It’s a bit odd to grandstand the opening of a parking garage — but in this case it’s the unveiling of a mobility center  — the Downtown Mobility Center, to be exact.

The 960-vehicle parking garage held a grand opening ceremony Thursday.

"One of the most impeding things to development is the lack of parking," said Paul Young, Downtown Memphis Commission CEO and president.

During the ceremony, Young echoed the sentiment that the new amenity will help continue building on positive momentum Downtown and is the result of city and county-wide cooperation.

The $40 million Mobility Center, located at 123 S. Front St., has been in the works for the last several years and endured minor delays that pushed its intended July 2023 opening back a few weeks.

While vehicle parking is the main use of the building, the center will serve as a transportation and commerce hub. The Mobility Center has 11,000 square feet of commercial space on its ground floor. While no tenants have been confirmed yet, Shawn Massey of The Shopping Center Group said interest has been aplenty and some letters of intent are expected soon.

Additionally, the center will have two dual-charging stations for electric vehicles and four EV spaces along with a bike hub for health-conscious commuters and cyclists. The bike hub will have 24/7 security access. Sixteen local artists also have artwork displayed throughout the center including Memphis-inspired murals on each of the seven floors. The murals feature artwork from Eso Tolson, Carl E. Moore, Maritza Davila, Jamie Harmon, Khara Woods, Erin Harmon and Beth Edwards.

"[The Mobility Center] allows growth to continue and development to survive," Mayor Jim Strickland said.

The Mobility Center is expected to help create more access for both local and out-of-town visitors to Downtown and centralize parking for the Central Business District as a whole.

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While the garage is now open, construction on the site will be ongoing for the commercial spaces and the AutoZone Skybridge. In February, the Downtown Memphis Commission announced plans for a skybridge connecting the third floor of the AutoZone headquarters to the fifth floor of the Mobility Center. The bridge will be overhead Front Street near the intersection of Peabody Place. The Skybridge will be completely private funded by AutoZone.

Memphis-based LRK helped design the Mobility Center and will also be designing the AutoZone Skybridge.

Neil Strebig is a journalist with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at neil.strebig@commercialappeal.com, 901-426-0679 or via Twitter @neilStrebig. 

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Downtown Memphis parking gets a boost with new Mobility Center