Memphis River Parks Partnership

The Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP), known as the Riverfront Development Corporation (RDC) until being renamed in April 2018, is a nonprofit organization that manages and develops the various riverfront parks and amenities located along the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee, on behalf of the city government.

History[]

The Riverfront Development Corporation (as the organization was called until changing its name in 2018) was founded in 2000. Under its contract with the city, the organization maintains and develops the five miles of parks along the Mississippi River in Memphis. The RDC's largest project, the construction of a new dock called Beale Street Landing to be used by cruise ships and other vessels stopping in Memphis, was troubled by constant delays and costs far exceeding the original allotted budget. Beale Street Landing finally opened in June 2014, but public confidence in the corporation was already shaken, with criticism of the RDC piling up from organizations like the nonprofit, volunteer organization Friends for Our Riverfront. This negative public image, compounded by regular budgetary issues preventing the corporation from taking on more effective and ambitious plans towards improving riverfront amenities, led the RDC to rebrand itself as the Memphis River Parks Partnership, as part of a larger effort to revitalize the organization. This revitalization effort, launched by Carol Coletta upon her becoming CEO of the organization in April 2018, centered upon the implementation of the Memphis Riverfront Concept, which "calls for a series of small, elegant, connected moves along the riverfront that maximize the parks already in place and lay the groundwork for catalytic change in downtown and adjacent neighborhoods." Part of the plan included a new "RiverLine" trail, which would connect the five riverfront park districts located around the city.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]}

Controversy surrounding the organization resumed in May 2019, when the MRPP unveiled a 70 million dollar plan to redesign Tom Lee Park. The plan drew criticism from organizers and fans of the Memphis in May music festival (held annually in the park), who claimed that the park's redesign was aimed at making it more pedestrian-friendly while simultaneously making it less suited to large crowds, essentially forcing the festival out of its traditional venue. The dispute between the MRPP and Memphis was resolved in December 2019 following a months-long mediation process overseen by retired Tennessee Supreme Court justice Janice M. Holder and held at the urging of Memphis mayor Jim Strickland. New plans for Tom Lee Park's redesign were unveiled in May 2020.^[8][9][10]

Several new controversies surrounding the MRPP have emerged since the beginning of the dispute with Memphis In May. In September 2019, the MRPP was caught dumping mud into the Mississippi River without a permit, prompting a response by the federal Corps of Engineers after the dumpings were exposed via a series of videos taken by concerned locals. The MRPP has been accused of poor maintenance of the riverfront parks under its control, with visitors noting broken down attractions, unmown lawns, and other signs of a lack of vigilant upkeep.^[11][12]

References[]