Alaina Getzenberg
A part of B.B. King will live on in Memphis. At the monthly Land Use Control Board meeting on Thursday morning, the board voted to approve the application to rename a section of Third Street — stretching from Crump to Jackson — to B.B. King Boulevard.
The idea of dedicating a street to King, who passed away on May 14th at the age of 90, came from Southern Heritage Classic founder Fred Jones Jr. Jones wrote a Facebook post on May 18th suggesting that a street renaming occur on Third all the way to the Mississippi state line.
The post gained traction and attention from Mayor A C Wharton’s office and Congressman Steve Cohen.
In the application considered on Thursday, Third Street from E.H. Crump on the south to Chelsea on the North would have been renamed for King. This shortened length came after accommodating those concerned that the name change would have an impact on the existing designation of James L. Netters Parkway on Third Street from Crump to the Mississippi state line.
But the Land Use Control Board restricted the name change even more. Due to financial concerns brought up by the owner of the Downtown Animal Hospital, the designation will now only go south to Jackson Avenue. The change was made to limit the effects private businesses may see from the change in name.
Now that the change in name has been approved, the official process of changing street signs from Crump to Jackson can go forward.
