Bartlett's first mixed-use project brings more housing options to city

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This is Features and Business Editor Erin Munz , and you're reading the Daily Briefing, our one-stop digital shop for the best Memphis stories from our award-winning Commercial Appeal team.

Work is underway on Bartlett's first mixed-use development.

The 74-acre Union Depot project is located off U.S. 70 at Stage Road on the former campus of the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes.

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.

"This will be the niche in the housing market that we don’t currently have," Bartlett Mayor David Parsons said.

You can find Corey Davis' full story here .

➤ Education news: Memphis-Shelby County Schools is asking the county for more than $200 million in funding for school buildings, both to address maintenance needs at existing schools and to support construction of two new high schools, Laura Testino of Chalkbeat Tennessee reports in this story .

➤ rue21 files for bankruptcy: Retailer rue21 has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will close all 543 stores in the next two months. It will close more than a dozen stores across Tennessee, including locations in Memphis and Millington, Jordan Green reports here .

➤ D.J. Jeffries back in Memphis: D.J. Jeffries, who spent two seasons with the Tigers before transferring to Mississippi State, recently returned to Memphis to prepare for the next step of his basketball journey. The former Olive Branch star reflected on his decision to leave the Tigers, explained why he didn't come back and discussed how he recently reconnected with coach Penny Hardaway, Jason Munz writes in this story .

➤ What's that?: We've all been there. You're out and about and notice a building under construction or a business moving into an empty storefront. "What's that?" you think. Well, wonder no more. We're here to answer that question. In our first "What's that?" feature, Neil Strebig explains what's being built along Vance Avenue overlooking Tom Lee Park in Downtown Memphis. You can find out more here .

➤ RiverBeat reflections: Who's still thinking about (or recovering from) the first RiverBeat Music Festival? We know we're not alone. Here are a few RiverBeat stories to check out:

• Bob Mehr and John Beifuss highlight their favorite performances from the weekend in this story .
• With RiverBeat officially in the books, Bob and John offer up what they liked (and didn't) about Memphis' new music festival here .
• You can check out ALL of Chris Day's and Stu Boyd II's photos from RiverBeat here . 📸

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Bartlett's first mixed-use project brings more housing options to city