Resolutions to gate off two streets entering the Chickasaw Gardens neighborhood were pushed back to the new year after Memphis City Council members agreed to pause a vote on the long-simmering matter during a public hearing Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Along with limiting access to public streets, critics fear installing gates will limit public access to the Chickasaw Gardens Park, which lies within the boundaries of the neighborhood.
“If that park wasn’t there, the vote would have been over a long time ago. You all would have had the gate and everything else,” said Edmund Ford Sr. “We don’t have anybody from Parks here to defend that. That’s our problem.”
Members agreed with Ford’s motion to pause the votes until a member of the Memphis Parks Division could answer questions.
“Let’s deal with it after that and see what they say, because like you said… public street, public park and everything else,” said Ford.
Introduced in 2023, the frequently-delayed resolutions were last held from a Dec. 3 meeting. Each ordinance applies to a particular street entrance, Lafayette Place and Lombardy Avenue at Fenwick Road. If closed, three entrances connecting to Central Ave. would remain open for vehicular access. They lead directly to the park.
Proponents of the proposal, which includes 92% of homes according to a neighborhood petition, say it will make the streets safer by preventing speeding traffic. During the arguments, a consultant representing the Chickasaw Gardens Homeowners Association suggested the gates would make the Memphis Police Department’s job easier.
“This will become a pedestrian priority street. We feel that it is important in order for security to be able to monitor the neighborhood more safely by closing these two stub streets,” said Cindy Reeves, SR Consulting. “That focuses their patrolling and a lot of their attention to Central Avenue when something is going on.”
Planned in 1926, both Lafayette and Lombardy are narrow, winding roads that lack sidewalks. Large trees obscure the roadsides, and speeding vehicles create safety concerns for pedestrians, especially parents with children.
The other three entrance points run north-south and connect to the busier Central Ave. Originally, Chickasaw Gardens had 11 entrance points.
One member said the problem could be solved without gates, if the MPD had the ability to handle the oversized problem of speeding in Memphis’ backstreets.
“Councilman (J. Ford) Canale in his first full-term on council lowered the non-posted speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph because we knew anecdotally, but for real, that the average vehicle was traveling down a side road at 40 mph,” said Councilman Chase Carlisle. “So, 15 mph over makes it a felony charge. That was the first thing we did.”
This was followed by a request for intervention from state lawmakers, who incrementally raised the penalty.
“People were still reckless driving,” said Carlisle. “My point is, we’ve taken three or four chomps at the apple just to try and slow cars down because the police department doesn’t have the ability to enforce speed behavior around the city like we want them to.”
If passed, pedestrian entrances would remain open. Cameras would be installed at the locations so security could monitor who comes in and out. In the original proposal, gates were to be installed at the pedestrian entrances. They would have been locked at night. However, they were removed from the resolutions during committee discussions.
“The pedestrian gates are not gated anymore. They will be open 24/7. They will also have cameras on them that will allow security to know when someone comes at the gate. They can look at them and see if they belong in the neighborhood, or if they don’t. The purpose of this is to make everybody safe, not just Chickasaw Gardens,” explained Reeves.
Critics pounced.
In addition to setting a “bad precedent” by limiting access on a public street, the resolution also creates an impression that only “certain people” are allowed in the neighborhood. Furthermore, the dividing line extends to both race and class.
“Overwhelmingly, the residents I’ve spoken to argue that closing off the streets at the behest of one set of citizens to the detriment of others has at least the appearance of being elitist and exclusionary,” said Attorney John D. Smith. “Many argue that in its long history, that’s not what Memphis is about.”
The Memphis attorney represents residents in the neighborhood, along with those in surrounding neighborhoods that use the streets as access points or as a way to get to their closest public park—Chickasaw Gardens Park.
Smith also said other like-minded neighborhoods were awaiting the results of the vote.
Carlisle, who said he knows residents on both sides of the argument, dismissed race as an issue.
“I reject the notion of the individuals I know of being racist, or bigoted, or trying to keep people out of their neighborhood. I also reject the notion that access is being denied.”
Ford also said he didn’t think the proposals were racially motivated but did understand how they could invite the suspicion.
“That’s a nice park. You want to block me out. That’s how some people feel. I don’t feel that way. Some people feel that way,” Ford said. “We have nobody from parks here today to tell us about this very nice park. I’m just being honest.”
Chickasaw Gardens Park is a 22-acre public park primarily maintained by the Chickasaw Gardens HOA. It comes at a cost of more than $300,000 annually. Security costs also run more than $80,000 per year. Parking is not allowed in the park. Vehicles must be parked on the adjacent neighborhood streets.
The well-maintained park has a lake that features a central fountain. The location is a popular spot for area residents and visitors from adjacent communities.
