What's that being built along US 70 near Stage Road in Bartlett?

People traveling along U.S. 70 near Stage Road in Bartlett have likely noticed the construction taking place.

Work is underway on the first buildings of the roughly $200 million Union Depot mixed-use development. Union Depot, which is being built by development firm Blue Sky Communities, is led by local developer Keith Grant of Grant & Co. Builders, a Collierville-based homebuilding firm that also owns Blue Sky Communities.

Grant told The Commercial Appeal that the three-story building, dubbed The Westerly at Union Depot, will be the first to be completed. It will include the leasing office, clubhouse and fitness center on the ground floor with 15 flats above which are expected to be move-in ready in December, Grant said.

He said crews also just started framing another building. Work on the ground floor and elevator tower are visible on that building.

“That building going up will have 116 flats (apartment units) that will be completed in May (2025),” Grant said.

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Popular Memphis restaurant coming to Union Depot

Grant said local burger chain Belly Acres has verbally committed to be the first commercial tenant going into Union Depot. Belly Acres plans to occupy a 6,000-square-foot space on the first floor of one of the mixed-use buildings. Grant said the plan is to start construction on Belly Acres’ space in early 2025.

Belly Acres currently has a Memphis location on Poplar Avenue in the Regalia Shopping Center. It is slated to open a new Southaven location in Silo Square later this year.

“I think Belly Acres will be good for the area,” Grant said. “It is a family-friendly restaurant environment, which is what we like to see in Bartlett, and Bartlett is excited about it. We are glad to have them.”

The 74-acre project site is located on the former campus of the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes. The Union Depot development is planned to be built in six phases and will be Bartlett’s first mixed-use development.

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What does the Union Depot development in Bartlett include?

Grant said the development is set to include 337 flats, which will offer amenities including a clubhouse, pool area and fitness center within a gated area. In addition, there will be 55 lofts above ground-floor retail, 70 townhouses, 161 single-family homes and an additional 5 acres of retail for a total of 85,000 square feet of commercial space.

Grant noted the townhomes are expected to cost around $300,000, while the single-family homes are estimated to be around $450,000. In terms of the lofts, a one-bedroom will cost more than $1,500 a month, with a two-bedroom costing more than $2,000 a month.

Corey Davis is the Collierville and Germantown reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Corey.Davis@commercialappeal.com or 901-293-1610.