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Starting a DIY project at home or even opening a new business can be daunting, especially when you aren’t sure who to talk to or where to start. Join our...
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Starting a DIY project at home or even opening a new business can be daunting, especially when you aren’t sure who to talk to or where to start. Join our rotating hosts as they sit down with their colleagues and collaborative community partners to dispel the myths and mystery in building and zoning processes and to highlight the information and solutions you have available to you in Memphis and Shelby County. Let’s learn what all you can do in our corner of Tennessee.
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Episodes & Posts
Episodes
Posts
11 FEB 2026 · Host Nicholas Wardroup interviews Comprehensive Planning Administrator Christina Edingbourgh and Project Manager Isaac Bacon about infusing community voice into land use planning in Memphis and the upcoming Unified Development Code update affecting Shelby County. They discuss the differences between the future land use map and the zoning map and how their work is considering the future of Memphis and Shebly County.
This episode is the first part in a two-part series about the upcoming Unified Development Code (UDC) update and adoption process.
Have questions for Nicholas, Christina, or Issac? Email them to mailto:builidngbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
Memphis 3.0 website: https://www.memphis3point0.com
Unified Development Code (UDC) Update website: https://www.901udcupdate.com/
14 JAN 2026 · Host Nicholas Wardroup interviews Office of Sustainability & Resilience (OSR) Administrator Leigh Huffman Moyer and Shelby County Department of Housing Planning and Programs Manager Dana Sjostrom about recent improvements made to parks in Memphis and Millington that were heavily affected by the historic regional flooding in 2011.
Updating park infrastructure involved working with community and government stakeholders on engineering and design, having publich outreach for project input, and applying for and managing federal disaster recovery grant funds. But the sum of this work continues to be evident in scenic parks with amenities that are prepared for future flooding issues.
Have questions for Nicholas, Leigh, or Dana? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
1 DEC 2025 · Land Use Planner Nicholas Wardroup interviews Preservation Planners Ayse Penzes and Margot Payne about the role of the Memphis Landmarks Commission and the purpose of locally recognized historic district designations for residents in those districts. Ayse and Margot also share how the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) approval process works and what residents can do to become more involved in their historic districts.
Have questions for Nicholas, Ayse, or Margot? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
10 NOV 2025 · For the conclusion of this two-part series on tiny homes, Building Official Rita Anderson interviews Land Use and Development Services Manager Lucas Skinner to discuss zoning compliance and historic district guidelines as they apply to tiny homes, manufactured homes, and modular homes.
This episode complements part one in the series focused on local, state, and federal building code compliance related to modular and manufactured homes.
Have questions for Rita or Lucas? Or maybe you have a request for a multiple-part episode series? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov!
6 OCT 2025 · Building Official Rita Anderson interviews Director Jim Hightower of the Manufactured Housing, Modular, and Licensing section within the State of Tennessee's Department of Commerce and Insurance. Jim expands upon the popular term "tiny home" and shares the distinct differences between manufactured and modular housing, along with the federal and state standards that apply. Rita and Jim share what options are available for property owners and contractors within the State of Tennessee and what code standards the different housing types.
This episode is the first in a two-part series focused on tiny homes and manufactured and modular housing in Memphis and Shelby County.
Have questions for Rita or Jim? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
8 SEP 2025 · Deputy Building Official Mario Moton interviews Senior Plans Examiner John to discuss the goals, responsibilities, and expertise of Plan Review, a team that reviews building plans to ensure they are code compliant long before any building permits are issued. Mario and John talk about what the plan review process looks like and what it actually involves, including how applicants can make their review time even shorter!
Have questions for Mario or John? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
4 AUG 2025 · Senior Building Inspector Tony Grashot interviews Plans Examiner Erica Rogers about the requirements for demolition permits and the differences between residential and commercial demolition projects. Tony brings his background as a commercial contractor with an ATF license to the discussion.
Have questions for Erica or Tony? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
Link to Fite Rd Demolition: https://youtube.com/shorts/0hMcRB_JT8o?feature=share
7 JUL 2025 · Producer Breana Miller interviews Senior Signs & Zoning Inspector Antwone Smith about the signs, billboards, and zoning regulations that he and his team enforce and that they tend to educate and inform customers about while in the field. While handling anything from eight-second digital billboard advertisement frequencies to the prohibition of roosters in residential areas, Signs and Zoning Enforcement has seen and heard a lot of what's happening in the Memphis and Shelby County area.
Have questions for any Antwone? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
2 JUN 2025 · Producer Breana Miller interviews Land Use Planner Nicholas Wardroup about his position within the division, especially related to working with the public and elected officials; his experience in transitioning from a graduate intern to his current full-time role; and his journey in learning and communicating about the ordinances and codes that guide his work.
Have questions for any Nicholas? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
5 MAY 2025 · Producer Breana Miller interviews Chief Plumbing Inspector John Bowman about his work experience in the plumbing trade, the common types of inspections that Plumbing Inspectors handle, and what homeowners need to consider before deciding to begin any plumbing-related DIY projects.
Have questions for any John? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
Starting a DIY project at home or even opening a new business can be daunting, especially when you aren’t sure who to talk to or where to start. Join our...
show more
Starting a DIY project at home or even opening a new business can be daunting, especially when you aren’t sure who to talk to or where to start. Join our rotating hosts as they sit down with their colleagues and collaborative community partners to dispel the myths and mystery in building and zoning processes and to highlight the information and solutions you have available to you in Memphis and Shelby County. Let’s learn what all you can do in our corner of Tennessee.
show less
Information
| Author | Develop 901 |
| Organization | Develop 901 |
| Categories | Government |
| Website | www.develop901.com |
| develop901@memphistn.gov |
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