On this week's episode of WKNO's Behind the Headlines, a dynamic partnership between faith, medicine, and urban development took center stage. The conversation highlighted a multi-year, multi-million-dollar transformation underway in Midtown Memphis—anchored by Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, Meharry Medical College, and Crosstown Concourse.
"We began having internal conversations about what it would look like to reimagine that property to be more than just used for worship and religious purposes, but to create a sense of place in the community," said Pastor J. Lawrence Turner of Mississippi Boulevard.
The church's 23-acre redevelopment plan includes residential units—market-rate, affordable, and workforce housing—along with retail, restaurants, educational facilities, and lodging.
Dr. Stephanie Sweet, associate vice president with Meharry's Office of Memphis Programs, described Meharry's growing presence in the city. "We are trying to be in community with the neighbors… we're also trying to train our medical students and residents… [and] put everything in place for them to be able to become a part of the workforce… needed here in Memphis." The historically Black medical college in Nashville now operates four clinics in Memphis under the Meharry Health Network and plans to increase the number of students and residents training locally in the coming years.
At the same time, Crosstown Concourse CEO Todd Richardson is working to expand the momentum of Crosstown into the surrounding neighborhood. That effort includes a new tax increment financing (TIF) district along Cleveland Street, where public infrastructure investment could reshape one of the city's most underutilized corridors.
The TIF, passed in spring 2025, is projected to generate $120 million over 30 years for reinvestment in Cleveland Street's streetscapes, lighting, traffic signals, and utilities. Richardson emphasized the long-term nature of the investment: "It'll take five years before anything builds up that's significant that can be used."
All three leaders—Richardson, Turner, and Sweet—stressed the need to build with and for existing communities. Turner noted, "We wanted to develop in a way that… brings about dignity to the resident," adding that their project is designed to avoid displacement by maintaining a mix of income-accessible housing.
Dr. Sweet echoed the importance of community-centered development: "Our legacy has been in taking care of people who are underserved or have less access to care. And that is not gonna change here."
The effort is ambitious and still unfolding. If realized, it could reshape Cleveland Street and redefine how Memphis links health, housing, faith, and equity.
