Memphis Will Mail More Than 200,000 Notices About a New Zoning Map, at an Estimated $100,000 to $120,000. The Hearing Date Became Specific Only After a Council Member Pushed for One.

The ordinance sets the process for replacing the zoning map for Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County. Staff told the committee the hearing would be in September, probably October. A council member asked why it could not be a date. It is the second Thursday of October, which is October 8.

MEMPHIS, August 4, 2026 - The City of Memphis will send public notice to every property owner in Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County that its zoning map is being replaced, more than 200,000 notices at an estimated cost of $100,000 to $120,000.

The mailing itself is the subject of the ordinance. Planning and Zoning Committee members were told on August 4 that the joint ordinance before them, ZTA 2026-002, amends the Unified Development Code to establish the procedure for replacing the zoning map, and that what the procedure requires is the notice.

The director of the Division of Planning and Development told the committee the ordinance sets the process for updating the zoning code and the zoning map, and that the update means the city will send public notice to every property owner in Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County letting them know the map is being updated, where to find it, and where the public hearing will be held at the Land Use Control Board.

Chairman Philip Spinosa restated it for the room. What the committee was voting on, he said, was sending out the letter so everyone is aware. No changes were being adopted.

Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington asked whether the city is posting the existing map. The director said there is a proposed map already posted and that the department is continuing to work on it, and that this ordinance sets the process for letting people know about the proposed map.

The date

The director said the hearing would potentially be in September and probably in October.

Councilman Dr. Jeff Warren said there has been a lot of confusion about the process and asked why it could not be a date. He said it sounds nebulous and that there are people who are nervous about this, and asked why not give a date.

The director explained that the matter goes to the Land Use Control Board, that the board's meeting dates are already established for every month, and that naming a month is therefore naming a date certain because it depends only on which monthly meeting the item reaches.

Chairman Spinosa asked whether the committee wanted to pick a day. The director said the board meets the second Thursday of every month. The second Thursday in October, at 9:00 a.m. in council chambers.

"We just did it," Spinosa said. "Look at that. We got a date."

The second Thursday of October 2026 is October 8.

The director said that if the Land Use Control Board approves the map, forwarding it to the council and the county commission takes about two to three weeks, which would put it before the council in late October or November. Spinosa confirmed with him that when it arrives, the council can change whatever it feels it needs to change.

The objection

A former city planning official, Josh Whitehead, addressed the committee. He said a memorandum on the ordinance had been delivered to members in hard copy the previous day by another party and in digital copy by him.

He told the committee he is in agreement with the planning division on the need for the public hearing. His suggestion was different. Rather than inviting 200,000 people to one hearing, he said, each person with a real issue with the map amendment should have the opportunity for a separate hearing on their own property, so they have due process specific to that property.

He put a number on it. One percent of 200,000 people is 2,000 people. He said he does not know how a single public hearing could possibly be conducted fairly to a person in that position.

The planning director said the department has been talking with him and others, has worked with stakeholders for almost three years, is publishing an updated map and zoning text, and expects a lot of the concerns to be resolved. He said there are potentially unintended consequences with the proposal being discussed and that the department wants to provide adequate time for everyone while making the process manageable.

Chairman Spinosa noted that a resident in the audience had put together a one-page summary of issues for members to consider ahead of the October meeting, and asked colleagues to review both documents.

The member who had not seen the document

Councilwoman Janika White said she wanted clarity, because what was attached to the documents she had was the ordinance, and she had not seen a separate resolution about approving a mailing.

The director confirmed that the ordinance is what authorizes the mailing for the public notice, and that this was first reading.

Chairman Spinosa said the committee would check and make sure she had what she needed before the item went to the floor. Chairwoman Swearengen-Washington said she did not feel comfortable if Councilwoman White had not reviewed it.

The item passed the committee by voice vote with a positive recommendation. It appeared that afternoon as item 7 on the consent agenda, up for first reading, and passed with the rest of the consent agenda on a single vote. Councilwoman White voted yes. Nothing further was said about it on the floor.

Councilwoman Pearl Eva Walker asked in committee what the mailing will cost. The director said the department is working on numbers and trying to make it as efficient as possible, and that they are looking at $100,000 to $120,000 depending on how the process works.

What happens next

The Land Use Control Board will take up the proposed zoning map at its meeting on the second Thursday of October, October 8, at 9:00 a.m. in council chambers. If the board approves it, staff said forwarding it to the Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Commission takes about two to three weeks, putting it before the council in late October or November. The ordinance passed first reading on August 4 and requires two further readings. The department said it is publishing an updated map and zoning text.

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