Schilling Farms Water Tower District: Here’s a Look at the First Phase Plans and Timeline

The Commercial Appeal

Construction could begin this year on residential and retail buildings at the Schilling Farms Water Tower District in Collierville.

On Dec. 14, the Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a preliminary site plan for 257 residential units in the northwest corner of Schilling Farms. Now Boyle Investment Co., the project’s developer, is preparing the final plans.

“We hope we’ll have the residential and retail component under construction in 2021,” said Les Binkley, vice president of Boyle Investment.

The first phase includes 28 buildings for the residential side of the 50-acre Water Tower District, which will include rental properties — 32 townhomes, seven three-story apartment buildings and duplexes. The residential side is located along Schilling Boulevard West between Poplar Avenue and Winchester Boulevard.

“We’ve done a pretty terrific job, I think, of mixing up the building types inside the neighborhood,” Binkley said. “It’s pretty special for a suburban project like this because we have so many different building types with elevator-served buildings, which is rare.”

In addition to elevators, Binkley pointed out the development will include private direct-access garages for some. He also said the community will have a walkable component not commonly seen around Collierville.

Along with residential areas, the first phase contains 40,000 square feet of retail space, 50,000 square feet of office space and the corporate headquarters for IMC Companies, an intermodal logistics provider, which is already under construction.

“I think as far as the retail component, we’re trying to add services to this section of Collierville and this area of Schilling Farms to have more services for corporate office tenants,” Binkley said. “That’s one big thing we try to do.”

Binkley said the phase one construction would last around two years.

Phase two plans, which Boyle has not submitted yet, will include more space for office and apartment buildings and a hotel or two if the market allows.

We have the zoning for it, and we would love to sell a site to a hotel company,” Binkley said. “Just obviously with the COVID pandemic and the stress on hotels we’re not really sure when or if that would occur.”

Binkley expects the market will embrace a development like the Water Tower District because of the walkability, elevator-served buildings and direct-access garages.

“Our project is laid out in a really urban walkable fashion, so all the buildings are pulled up close to the street, they all have front porches and there’s parallel on-street parking,” Binkley said. “It’s a very pleasant, non-typical suburban type of arrangement, and we’re excited for the next phase.”