Land Use Control Board

You can view meetings of the Land Use Control Board on the City of Memphis website by clicking on the "Government" tab at the bottom of the homepage, then "Watch Meetings Online" on the far right. To view archived meetings, go to "Other Organizations" at the bottom and then the blue "Land Use Control Board" tab in the middle of the page). To view meetings live, go to "Upcoming Meetings." You can also view Land Use Control Board meetings on the Division of Planning and Development's YouTube page.

Agendas & Minutes

Application Form

Applications, fee schedule and upcoming deadlines for the Land Use Control Board can be found here.

Pending Applications

Click on this page to view pending applications with the Board.

Staff Reports

Click here to view the staff reports for the most recent Land Use Control Board cases.

Functions & Authority

The Land Use Control Board has the responsibility of overseeing and guiding the orderly growth of the City of Memphis and Shelby County through zoning regulations. You can view the zoning regulations by downloading the Unified Development Code . You can view the zoning district for a particular piece of property by linking to the Zoning Atlas.

The Land Use Control Board was created by this joint ordinance-resolution in 1976 as a reorganization of the Memphis and Shelby County Planning Commission. Here is the 1975 report from the American Society of Planning Officials (one of the predecessors to today's American Planning Association) that lead to the creation of both the Land Use Control Board and the Office of Planning and Development. The Memphis Planning Commission was founded in 1921 by a private act passed by the Tennessee General Assembly. The Shelby County Planning Commission was founded in 1931, also by private act. The two were merged in 1956.

All area and neighborhood plans, zoning map changes, zoning text changes, planned developments, special use permits and street closures are processed through the Land Use Control Board before being forwarded to the Memphis City Council (for areas within the City of Memphis) or the Shelby County Board of Commissioners (for areas in unincorporated Shelby County). The Board has final approval authority over special exceptions, subdivisions and major modifications to special use permits and planned developments unless appealed to the legislative bodies.

Board Bylaws

Click here to download the Board's Bylaws, which include its Rules of Procedure. Many items reviewed by the Board are first reviewed by the Technical Review Committee, which has its own Rules of Procedure.

Annual Reports

Members

• Five members appointed by the Mayor of Shelby County and confirmed by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners
  • Desiree Lyles Wallace (Vice Chair)
  • J.C. McKinnon
  • Jennifer O'Connell
  • Darrell Thomas
  • Lisa Wilbanks (Chair, Consent Agenda Committee)
  • Mary Sharp (Chair)
  • Scott Fleming
  • Brown Gill
  • Margaret Pritchard (Chair, Regular Agenda Committee) (no access to email; phone: 272-3329)
  • James Toles

  Land Use Control Board Members, Jan. 9, 2020: Seated, from left to right: Chair Mary Sharp, Dr. Margaret "Libby" Pritchard and Vice Chair Desiree Lyles Wallace. Standing, from left to right: [former member] Robert Norcross, Scott Fleming, Brown Gill, Jennifer O'Connell, James Toles, Lisa Wilbanks and Darrell Thomas. Not pictured: J.C. McKinnon.
  

  
  Land Use Control Board Staff

  The Land Use Control Board is staffed by the Land Use Controls Section of the Office of Planning and Development. Names and contact information can be found at the bottom of this page.
  

  
  Mission Statement

  • Protect the community’s unique character and sense of place
  • Encourage the development of great, vibrant, healthy urban streets, open spaces, public places, and neighborhood
  • Establish and maintain a Unifying Civic Vision for Greater Memphis
  • Promote economically, environmentally, and fiscally sustainable and responsible use of land in service to the common good.
  • Fairness
  • Wise judgment
  • Civic passion
    • Civility and diplomacy
    • Integrity
    • Humanity
    • Consistency
    • Respect for all Memphis and Shelby County Stakeholders