Blight Authority of Memphis

Given the sharp increase in mortgage rates, affordability challenges are likely to persist in a strained housing market.

We collaborate with local and regional developers to build more affordable, quality homes to combat the affordability gap and increase homeownership in the Memphis area.

Read The Wall Street Journal's article for more context on current mortgage rates.

Mortgage Rates Rise to Two-Month High at 5.55% The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has nearly doubled from a year ago, the latest challenge for a cooling housing market.

Neighborhoods around the country are taking a new approach to revitalization: building new homes with an affordable price point for the community. Our recent partnerships with local and regional developers reflect this nationwide movement.

Read more in Washington Post's piece: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/08/18/for-sale-homes-for-low-income-buyers/.

A model for neighborhood renewal Through an obscure tax credit program, two lawyers have helped build more than 4,200 for-sale affordable homes in 30 cities, including St. Louis and Atlanta.

As BAM continues to make progress in helping overcome blight in Memphis, our new executive director sat down with The Daily Memphian's Daja Henry to share our plans to take things to the next level. Read more below.

Interested in helping us reach our goal of acquiring 30 homes per month? Visit https://bit.ly/3piwlVH to contribute to our mission.

Blight Authority plans to acquire 30 properties per month The Blight Authority of Memphis runs a land bank aiming to bolster economic revitalization by returning blighted and tax-delinquent properties to productive use.

Blight Authority of Memphis is excited to announce the appointment of Michael O. Harris as our new executive director, following a general consensus by our board. In his new role, Michael will touch everything from daily operations to networking and strategy to ensure BAM's success.

Michael brings more than twenty years of knowledge and experience that fuel his main passion: investing in Memphis. We know that under Michael's executive leadership, he will leave BAM and Memphis better than he found it.

As a quasi-government agency, all of BAM's Board of Directors meetings are free and open to the public via Zoom. We invite you to join us for our next one, scheduled for August 3 at 3:00pm CST.

To register, email us at [email protected] to receive login credentials. See you soon!

Congratulations to our friend, Dwayne Jones of Dwayne A Jones Construction Company LLC. His generosity and investment in our community have no limits. Read his latest feature in High Ground News.

Well-known local developer adds children’s books to his already impressive repertoire

We have a new addition to our Board of Directors, Joy Touliatos. Joy serves as Deputy Director of Public Works, and leads a staff of nearly 800 employees. She is responsible for many core services provided to citizens including neighborhood Improvement, street sweeping, drain and street maintenance operations and more.

Previously, Joy served in the Group Violence Intervention Program (GVIP), Public Service Corps and Permits Office for the City of Memphis. She also served in County Government as the Juvenile Court Clerk and other administrative roles in the Juvenile Court Clerk’s Office and the General Sessions Court Clerk’s Office.

Joy is a native Memphian and a proud graduate of the University of Memphis.

We are devastated by the passing of our friend and partner, Mia Madison, the executive director of Memphis Tilth. Mia's dedication to food security, environmental health and the overall quality of life for Memphians has left a lasting impact on our community. We are so thankful for all of her contributions to BAM and Memphis.

Mia Madison, executive director of Memphis Tilth, dies in car crash Memphis Tilth is a community organization that works to strengthen the local food system. 

Transforming vacant lots into productive spaces prevents blight from returning to the area. Starting a community garden strengthens the food system by supporting local farmers and offering a sustainable food source.

Here are two organizations that are paving the way.
Memphis Tilth
Black Seeds Urban Farms LLC

Eliminating uninhabitable properties is essential to reversing the effects of property blight. At BAM, proper equipment and professionals are always on the front lines to ensure everyone's safety. Here's a photo from our first ever.

Changing the trajectories of low-income neighborhoods around Memphis has been always been our goal. Partners like Dwayne A Jones Construction Company LLC help bring our goal to fruition. Thank you, Daja Henry and The Daily Memphian for giving these local development projects the recognition they deserve.

Read The Daily Memphian's article to learn more about this partnership!

Are you interested in supporting our efforts? Visit https://bit.ly/3piwlVH to donate.

Local developer to build 12 homes, increase area value by $1 million Developer Dwayne A. Jones is primarily known for building tiny homes.

Newest addition to the BAM team, Matthew Bellow, is a Mover & Shaker. Welcome, Matthew!

In this week's Movers & Shakers, the West Cancer Foundation welcomes five new members to its board of directors, and Matthew Bellow is named real estate assistant at Blight Authority of Memphis. Read more: https://dailymemphian.com/section/businessmovers-and-shakers/article/29149/movers-shakers

Leadership Memphis Southern College of Optometry Alexander Thompson Arnold CPAs Caption by Hyatt Beale Street Memphis Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis

We're excited to officially introduce the newest addition to our team, Matthew Bellow. Welcome to BAM!

Read more about Matthew's new role as BAM's real estate assistant here: https://bit.ly/3x2y97T.

Blight Authority of Memphis Names Matthew Bellow as Real Estate Assistant Blight Authority of Memphis (BAM), a Tennessee Local Land Bank committed to reducing the occurrence of blighted properties and introducing sustainable solutions to the affected neighborhoods, has named Matthew Bellow as its real estate assistant.

An update on the Historic Melrose High building that Ashley Cash of Memphis Housing and Community Development discussed during our Property Sales training in February.

Our new team member, Matthew Bellow, speaks to the value of mentorship and more in the most recent episode of Meanwhile In Memphis with New Memphis.

Listen in here: https://apple.co/3PCVQfv.

Or tune in every Tuesday for their live shows on WYXR at 8am!

Mentorship Matters. 🤝 Having someone in your corner working alongside you makes those dreams become a reality that much quicker. 💭

Tomorrow on WYXR, you'll hear from Accelerate grad, Matthew Bellow, and his mentor, Darrell Cobbins (LDI alum and Board of Trustees member). They'll share how they met, why their mentor/protégé relationship is mutually beneficial, and what they're both doing to make more magnetic.

Interim Executive Director, Steve Lockwood, speaks to how local investment in Memphis vacant properties could offer more affordable housing options. The Blight Authority of Memphis approach, across the for-profit and non-profit sectors, is a part of that solution.

Can't find a house to buy in Memphis? Why out-of-town investors could be to blame The Memphis housing market is seeing a signficant rise in median home sales in the past year. Out-of-town investors could be playing a key role.

We're honored to be a part of the Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) "Shedding Light on Blight" panel to kick off this year's EmPOWERING Sustainable Neighborhoods virtual series.

Join us on Zoom this Thursday, April 28 from 4-5 p.m. See you there!

Register for the webinar here: http://mlgwneighborhoods.eventbrite.com/.

Our purpose is to improve the quality of life for Memphians. By focusing investment in the neighborhoods within our city limits, we intend to revive to sustain our city's growth.

Learn more at https://bit.ly/3KDQw8Q.

Meet Stuart Lott, our most recent addition to the Blight Authority of Memphis Board of Directors. With his extensive background in law and consulting, Stuart has a deep understanding of federal and state consumer protection laws and how these regulations affect mortgage and consumer lending companies. He combines his legal expertise, banking experience and overall industry knowledge to advise managers how to work with complex compliance and enforcement matters.

Thank you for all that you do, Stuart. We are happy to have you aboard!

For nearly 40 years, Memphis has lacked a master plan that set out our city’s vision for the future and the roadmap to get there. By building up smaller areas where Memphians want to see growth, Memphis 3.0 projects our city's development for the next two decades.

Middle neighborhoods are the unsung hero of the American housing market. These neighborhoods contain housing at an affordable price point, allowing residents to prosper.

We're excited to introduce BAM Board Member, Councilwoman Cheyenne Johnson. She was appointed to the Council on January 8, 2019. She serves as Chair of the Housing and Community Development Committee, Vice-Chair of the Personnel Committee, and liaison to the Downtown Memphis Commission and Memphis Housing Authority. Councilwoman Johnson is the former Shelby County Property Assessor, where she served three terms. In 2018, She retired from Shelby County Government after approximately 34 years of service. She is also a former educator for the Memphis City Schools System. She was the first black female elected Property Assessor in the State of Tennessee in 2008. Later, in 2015, she was named Tennessee Assessor of the Year.

As a resident of Super District 8 for her entire adult life, she looks forward to collaborating with the Council to restore District 8 to its greatest potential by decreasing blight and crime. Since being introduced to the political arena in 1978 by her activist husband, Alvin Carmichael Johnson, Councilwoman Johnson has been very active in politics and is a past member of Shelby County Democratic Executive Committee.

We're excited to introduce BAM Board Member, Councilwoman Cheyenne Johnson. She was appointed to the Council in January of 2019. She serves as Chair of the Housing and Community Development Committee, Vice-Chair of the Personnel Committee, and liaison to the Downtown Memphis Commission and Memphis Housing Authority. Councilwoman Johnson is the former Shelby County Property Assessor, where she served three terms. In 2018, She retired from Shelby County Government after approximately 34 years of service. She is also a former educator for the Memphis City Schools System. She was the first black female elected Property Assessor in the State of Tennessee in 2008. Later, in 2015, she was named Tennessee Assessor of the Year.

As a resident of Super District 8 for her entire adult life, she looks forward to collaborating with the Council to restore District 8 to its greatest potential by decreasing blight and crime. Since being introduced to the political arena in 1978 by her activist husband, Alvin Carmichael Johnson, Councilwoman Johnson has been very active in politics and is a past member of Shelby County Democratic Executive Committee.

Another successful Property Sales Training in the books. Mia Madison of Memphis Tilth gave insight into how Memphis non-profits work together to defeat blight from every angle, including food security.

If you'd like to start a garden in your community or your own backyard, stop by the Memphis Tilth office for free seed packets.

In the 1930's, the Home Owner Loan Corporation introduced a color-coded system in an attempt to stabilize the mortgage loan system and investment risk. Nearly 90 years later, cities across America are still combating the long-term and wide-spread effects of property disinvestment, including blight.

Allow us to introduce our March speaker, Mia Madison of Memphis Tilth. In collaboration with local organizations, Memphis Tilth aims to create a more beautiful, environmentally sustainable Memphis. As Executive Director, Mia serves as a community organizer and an activist for equitable access and urban agriculture. Her background in geospatial and cartographic methods help Memphis Tilth bridge the gap between people and the environment, which includes eliminating blight.

Join us this Friday, March 18 from 4-5 p.m. CST to hear more from Mia and the BAM team. Sign up at https://bit.ly/3rxKYo1.

251 East Mitchell Road is a cozy corner lot in Memphis' Westwood neighborhood. This piece of property is the perfect place for affordable housing developments.

Want to learn more about this property? Visit https://bit.ly/3CvefVr.

Mark your calendars for Friday, March 18, from 4-5 p.m. Our Property Sales Series organizes the tools to collectively address blight at the root. Join us as we discuss the basics of the application, the review process and the appeal process to purchase vacant properties through BAM.

Our guest speaker this month is Mia Madison of Memphis Tilth.

Let's redevelop 901 together! Sign up today at https://bit.ly/3tIQLYS.

Meet the treasurer of our Board of Directors, Emily Trenholm. Emily is publisher and community engagement manager for High Ground News, a local online publication focusing on what’s next for Memphis. From 2000 until 2017, she was executive director of Community Development Council of Greater Memphis (now BLDG Memphis), a coalition of organizations working to revitalize neighborhoods through affordable housing, economic development, and other strategies.

Emily earned her master's degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Memphis and her undergraduate degree from Ithaca College. She serves on the boards of United Housing, Inc., the city’s leading affordable housing developer, as well as Hope Credit Union and Blight Authority of Memphis.

We are so grateful to have Emily on our BAM Board of Directors.

3273 S Gill Rd is located on the periphery of a growing industrial park area. Because of its ideal location, this Whitehaven property would make a good place for commercial development or residential development.

Interested? Read more here: https://bit.ly/3E0qxnR.