Bulldozers are finally rolling in Smokey City, where work has begun on Smokey City Market, a $70 million mixed-use project that aims to reshape a key stretch of Jackson Avenue in North Memphis. Crews have started demolition at the former Gordin's Butcher Shoppe at 999 Jackson, kicking off a three-phase plan that spans 11 parcels at Jackson and Decatur and is slated to deliver nearly 200 housing units along with ground-floor retail.
The city of Memphis and the Shelby County Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) announced Tuesday that construction is officially underway, according to the Memphis Flyer. Officials say the development is designed to bring a mix of market-rate and affordable homes to a corridor that has been on the city's reinvestment wish list for years.
Phase One Details
The first phase focuses on the former butcher shop site and surrounding properties, according to the Community Redevelopment Agency. On the south side of Jackson, plans call for 20 townhomes targeted to moderate-income buyers. On the north side, the project will add a mixed-use rental building with affordable units above ground-floor space, while a temporary beer garden is slated for 962 Jackson across the avenue, next to Memphis Toast.
The CRA's project page lists the Smokey City Market site at roughly 1.8 acres made up of 11 parcels and pegs the total development cost at about $70 million.
Phases Two And Three
Phase Two is expected to bring CareHaus, described as an intergenerational, care-based co-housing building, along with commercial space for dining, retail and services on the northwest corner of the intersection, as reported by the Memphis Flyer. Phase Three is planned to add more affordable apartments on the northeast block.
The Flyer also notes that Phase One is scheduled to wrap up by June 2028, so residents should expect to live with construction noise and orange cones for a while.
Who’s Building It
Shelby County records show the County Commission signed off on a redevelopment agreement that clears the way for the local development partnership, according to Shelby County Board documents. The website for the AEQUO Fund states that the fund focuses on directing capital to Black, brown, women and immigrant developers. The Works, Inc., a Memphis-based community development corporation, brings decades of experience in affordable housing and food access to the table.
Why This Matters
The intersection of Jackson and Decatur is identified as a neighborhood anchor in the city's Uptown Community Plan (2018), a guiding document that helped shape the CRA's strategy for assembling and redeveloping blighted parcels in the area. Smokey City Market is one of the marquee efforts to put that playbook into action.
At the same time, local reporting has flagged a recurring problem in Klondike-Smokey City and similar neighborhoods: public subsidies and large new apartment projects have not always met the deepest affordability needs for longtime residents, a concern highlighted by MLK50. Supporters see Smokey City Market as a major reinvestment, but those warnings will likely loom over the project as it moves forward.
For now, construction is in its early stages. Neighbors can expect more demolition work, heavy equipment and new construction signage in the coming weeks as crews clear the sites and start on infrastructure. City and CRA officials say they plan to keep the public posted as key milestones are hit and as leasing and home-sale details are finalized.
