The Building Beat
Starting a DIY project at home or even opening a new business can be daunting, especially when you aren’t sure who to talk to or where to start. Join our rotating hosts as they sit down with their colleagues and collaborative community partners to dispel the myths and mystery in building and zoning processes and to highlight the information and solutions you have available to you in Memphis and Shelby County. Let’s learn what all you can do in our corner of Tennessee.
Episodes
June 3, 2026 • 30 mins
Host Nicholas Wardroup sits down with Sustainability Planner Robin Richardson to explore the 2025 Heat Watch Campaign and the massive community effort behind its large-scale heat‑mapping event. Robin explains how the project began, the local organizations and institutions that joined forces, how the initiative was funded, and the training volunteers received to collect accurate temperature data. She also breaks down what the heat m...
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May 4, 2026 • 18 mins
Producer Breana Miller interviews Sustainability Planner Logan Landry about her role within the Office of Sustainability and Resilience, how her previous internship with the department made way for her current role, what types of projects she works on with her colleagues, and how data measurement and tracking are essential to providing informed recommendations and suggestions within government.
Have any questions for Logan? Email th...
Have any questions for Logan? Email th...
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April 27, 2026 • 37 mins
Host Nicholas Wardroup interviews zoning consultants Arista Strungys and Chris Jennette of Camiros about their collaborative work with division staff planners for the Unified Development Code (UDC) update. They bring their collective decades of experience working with other planning departments across the country to informing recomendations on changes in written zoning guidance and explanations here in Memphis and Shelby County. Ar...
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March 20, 2026 • 40 mins
Host Nicholas Wardroup sits down with the Division’s new Director, Brett Ragsdale, for a wide‑ranging conversation about his vision for the Division and what’s ahead for the team. Drawing on his experience as Zoning Administrator, Brett talks about the opportunities he sees in this next chapter and highlights how each department’s work supports our shared mission of people-centered, community-focused public service. Together, they ...
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February 11, 2026 • 35 mins
Host Nicholas Wardroup interviews Comprehensive Planning Administrator Christina Edingbourgh and Project Manager Isaac Bacon about infusing community voice into land use planning in Memphis and the upcoming Unified Development Code update affecting Shelby County. They discuss the differences between the future land use map and the zoning map and how their work is considering the future of Memphis and Shebly County.
This episode is t...
This episode is t...
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January 14, 2026 • 39 mins
Host Nicholas Wardroup interviews Office of Sustainability & Resilience (OSR) Administrator Leigh Huffman Moyer and Shelby County Department of Housing Planning and Programs Manager Dana Sjostrom about recent improvements made to parks in Memphis and Millington that were heavily affected by the historic regional flooding in 2011.
Updating park infrastructure involved working with community and government stakeholders on engineer...
Updating park infrastructure involved working with community and government stakeholders on engineer...
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December 1, 2025 • 33 mins
Land Use Planner Nicholas Wardroup interviews Preservation Planners Ayse Penzes and Margot Payne about the role of the Memphis Landmarks Commission and the purpose of locally recognized historic district designations for residents in those districts. Ayse and Margot also share how the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) approval process works and what residents can do to become more involved in their historic districts.
Have questi...
Have questi...
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November 10, 2025 • 17 mins
For the conclusion of this two-part series on tiny homes, Building Official Rita Anderson interviews Land Use and Development Services Manager Lucas Skinner to discuss zoning compliance and historic district guidelines as they apply to tiny homes, manufactured homes, and modular homes.
This episode complements part one in the series focused on local, state, and federal building code compliance related to modular and manufactured hom...
This episode complements part one in the series focused on local, state, and federal building code compliance related to modular and manufactured hom...
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October 6, 2025 • 20 mins
Building Official Rita Anderson interviews Director Jim Hightower of the Manufactured Housing, Modular, and Licensing section within the State of Tennessee's Department of Commerce and Insurance. Jim expands upon the popular term "tiny home" and shares the distinct differences between manufactured and modular housing, along with the federal and state standards that apply. Rita and Jim share what options are available for property o...
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September 8, 2025 • 18 mins
Deputy Building Official Mario Moton interviews Senior Plans Examiner John to discuss the goals, responsibilities, and expertise of Plan Review, a team that reviews building plans to ensure they are code compliant long before any building permits are issued. Mario and John talk about what the plan review process looks like and what it actually involves, including how applicants can make their review time even shorter!
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Have questions...
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August 4, 2025 • 26 mins
Senior Building Inspector Tony Grashot interviews Plans Examiner Erica Rogers about the requirements for demolition permits and the differences between residential and commercial demolition projects. Tony brings his background as a commercial contractor with an ATF license to the discussion.
Have questions for Erica or Tony? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
Link to Fite Rd Demol...
Have questions for Erica or Tony? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
Link to Fite Rd Demol...
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July 7, 2025 • 31 mins
Producer Breana Miller interviews Senior Signs & Zoning Inspector Antwone Smith about the signs, billboards, and zoning regulations that he and his team enforce and that they tend to educate and inform customers about while in the field. While handling anything from eight-second digital billboard advertisement frequencies to the prohibition of roosters in residential areas, Signs and Zoning Enforcement has seen and heard a lot ...
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June 2, 2025 • 17 mins
Producer Breana Miller interviews Land Use Planner Nicholas Wardroup about his position within the division, especially related to working with the public and elected officials; his experience in transitioning from a graduate intern to his current full-time role; and his journey in learning and communicating about the ordinances and codes that guide his work.
Have questions for any Nicholas? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov,...
Have questions for any Nicholas? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov,...
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May 5, 2025 • 30 mins
Producer Breana Miller interviews Chief Plumbing Inspector John Bowman about his work experience in the plumbing trade, the common types of inspections that Plumbing Inspectors handle, and what homeowners need to consider before deciding to begin any plumbing-related DIY projects.
Have questions for any John? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
Have questions for any John? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
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April 7, 2025 • 22 mins
Producer Breana Miller calls Division staff members—some of whom are previous guests—to answer listener-submitted questions related to the Lead Hazard Control Program, the importance of verifying your contractor’s license credentials, the necessity of building permits, the zoning compliance requirements for in-home daycares, and an explanation of why we use the Develop901 Citizen Portal. The final question is answered with second-t...
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March 3, 2025 • 37 mins
Producer Breana Miller interviews Division Director John Zeanah about the Memphis 3.0 Plan, the comprehensive plan for the City of Memphis, and why having a comprehensive plan--and consistently updating it--is important when considering future development and growth in Memphis. John also details the significance of community input for the Memphis 3.0 Plan and what implementation of this comprehensive plan actually looks like for ci...
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February 3, 2025 • 14 mins
For the first episode in the Inside the Division Spotlight Series, Producer Breana Miller interviews Finance Manager Brenda Gipson about her experience working for Shelby County Government, her experience in handling finances for a joint city and county division, and how the Develop 901 Citizen Portal has become a key element of her daily duties. Brenda brings her accounting experience from private industry to her current position ...
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January 6, 2025 • 25 mins
Producer Breana Miller interviews Senior Elevator Inspector Grant Pazderka and Elevator Inspector Josh Norman about elevator inspections that occur throughout Memphis and Shelby County in new construction and in already occupied buildings. Grant and Josh also share their experiences in working on elevators and their continued focus on elevator safety for both riders and technicians.
Have questions for Grant or Josh? Email them to bu...
Have questions for Grant or Josh? Email them to bu...
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December 2, 2024 • 15 mins
Deputy Administrator Jeffrey Penzes interviews fellow Deputy Administrator Chip Saliba about his knowledge and experience in permitted land uses and local zoning provisions. Chip explains why zoning is a necessity for orderly development and how entreprenurs and developers can save themselves money and time by doing their duediligence concerning approved property uses.
Have questions for Chip or Jeffrey? Email them to buildingbeat@m...
Have questions for Chip or Jeffrey? Email them to buildingbeat@m...
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November 5, 2024 • 21 mins
Producer Breana Miller interviews Chief Building Inspector Kevin Dulin about the importance of building inspections and how inspectors sometimes act as a final check for other trade inspections. He also discusses his years of experience as a building inspector and how his role has changed over the past few years.
Have questions for Kevin? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
Have questions for Kevin? Email them to buildingbeat@memphistn.gov, and you'll get an answer on a future episode.
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