The long-vacant Collierville spot that once fried up Gus’s World Famous chicken is a big step closer to trading takeout boxes for condo keys. On Monday night, the Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously signed off on preliminary plans to replace the empty building near Town Square with a mixed-use condominium project that would stack homes over street-level retail and office space, adding new residents to the downtown core. The vote advances the proposal but still leaves several design checkpoints before anything can be built.
According to the Daily Memphian, the Board’s action only approves the preliminary layout. Final designs must still clear the town’s Historic District Commission, then return to the mayor and aldermen for a last look. Historic commissioners have already pressed the design team to tweak material colors on early renderings before allowing the plans to move forward, town officials said during the meeting. Developers on the project include David McLemore and Bart Thomas, represented in public hearings by consultant John McCarty.
The property, listed as 215 S. Center St. just south of Town Square, was converted for restaurant use in 2008, according to commercial marketing materials. A listing on Crexi notes that the parcel’s central-business zoning and existing structure position it as a natural candidate for mixed-use infill, tucked among downtown shops and eateries.
Early renderings presented to town boards show roughly a dozen one- and two-bedroom condominiums rising above ground-floor retail. Developers told commissioners the units might list around $400,000 each. The Planning Commission cleared the project in early February, concluding that the design matches the Downtown Small Area Plan by putting residents within walking distance of restaurants, shops, and Town Square, as reported by the Daily Memphian.
What’s next for the project
Next up is a deeper dive by the Historic District Commission, which will scrutinize proposed material changes and test how much of the historic facade, if any, can be preserved under town rules. Per the Town of Collierville, both the Board and the commission have final say over projects in the historic district. The timing of those reviews will ultimately dictate when demolition can start and when construction might follow.
