Memphis is paying nearly $308,000 a year to rent space it may not need to rent — and two crumbling Downtown buildings, one of them directly across from the Shelby County Jail and Courthouse, could be the answer.
According to a city presentation, Memphis is exploring redevelopment options for two properties in the civic core: a deteriorating storage building at 247 Washington Street and the landmark former police headquarters at 128 Adams Avenue.
The push is directly tied to a lease at 201 Poplar — $307, 908 annually for 17,106 square feet housing the City Clerk, Municipal Court divisions, prosecutors, police dispatch, and a property evidence room.
The building across from the jail
The three-story masonry building at 247 Washington — sitting directly across from the Shelby County Jail and Courthouse — has been used by the city for storage while steadily deteriorating…