Leath Street Activation
The City of Memphis and Shelby County Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) invites qualified private development teams, in partnership with community-based organizations (CBOs), to submit an interest form for the activation and redevelopment of the Leath Street corridor in North Memphis.
This Request for Interest (RFI) seeks innovative, mission-aligned development teams capable of transforming underutilized and vacant assets into productive, community-serving, and economically catalytic uses that advance anti-blight objectives, local food systems, and attainable housing outcomes.
The selected respondent will demonstrate the ability to leverage private equity, collaborate meaningfully with neighborhood institutions, and deliver a phased activation strategy that aligns with CRA priorities and adopted revitalization efforts for Leath Street and the Uptown geography.
Deadline: March 27, 2026
Q & A
The CRA’s primary roles are community facilitation and supplemental gap funding for the housing portions of the corridor. We will initially own properties, but the goal is to transfer ownership to a joint venture between a CBO (Community-Based Organization) and a Private Developer.
Yes, but we will transfer full responsibility over to a shared arrangement (between CBO and Private Developer) in the next 5 years. Sufficient maintenance capacity will need to be in place prior to the 5-year TIF sunset.
The community has repeatedly expressed a desire for food sourcing, and this corridor serves as a disparate opportunity to make that happen. The typology of the food component (a community garden, a farmer’s market, urban farm, food forest) must be substantive enough to address that desire.
No. Respondents need to take all necessary evaluations (both site and building) into consideration when submitting.
You can try to get someone to submit on your behalf with you as a subcontractor. You can submit as yourself with your skill set, and let CRA craft the partnerships for you.
Not necessarily. There are different-sized lots, and we have relationships with several other property owners who may be willing to partner for home building.
Ideally, the alley is utilized. You could try to do this on lots, but there’s an incentive for the vacant residential lots to be housing. There is also potential funding for alley improvements.
Residents do not use it as an access point to their homes, but it is primarily used as a pedestrian shortcut through the neighborhood.
The limited occupancy along Leath Street lends to minimal effect on residents, but consideration will be given to those who will be impacted by any partial ROW vacation of the alley. The Alley is currently only improved along the southern side after Saffarans.
None that we are privy to.
More research is needed.
Our Block Wellness Program encompasses a subprogram called Block Crew that actively cleans up litter and small debris in right-of-ways in Uptown. The Block Crew season starts in April, and they patrol the street twice a month. This established routine could potentially be a way to directly interact with property owners and residents.
It really it depends what gets submitted, but probably one RDA that goes to a Joint Venture Project/Development Team
They are all aware of the circumstances on Leath Street and are aware of the RFI; don’t forget about the faith-based institutions in this area as well.