicate that for Memphis Arlington Road west of Seed Tick, traffic will increase from 3,0000 to 16,000 car trips per day. Further, the traffic studies done to-date have not included the impact of the future Harding Academy campus on traffic patterns and volume. (The K-12 campus will be located across Hwy 70 from the Lakeland Commons site.)


• Is there a need for commercial development in Lakeland?
  Consider what exists today in Lakeland:
  • The Outlet mall has 150,000 available sq. ft.
  • Approved but not built, Lake Forest has 150,000 sq. ft.
  • The Corner Shops, with the potential to "end up being the nicest small retail center in Shelby County" (Dede Malmo, president of MalmoMemphis Real Estate), has 13,000 sq. ft. and anticipated tax revenues of $8 million. And yet to-date has only one tenant, and that tenant produces no revenue. (located at Hwy 64 and Canada Road)
    
  
  Lakeland Commons developers cite the grocery retailer's 4-mile radius specification as indicative of the "need" for grocery at this location. From the Lakeland Commons property, there are three Kroger stores accessible in less than 10 minutes at between 4 and 6 mile distances! As one long-time resident of Lakeland stated at one of the past MPC meetings, somehow Lakeland residents over the last few decades have managed to get their groceries without having a grocery store on every corner!

Click here to sign the petition!

Prevent commercial development at
Seed Tick Rd and Memphis Arlington Rd!

Click the play button above to view the video.
	Help take a stand against unnecessary commercial development that will change the quality of life in Lakeland by Destroying natural resources Inviting crime into our neighborhoods Increasing traffic
Attend the meetings! In August 2007, the Municipal Planning Committee voted 6-0 to recommend denial of the proposal to the Board of Commissioners! But they came back with a revised proposal. In February 2008, the MPC voted 4-2 to postpone indefinitely. So our work continues! Please continue to spread the word and get signatures on the petition! We still need strong support at future meetings as well. Sign the petition! Just click here!

You can learn more about the proposed commercial development, Lakeland Commons, by clicking here. Please take some time to read though the issues. If you support our position, please sign the petition.

Your support is also needed at all public meetings! This is a significant element of conveying our position to our city leaders. The Lakeland Commons Proposed Development Plan will be discussed and voted on at the Municipal Planning Commission meeting(s). It will also be discussed at the Board of Commissioners meeting(s). We need you there every time! Notices of meetings will be posted on this site under 'Latest Developments'. If you wish to speak at the meeting, you must arrive before the meeting starts to sign up. Please add this page to your favorites and check back regularly for updated information. Or see below to join the email distribution list.