| Residents throughout Cooper-Young have been lovingly restoring older homes throughout the area for many years. The charm and history of these older homes is one of the many aspects of Cooper-Young that has drawn so many people to call it home.
However, potential homeowners who want to live in the Cooper-Young neighborhood will soon have another option buying a brand-new home.
The Cowles Company, with offices in Midtown Memphis, is building 33 new homes, between Evelyn Avenue and Central Avenue on barksdale next to the train tracks.
The new residential development will be called "Cooper-Young Place," and a new sign to that affect has been erected in front of the subdivision, along Barksdale.
This space used to be a light industrial zoned property and was the former home of the old Ronco spaghetti factory.
In more recent years it had been converted to a warehouse that was used by Southwest Liquor distributors.
Now, According to developer Bernard Cowles, it's going to become an "urban infill development," building new homes in an established neighborhood.
"Cooper-Young needs some new houses," Cowles said. "I think this is the first infill in Cooper-Young in quite some time. Something of this magnitude has never really happened in Cooper-Young."
The houses of Cooper-Young Place will range in size from 2,000 to 2,400 square feet.
"It's a mix of bungalows, four squares and other styles of houses," Cowles said.
The Commercial Appeal's classified as section has the new homws listed for sale from $249,000-$284,000.
Cowles said the homes will be made from a mix of materials. Some will have all siding and others will have brick exteriors. Some will have a mix of the two. He said they are planning on using stone accents on a few of the new homes.
The homes will all have tall ceilings, heavy moldings, central heat and air and all new amenities. There will be four basic floor plans and about 30 front elevations.
"It's just a good mix of housing styles," Cowles said, "There probably won't be two houses that look the same."
Houses will have a minimum of 3 bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The larger homes will have four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms.
All of the new homes will be constructed with garages or they will have alley access from the rear.
The main road going through the middle of the development, accessible from Barkdale, will be Elzey Avenue, with north and south alleys running parallel to the main street. The north alley of the new subdivision boarders the railroad easement.
Cowles said they will be putting up an evergreen hedge and will continue the fence line to provide a barrier. He said the railroad tracks are not very active and that they are used to mainly change out cars. "By the time the hedge grows up, I don't think the trains will be an issue," he said.
Cowles said that he has permits to start construction of eight homes. The first house is planned to be completed by the end of May or early June. he said.
The whole development will probably be finished in a year and a half to two years, depending on the demands of the real estate market, according to Cowles.
The company is also pre-selling some houses and will make adjustments to the buyer's tastes. "If the buyers get in early, they can have their choice of some upgrades," he said. Cowles said they already have three houses under contract.
"Hopefully, any kind of upscale development is good for the neighborhood," he said. "It definitely brings a different kind of buyer. It hopefully will give the neighborhood exposure to a more divers economic crowd."
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