Belly Acres coming to Bartlett

By Michael Waddell, Special to The Daily Memphian Updated: June 25, 2024 5:59 AM CT | Published: June 25, 2024 4:00 AM CT

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Union Depot's first live/work building is under construction. (Michael Waddell/Special to The Daily Memphian)

With construction underway at Bartlett’s $162 million Union Depot mixed-use project, the first commercial anchor tenant has emerged.

Belly Acres — the restaurant’s fourth location planned for the metro area, hopes to open by early 2026, according to project developer Keith Grant.

“We’re excited to have it. It’s a family-friendly restaurant that’ll fit in really well with Bartlett. It’s something that’s really needed in the Bartlett area,” said Grant, whose Blue Sky Communities is developing the 74-acre former Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home site.

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The restaurant will occupy a 5,500-square-foot endcap on the ground floor of one of the live/work buildings and include an outdoor dining area.

This is a concept rendering for one part of the Union Depot mixed-use project in Bartlett. (Courtesy Dalhoff Thomas design studio)

Gill Properties senior vice presidents Barry Maynard and Frank Dyer III are leasing all of the commercial space at the property.

“We wanted it to be kid-friendly. We didn’t want a restaurant that would be bar-heavy with a bunch of alcohol,” Maynard said. “We had several other big nationals we could’ve gone with, but we wanted to try to stick with something local.”

The restaurant will be the fourth location for the concept, which began in Overton Square and has a second location at Regalia in Memphis. A third spot will open soon at Silo Square in Southaven.

The developer is also currently in talks with a national day care chain for one of the outparcels.

Activity set to ramp up at Bartlett’s Union Depot

Rental flats/apartments above ground floor retail space, dubbed The Westerly, will be the first to come online.

Extensive infrastructure work, including drainage retention areas, is underway at Union Depot. (Michael Waddell/Special to The Daily Memphian)

“We’re framing the first building out there. It’s the clubhouse with 16 units above, and then we’re hoping to have the slab poured for one of the main buildings by the end of June,” Grant said recently. “We still plan to start moving the first people in at the end of the year, and it’ll just continue for the next two or three years after that.”

The project’s master plan includes a variety of uses, including an estimated 622 residential units and three commercial lots.

Six phases will span construction of 336 flats, 70 townhomes, and 161 single-family homes, along with 55 lofts above retail and an additional 6 acres of retail for a total of 85,000 square feet of commercial space.

Roadwork is underway leading to the townhome portion, and Grant hopes to start construction on those by January, adding they are “already getting a lot of interest from people” regarding the townhomes.

Development will start in the next few weeks on the land for the first phase of single-family detached homes, with construction possibly starting by next spring.