HYPERLOCAL NEWS HUB BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS DEPARTMENT OF JOURNALISM
The Other Side of the Fence
By Ashli Blow/MicroMemphis Reporter
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Elzey Avenue, a street located in Cooper-Young, demonstrates that sometimes the grass isn't greener on the other side. Sometimes... it's concrete.
In this neighborhood, there are two-and-a-half acres of cement and stone separating Elzey in two halves. The space is property of Christie Cut Stone, a company that had been in that location more than 90 years until a move in 2008 to expand business. "We intend to sell it," owner Bond Christie said." But recently, it has not been of interest to developers." After decades of rotating industrial sites in the area, Elzey has now become a street that reflects the economic disparity of Memphis. On one side of the large vacant space are two rows of neatly appointed homes and manicured landscaping. That's "New Elzey." On the other side, separated by fencing and a row of tall, thin trees - a massive slab of concrete and a street dotted with rundown homes, a huge abandoned building, and industrial spaces - that's the east side of Elzey. On the Shelby County Appraisal's Office website one house on New Elzey was appraised at $194,500. On the other side of Elzey, across the fence and the abandoned property, another home's building appraisal is $50,900. The Rise of New Elzey |
This is a snapshot from Google Satellite of a two-acre gap in Elzey Street. The red circle indicates a fence on the eastern side of the street and the blue line indicates shrubbery around a fence on the western side of Elzey.
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Emily Bishop is the Cooper-Young Community Association communications chair. She's also lived on a street just a few blocks up from Elzey since 1988. Bishop has watched over the years as New Elzey moved from being an industrial area to a highly-desirable strip of residential property.
"When I first moved, there was a warehouse building that belonged to Ronco noodles. So that's what was occupying the building and there was this big field behind it. It was there for many years, and then Southwestern Liquor Distributors moved to the space. There were always trucks loading in and out. It was very industrial. Then Bernard of The Cowles Company bought the property and bulldozed the warehouse. It was an empty field for an entire summer. "
The Cowles Company built the development known as Cooper-Young Place in the empty lot that became New Elzey, starting with prices at $290,000. They began development in 2003, but at that time, according to co-owner Erin Cowles, they could not connect the street to the east side, as Christie Cut Stone was still at that location.
"That subdivision was not for sale," she said. "We loved that piece of land that Cooper-Young Place is in, and Bernard(co-owner) had such a great vision we didn't want to back down. So we just went right on it."
Erin Cowles said they were aware they were building high-income homes next to a low-income neighborhood, however, they did not find it a concern.
"We live in Midtown ourselves, and just like many areas in Cooper-Young you have great homes next to others that aren't so desirable. But, that's the beauty of Midtown. It's just such a wonderful neighborhood as a whole," she said.
The Cowles Company completed Cooper-Young Place in August 2009. The company says it's been a success by all measures.
Erin Cowles said it would be ideal to extend the subdivision back into the empty lot, but was not a possibility at the time. However, Christie Cut Stone did sell their spare lot, on the corner of Elzey and Tanglewood, to The Cowles Company.
"When I first moved, there was a warehouse building that belonged to Ronco noodles. So that's what was occupying the building and there was this big field behind it. It was there for many years, and then Southwestern Liquor Distributors moved to the space. There were always trucks loading in and out. It was very industrial. Then Bernard of The Cowles Company bought the property and bulldozed the warehouse. It was an empty field for an entire summer. "
The Cowles Company built the development known as Cooper-Young Place in the empty lot that became New Elzey, starting with prices at $290,000. They began development in 2003, but at that time, according to co-owner Erin Cowles, they could not connect the street to the east side, as Christie Cut Stone was still at that location.
"That subdivision was not for sale," she said. "We loved that piece of land that Cooper-Young Place is in, and Bernard(co-owner) had such a great vision we didn't want to back down. So we just went right on it."
Erin Cowles said they were aware they were building high-income homes next to a low-income neighborhood, however, they did not find it a concern.
"We live in Midtown ourselves, and just like many areas in Cooper-Young you have great homes next to others that aren't so desirable. But, that's the beauty of Midtown. It's just such a wonderful neighborhood as a whole," she said.
The Cowles Company completed Cooper-Young Place in August 2009. The company says it's been a success by all measures.
Erin Cowles said it would be ideal to extend the subdivision back into the empty lot, but was not a possibility at the time. However, Christie Cut Stone did sell their spare lot, on the corner of Elzey and Tanglewood, to The Cowles Company.
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The company began sketching plans for the corner of Elzey and Tanglewood, but put the project on hold.
They talked about doing something similar to Cooper-Young Place but wanted to do something edgier with energy star qualifications. Prices of these potential homes were not discussed, but could bring change to the neighborhood. Stella Warren, academic instructor in sociology at The University of Memphis, referred to New Elzey, the potential new housing on the corner, and the gap as urban gentrification. This is when a wealthier class of people come into the community because a characteristic of the area attracts them. "Gentrification happens all the time.The problem with it is that it causes property taxes to go up which, in turn, pushes poor people out of their homes because they cannot afford the property taxes," she said. Joselly Brown, 23, grew up on the east side of Elzey with his mother in a house right next to Christie Cut Stone. "The gap never bothered me," he said. "This side of Elzey actually seems quieter than the other side. I just wish that they would clean the space up." Brown said he had heard rumors of a daycare occupying the location. |
"Just like many areas in Cooper-Young you have great homes next to others that aren't so desirable. But, that's the beauty of midtown." -Erin Cowles,Co-Owner of The Cowles Company
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"I don't think it would be a good area to move a daycare. There is a lot of break ins, there used to be a slab of big black marble in the yard. People came in, broke it into pieces, and stole it. "Other things have happened, like drunk drivers running into the fence, thinking it is a through street." Also, Brown commented that he would rather east Elzey stay a dead-end street as there is already plenty of traffic. At this time, there are still no solid plans for the two-acre gap separating Elzey. |
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Below is a gallery of both sides of the fence on Elzey Avenue
All photos taken by Ashli Blow
About the Reporter
Ashli Blow is a reporter for MicroMemphis and a student at The University of Memphis majoring in Broadcast News and Marketing. Follow her on twitter!