Block, Street & Building | Volume 8 | 2022

BLOCK STREET&BUILDING

The Best of New Urbanism in Arkansas

REDEVELOPMENT AND RENEWAL

BUILDING A BETTER ARKANSAS

> REIMAGINING THE BIG BOX > THE EVOLUTION OF ARGENTA > NEW LIFE FOR HISTORIC STRUCTURES

Volume 8 | 2022

Office Equipment Print Management Document Management Network Management All Of The Above

El Dorado • Fort Smith • Hot Springs • Little Rock Dallas/Fort Worth • Longview • Lufkin • St. Louis Sulphur Springs • Tyler • Texarkana

CommerCial real estate investment, Brokerage & leasing Downtown & UrBan infill Development plaCemaking eConomiC Development ConsUlting Greg Nabholz | CEO & Principal Broker (O) 501-505-5720 (M) 501-329-4468 greg_nabholz@nabprop.com

700 Front Street, Suite 101 | Conway, AR 72032 | www.nabprob.com

BLOCK STREET&BUILDING The Best of New Urbanism in Arkansas

Introduction

8 Letter from the Arkansas Municipal League 10 Letter from the Editor Features

12 URBAN LAND INSTITUTE ON SMART GROWTH

14 WORK HARD, PLAY HARD Thoughtful development along NWA’s trails.

18 PARKLET PLACEMAKING FROM PARKING SPACES TO PUBLIC PLACES

32 PRIORITIZING PUBLIC SPACES IN CONWAY

52 REPURPOSING IN ROGERS

With the Markham Square project.

How an Art Deco-style automobile dealership became a museum.

34 UNCOVERING A HIDDEN

55 WOVEN TOGETHER

Former bank on the square restored to former glory.

56 BUILT TO SUIT

GEM IN THE HEART OF FAYETTEVILLE

Creating a tapestry of equity through the arts.

36 BRINGING BIG FLAVOR TO

Bentonville’s first mid-rise building is a structure in, of and for its place.

Creating community through the culinary arts.

60 ‘THE PRETTIEST BUILDING

How renovations and crafted outdoor space revitalize urban spaces.

40 REALIZING A VISION

A renovated anchor serves the city in Lake Village.

22 THE BOTTLED-UP

Roger Coburn Jr. and Fletcher Hanson talk downtown North Little Rock.

62 A CITY GRANT LIGHTS

The Argenta parklet project.

20 THINKING OUTSIDE THE (BIG) BOX

POTENTIAL OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION

A Coca-Cola bottling plant in Morrilton goes corporate.

24 PARTNERSHIPS +

PROGRESS=PARAGOULD

Nonprofits, economic development groups and the city work together.

26 ENVISION 30-CROSSING DESIGN COMPETITION

What to do with new city-owned property in downtown Little Rock.

28 HILL STATION,

THE PEOPLE’S STATION

How a once completely hardscaped corner became the perfect neighborhood amenity.

SMALL TOWNS IN THE DELTA

FOR ARGENTA

42 HOW SHORT-TERM

ON MAIN STREET’

THE WAY FOR SUCCESS IN LEVY

RENTALS ARE CHANGING THE MARKET

64 ARKANSAS RIVER

44 BUILDING WITH

Connecting trails, rails and waterbased transportation to create new economic opportunity.

A SENSE OF PRIDE

How values drive design at a historically Black university.

46 CAN WE FIX IT? YES WE CAN!

Small developers make a difference in downtown Springdale.

48 FORT SMITH’S SECOND CITY

Chaffee Crossing is booming.

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CONNECTION PROJECT

66 A SECOND ACT

New owners to bring luster to a former gem.

ON THE COVER: The Ledger, in Bentonville, rethinks the way pedestrians interact with the urban edge, making them an active participant in the dynamic exterior elevations. RENDERING: Michel Rojkind and Callaghan Horiuchi See page 56.

Innovation in design

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BLOCK STREET&BUILDING A Special Publication of Arkansas Times Produced in partnership with the Arkansas Municipal League

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6 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

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From the Executive Director of the Arkansas Municipal League

C

BE LOCAL, BE HEARD

atchy phrase, isn’t it?! I say it all the time. In fact, it’s the Arkansas Municipal League’s messaging campaign for the cities and towns of Arkansas. It means a great deal to many of us local government types. We use it to describe the importance of local control, otherwise known as home rule. What’s that you say? You’re not following me.

Message received! Ol’ Mark is hitting the reverse button to put everything in perspective. At least I hope that’s where we’re headed. If not, holler again and I’ll double back.

Perhaps a good place to start is with a few terms and their definitions. I’ll stay away from the legalese despite my lawyerin’ background. Here we go: Home Rule. Legally there are two types of home rule. Hard stop. Sorry. No legalese. Let’s go to the triedand-true Merriam-Webster online dictionary which describes home rule as follows: “self-government or limited autonomy in internal affairs by a dependent political unit (such as a territory or municipality).”

Admittedly a tad stiff but I think you get the idea.

Essentially, the residents of a municipality elect people to make decisions about what works best in that city or town. After all, these elected officials live there and engage with their citizens all the time. Thus, decisions on zoning, parks, water, sewer, streets, public safety and a myriad of other matters that touch the daily lives of those citizens are best left to the people elected locally to make those decisions. In other words, city hall can take care of its own business without mandates, dictates or pre-emptions from state or federal government.

Local Control. See home rule. Personally, I think the term local control is more easily understood by those unfamiliar with the concept. Afterall, if something is being “locally controlled” it stands to reason it’s not being controlled up the food chain, so to speak.

Be Local, Be Heard. A catchphrase that evokes the concept of local control and urges action. The action part is “be heard.” As in: When municipal powers are legislatively attacked municipal citizens need to speak up…LOUDLY. Now that I think about it, I’ve jumped the gun. The “be heard” action is not conflict based.

Rather, municipal citizens and officials should actively educate everyone they encounter about the benefits of local control. Think of it this way: If you see equipment in need of repair at a National Park, who do you call in Washington D.C. to fix it and how long do you think it’ll take? If the equipment at a city park needs attention you know you can easily get a hold of city hall and the repair will happen quickly. A terribly simple example but I bet

8 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

you get the idea.

The League launched the Be Local, Be Heard campaign at the 2020 Winter Conference. We had a marching band, cheerleaders, thunder sticks and yes, a t-shirt cannon!

Don’t believe me? Search #BeLocalBeHeard on our social channels (@armunileague) to relive the exciting kickoff. Given the pandemic, that mid-February 2020 event seems like eons ago. I’d reference the Ice Age or dinosaurs but that seems a tad melodramatic. Granted, “eons” is a bit strong, too. I mention the timeframe only to urge all of us to dust off the cobwebs of the COVID years and get excited about local government all over again. Be Local, Be Heard. And let’s get engaged now.

Arkansas is an incredible state and our cities and towns are no different. Municipalities in the Natural State are unique, and they are fueled by social, cultural and economic energy. The reverse is also true. At the local level cities and towns are the catalyst of that social, cultural and economic growth. Municipalities provide streets, neighborhoods, parks, public safety, water, recreation and a vibrant spirit that attract businesses, churches and schools. It is the community that draws people to become citizens and local leaders. Those people control their own destiny. That local control is what makes our cities and towns true homes to most Arkansans. By being local and being heard we speak up for that unique nature of our homes. We speak to the greatness of setting a course suitable for that particular city knowing it may differ slightly from the town just down the road. That’s the magic of home rule. It’s your home and you should call the shots.

Your municipality is yours. By speaking to its unique qualities and local leadership you remind folks just how great it is to live there. We need to tell our stories about summer sports leagues, wellness centers, new streets, clean water and the many opportunities we enjoy each and every day. Own our problems and mistakes by all means but take pride in the ease with which municipal government operates to resolve those issues efficiently and effectively. Here’s our chance…

BE LOCAL, BE HEARD!

Mark R. Hayes Executive Director Arkansas Municipal League

WHAT IS

LOCAL CONTROL?

Local decision-making. Citizen-centered solutions.

Public Safety

Parks

Water

Streets

Community Centers

When it comes to local issues, we turn to our local leaders.

Why? Local leaders are more connected to their residents’ needs and are more focused on citizen-centered solutions.

belocalbeheard.com

WE LIVE LOCALLY, SO WE SHOULD DECIDE LOCALLY. Local Control gives us the ability to decide which services we want and to solve problems at the local level. arml.org

#GreatCitiesGreatState #BeLocalBeHeard @armunileague

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE PAST

I

n a world that feels like it is stuck on fast-forward and, for a lot of people, feels like a daily struggle, I appreciate the Arkansas Times and all the contributing writers to Block, Street & Building for taking the time to provide us with articles that share knowledge, inspire, break convention and teach valuable lessons. As we started reaching out to the design and development community about articles for this issue, we noticed some common themes emerging — including the overarching idea that we need to learn from the mistakes of the past to better inform the decisions we make in the future.

Building equitable and inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome is one of the lessons learned; we can no longer afford to alienate each other and distance ourselves from one another. We’ve spent too much time interacting through computer screens or behind masks; we need to get back into the habit of connecting with others. With any purchase only a click away, we’ve learned the value of experiences and how to provide people with highquality interactions as an incentive to leave their homes and engage with cities again. We’ve learned all roads and streets shouldn’t be built with the sole design intention being to move vehicles as quickly as possible; roads need to be multimodal and feel uncomfortable when vehicles drive too fast.

We’ve learned we cannot have parking spaces at every front door to the detriment of outdoor seating areas and the overall public experience. We’ve learned renovating existing buildings can make for wonderful projects — not only as a sustainable practice, but also in relationship to density and links to urban context. We have learned that streets aren’t the only drivers for developments, as bike trails and pedestrian paths start to spur development strategies. We have learned that not all outdoor amenity spaces are created equal; the really successful ones address stormwater, provide shade, buffer between parking and traffic, funnel breezes and mitigate noise. We’ve learned that people aren’t necessarily going to live in the same house for 20 years like their parents did, and a more nomadic lifestyle is probably more professionally attainable and acceptable than it has ever been before. And we have learned that affordable housing is a national problem as concentric rings of cost around desirable areas dictate the distance that people have to be removed based on what they can afford.

As you read this issue, I hope it helps you see the potential in your own communities. I hope it serves as inspiration to solve the issues you are facing and to look at your challenges with creative solutions that are informed by the lessons we’ve learned from the past. To quote George Santayana, “Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.”

Jonathan Opitz, AIA, LEED AP BD+C Partner, AMR Architects 10 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

CONNECTING PEOPLE THROUGH DESIGN FOR 40 YEARS

The Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, Pine Bluff

The Haywood, El Dorado

1424 SOMA, Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK NWA

@amrarchitectlr

URBAN LAND INSTITUTE ON SMART GROWTH

JARED SORRELLS

BY WES CRAIGLOW

M

uch like the natural world and its climate and wildlife influenced the behaviors of our earliest ancestors, the built environment is a principal partner to our behaviors today. It isn’t just where we live, where we learn, where we work, where we play and where every good and service we consume is found, although all of those things are true. The real power of the built environment is that it influences how we do those things, too. It, and the myriad systems and processes that operate within it, command a central role in both our conscious and subconscious decision-making each day — decisions that impact our health, finances, connections, opportunities and general fulfillment. It is because of our belief in the power of the built environment that the Urban Land Institute exists.

As the fastest-growing region in the state and among the fastest in the country, Northwest Arkansas’s built environment looks, functions and feels much different today than it did only one generation ago; and, assuredly, it will look, function and feel much

12 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

ULI Kickoff meeting

different a generation from now. Current projections indicate our metro area will double in population between now and 2050, at which time more than 1 million residents will call this corner of the heartland home. Accompanying these new residents will be tens of thousands of new homes, tens of millions of square feet of new commercial development, dozens of new schools and untold acres of parks and public spaces, all served by thousands of miles of new infrastructure. Ensuring that we provide every resident — current and those yet to arrive — a built environment that sustains the character, high quality of place and competitive advantages we currently enjoy is an opportunity that falls on the leaders of our real estate development and land-use planning industries. Because of this, ULI Northwest Arkansas exists.

ULI Northwest Arkansas is a district council of the Urban Land Institute, a global organization that for more than 80 years has been dedicated to shaping the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. We are a trusted and relied-upon network of leaders advancing responsible land use and development, made uniquely powerful by our crossdisciplinary member network of real estate developers, builders, finance and equity professionals, architects, engineers, urban planners, elected officials, engaged citizens and more. ULI NWA regularly assembles leaders from across the region and the country to collaborate on solutions to some of our region’s most vexing challenges, exchange best practices for development and land-use policy and gain new knowledge through ULI’s professional education, technical services, applied research and case studies and publication library.

in the form of a land-use fiscal impact analysis. In partnership with Joe Minicozzi and his team at Urban3, we will do the math on the city’s built environment, offering a unique spatial evaluation of the budget from both the revenue and expense sides. The final report will indicate to city decision-makers which built environments are the most powerful contributors to the city coffers as weighed against the cost of infrastructure for the same areas; and conversely, which built environments are net consumers of those same coffers. Studies like this make the business case for smart land-use policy decisions, and we’re excited to deliver this valuable research to city leaders this fall.

Finally, the ULI NWA Place Summit 2022, coming Nov. 14-16, promises to be one of the most important events on the calendar, with a multistate audience heading our way to gain valuable insights and engage in meaningful conversations focused on four core topics: place, housing, transportation, and industry access and acceleration.

All this and more, and we’re still delivering on a monthly event calendar full of great content and networking, including site tours, keynote and panel presentations, workshops, webinars and more. Keep up with our programs or simply learn more about ULI NWA by visiting arkansas.uli.org.

One of my favorite quotes is from Sir Winston Churchill, delivered during an address to Parliament following a particularly scary series of blitzkrieg bombings that destroyed both the Commons Chamber itself and much of the city of London: “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” He was referring, of course, to the rebuilding effort they faced and why it was so

EVERYTHING IN OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT IS A CHOICE, AND EACH OF THESE CHOICES HAS A DIRECT AND DEMONSTRABLE IMPACT ON THE LIVES, LIVELIHOODS AND LIFESTYLES MADE AVAILABLE TO EVERY RESIDENT OF EVERY CITY AND TOWN ON EARTH. Right now, ULI NWA is focusing in a big way on housing affordability and choice. Conventional wisdom posits that affordability will be maintained through “drive until you can afford it” sprawl. But that model hasn’t worked particularly well in other regions and it won’t here either, because it simply trades housing costs for transportation costs (and precious time spent commuting) at the expense of valuable farmland, open space and access to goods, services and amenities. We believe that Northwest Arkansas has the chance to upend conventional wisdom by embracing wise alternatives to costly sprawl.

Achieving success will demand that the cities of our region sufficiently revise many of the zoning and subdivision policies that dictate both the location and forms of new housing stock.

To that end, we’re hosting a city planner community of practice forum throughout this year to fully understand this challenge, gain expertise in a range of possible solutions and create a policy roadmap for each city involved.

We’re also providing technical assistance to the city of Bentonville

important to get it right. I kept his words on a Post-It above my desk for over a decade while serving as a city planner so I would never forget why my job mattered. They ring as true today as they were for Londoners three generations ago.

Everything in our built environment is a choice, and each of these choices has a direct and demonstrable impact on the lives, livelihoods and lifestyles made available to every resident of every city and town on earth. The power of the built environment cannot be overstated because it shapes us all each day in countless ways.

Our Urban Land Institute Northwest Arkansas members and network of supporters recognize this belief as core to our mission, and we strive to advance those policies and practices that deliver the best possible built environment to the residents of our region, for today and for the future. Because it matters.

Wes Craiglow, AICP, is the executive director at the Urban Land Institute of Northwest Arkansas and the former deputy director of planning for the city of Conway.

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 13

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD Thoughtful development along NWA’s trails.

BY BRAD KINGSLEY

Construction progress photo of the Howard development.

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HUFFT

I

n the cycling world, commuting and recreational riding are distinctly different cultures; Whether you’re commuting to lower Manhattan on the Hudson River Greenway or exploring the landscape of Northwest Arkansas via mountain bike, cycling shapes your worldview. In the cycling world, the difference between commuting and recreation are typically distinctly different cultures; in Bentonville, however, and across Northwest Arkansas, those two worlds have merged into an approach to urban planning that has opened doors for inventive urban design and architecture.

Trails have influenced development patterns in Northwest Arkansas in such a way that, by my rough calculations, there have been more than thousands of multifamily units built within the last five years that are within 1 mile of a trailhead, giving residents instant access to more than 250 miles of paved and soft-surface trails. On the surface, trail access may seem like nothing more than a convenience for a niche community looking for leisure and recreation opportunities. When considered in a larger social and economic context, however, trail development is at the center of multiple issues facing growing communities.

Trail infrastructure helps address several important challenges facing cities and towns today: battling population loss as residents seek higher quality of life, providing opportunities for health and wellness to combat a growing public health crisis, serving a remote workforce that requires more flexibility during the workday, and attracting talented and energetic future leaders and innovators. The strategic planning of soft-surface, singletrack mountain bike trails combines recreational opportunities with transportation infrastructure, seamlessly integrating nature into the urban fabric. Much like the Highline in New York City, which capitalized on the characteristics specific to its time and place, Northwest Arkansas is turning its distinct geographic, cultural, social and economic identities into a truly innovative approach to urban development. This is placemaking in practice.

In 2019 Hufft was approached by Newell Development with an exciting opportunity to design a mixed-use building on SE Second Street that backed up to the Razorback Regional Greenway. The building would contain 80 multifamily units, a resident fitness center, community room, indoor bike storage and 2,500 square feet of commercial space. Bordered by SE Second on the south, the site was at the intersection of Central Avenue, the Razorback Greenway and Town Branch Creek on the north and east — literally at the intersection of roads, trails, parks and urban waterways.

Depending on one’s approach, the site could be seen as an edge or a gateway. Approaching from the west on SE Second, the site creates a hard edge, a strong terminating boundary to a low-density single-family residential neighborhood. Approaching from the east on Central Avenue, however, what was originally the back of the site had the potential to be a significant gateway into the downtown core. This change in use from single-family residential to medium-density multifamily prompted a repositioning of the site and required us to think differently about frontage.

Positioning of the building gave us the opportunity to rethink the spatial relationship among the building, trail and Town Branch Creek — imagining the creek not as peripheral drainage, but rather as an active public space and asset to the site. We referenced vernacular waterside buildings that used waterways as active VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 15

HUFFT

The Howard rendering view from the fire pit along Razorback Greenway.

TRAIL INFRASTRUCTURE HELPS ADDRESS SEVERAL IMPORTANT CHALLENGES FACING CITIES AND TOWNS TODAY: BATTLING POPULATION LOSS AS RESIDENTS SEEK HIGHER QUALITY OF LIFE, PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS TO COMBAT A GROWING PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, SERVING A REMOTE WORKFORCE THAT REQUIRES MORE FLEXIBILITY DURING THE WORKDAY, AND ATTRACTING TALENTED AND ENERGETIC FUTURE LEADERS AND INNOVATORS.

16 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

and productive frontage, recalling traditional sawmills and grist mills frequently found in Arkansas and vital to early economic development. These buildings, such as Van Winkle’s Mill in Hobbs State Park and the Boxley Gristmill in the Boxley Valley area of the Buffalo National River, were equal parts buildings, infrastructure and manufacturing but were not limited to remote regions of rural Arkansas.

In fact, Bentonville has a rich history of activity and development along Town Branch Creek; originally named Spring Creek, its spring originated at the Howard’s site. The Macon and Carson Brandy Distillery, which opened in 1893 and was at one time the largest distillery west of the Mississippi River, was located just one block north, at the intersection of NE Second and Town Branch Creek.

The question we asked ourselves, figuratively and literally, was, can the building have an address on the Razorback Greenway?

The city’s answer was a hard no. In fact, zoning guidelines and fire access required the building frontage to be on the street with the primary address with a maximum setback of 25 feet. This presented a challenge for a building that would instead face the trail and creek on the “back” of the site. But, we persisted in taking a different approach to frontage and worked with city officials on exceptions and creative solutions to standard zoning requirements.

The building is located an equal distance from the front door of Crystal Bridges, for those heading north, and the Momentary, for those heading south. Given the position on the Greenway, midway between two important destinations, the design drivers for siting the building were to create a midway destination for trail users and to activate the trail frontage of the building and engage trail users with building residents, creating a notable destination along the trail.

We placed the primary commercial space at the intersection of the greenway and Central with a strong formal presence and directionality, almost encouraging trail users to continue on to the Greenway’s next destination. Approaching from the south, it’s hard to tell where the trail stops and the building starts, as the entry plaza to the building reaches out and engages the trail with a sequence of spaces both horizontally and vertically, creating a gracious and gradual transition from trail to building. The transition gives riders plenty of space to exit the trail, dismount and secure their bikes and continue upward to a public gathering space with plenty of room to sit, enjoy food and drink and people-watch.

The activation of the trail frontage extends along the east facade of the building, creating a gradient of public to private space in both plan and section. This was a particularly challenging condition, one that could have easily ended up as a single, outof-scale retaining wall confronting passersby with a lifeless view and an unsafe condition. This was a significant challenge with the grading and retaining walls that were needed to traverse the change in elevation.

The solution was to create a series of terraces that step down the site, telescoping between the raised public plaza and the continuation of the trail, creating a semi-public zone that allowed diners, patrons and people-watchers a place to gather while bicycle traffic continued to flow. This gradient of public to private space continues vertically, each layer buffered with landscape and setbacks, until the transition to private is complete, resulting in private porches extending from the ground-level residential units

that overlook the terraces and trail.

The building’s form and entry sequence were also designed from the vantage point and perspective of the trail user, not the car, with key viewpoints established early in the design and continually referenced. A bend in the building’s geometry makes a formal transition from trail frontage to the facade facing Central Avenue. The result is a triangular-shaped void, located at the apex of the site, that forms a public entry plaza with an occupied communal roof deck above for building residents. The facade of the building folds into and under the covered roof deck, creating a seamless visual transition from public to private. This condition becomes a key terminating view from the north as one approaches from the Razorback Greenway.

These spatial and programmatic links between a building and its surroundings are critical to weaving a building into the urban fabric. They create the social glue that bonds us together as a community. Spaces where the public and private can interact create a shared sense of ownership and accountability to each other as citizens of the same place. It is the responsibility of developers and architects to consider not just the immediate needs of the project, but also the greater reach of the building and its users — approaching each building as a part of a larger network of public spaces.

This level of site specificity also creates a distinct spatial experience that’s essential to placemaking. The folds and bends in the geometry of the building, combined with the connection to the trail, create an entry sequence that resulted from, and can only be found, on this site. Likewise, the building offers a unique layout of apartment units that won’t be found in other projects.

Porch units that overlook patios, the greenway and Town Branch Creek are a product of the unique conditions of this site and give residents a front row seat to the activity of the trail and natural beauty of the creek. Units along the north of the building put residents in line with the tree canopy along the creek that filters morning light. The corner units at the northwest apex of the building have generous living rooms with panoramic corner views to the trail and downtown, a view that cannot be recreated anywhere else. These unique spatial arrangements form the basis for the residents’ experience with their place and form the foundation for our memories of place and time.

The building is under construction and is slated to be complete in the summer of 2022, but the impact can already be felt on the Razorback Greenway now that trail and plaza work is nearing completion. What once felt like a peripheral route bypassing downtown now feels like a destination of its own, and the stage is set for an active and engaging urban frontage. The process was not linear; it required setting priorities early in the process and managing the budget throughout design to ensure those priorities were realized. It required working closely with city officials on unique, site-specific design solutions, property line adjustment and a significant reinvestment in public improvements by the building owner, Newell Development. Ultimately the process, like the building, was proof that buildings are not stand-alone objects, but rather a part of a larger network of community and social infrastructure.

Brad Kingsley is a design principal at Hufft, an interdisciplinary and collaborative architecture and fabrication studio in Kansas City, Missouri, and Bentonville, Arkansas.

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 17

PARKLET PLACEMAKING: FROM PARKING SPACES TO PUBLIC PLACES The Argenta parklet project.

AMR ARCHITECTS

BY HEATHER DAVIS AND KYLE HEFLIN

Parklet rendering on Main Street in Argenta.

W

hat is a “parklet”? It’s a small public space created by reclaiming parallel parking spaces adjacent to sidewalks. Parklets are typically constructed as a raised platform or deck, set flush with the sidewalk curb and extending the width of the parking space, forming an extension of the sidewalk to serve as a pedestrian-friendly amenity space. The idea of the “parklet’’ stems from the broader concept of Tactical Urbanism, where scalable interventions in the built environment catalyze long-term change within local communities and cities and towns as a whole.

The parklet concept is highly flexible and has been applied around the world in forms ranging from very temporary “guerrilla style” parking space takeovers, to structures that are designed to remain in place for many years. The concept can be applied to a single parking space, extended for an entire block, or spread among multiple different locations around a city. While the parklet concept predates the COVID-19 pandemic, it has gained significant traction in recent years as a method for providing outdoor space where people feel safe gathering.

In the Argenta neighborhood of North Little Rock, two semipermanent parklet structures are planned to be installed late this spring along the 300 and 500 blocks of Main Street. The Argenta Parklets, developed as a public/private partnership between Rock Region Metro, the city of North Little Rock, the Argenta Downtown Council and local businesses, will transform seven existing parallel parking spaces into 1,150 square feet of new public space in the heart of downtown for pedestrians to enjoy the vibrancy of street life activities and take in the atmosphere of the city.

While the Argenta Parklets project in and of itself is relatively 18 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

modest in both scale and budget, it is expected to have a farreaching impact. The newly created square footage will provide the obvious benefit of expanded seating areas for adjacent restaurants, increasing their capacity and, it’s hoped in turn, profitability. The parklets are designed with built-in planters that serve the dual purpose of beautifying the street edge and providing a sturdy barrier between users of the parklet and adjacent vehicular traffic.

Additionally, the parklets will contribute to pedestrian safety through calming vehicular traffic along the Main Street corridor, as drivers are shown to inherently slow down when vertical elements and activity are placed along the street edge.

It is, however, the more intangible expected benefits of the parklets that all contributing partners are most excited about. Good urban spaces are known to have a sort of multiplier effect where supply creates demand. As William H. Whyte, the founder of Projects for Public Spaces, has said, “What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people.” Activating the street edge and offering true public space where people congregate and linger provides benefits not only to those people actively using the space, but also to the passersby who observe and enjoy them vicariously. By activating the street edge and engaging with the pedestrian public, the parklets are expected to create a spillover effect to the adjacent sidewalk and the surrounding built environment of the Argenta Arts District.

The long-term goal for the Argenta Parklets is to demonstrate the need for such urban amenity placemaking within the built infrastructure and create an expandable model that can be replicated in neighboring communities, cities and beyond.

Heather Davis and Kyle Heflin are architects with AMR Architects.

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VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 19

THINKING OUTSIDE THE (BIG) BOX How renovations and crafted outdoor space revitalize urban spaces.

BY CHRIS M. BARIBEAU

TIM HURSLEY

The Co-op’s main entry and outdoor space.

PROJECT CREDITS Modus Studio: Chris Baribeau AIA, Principal Architect Leanne Baribeau AIA, Project Architect Blair Begnaud, Designer Suzana Annable AIA, Designer Contractor: Nabholz MEPFP: Engineering Elements Structural: Tatum Smith Welcher Engineers Landscape Architecture: Flintlock Civil: Bates & Associates Branding: BLKBOX Owner: Ozark Natural Foods Mike Anzalone, General Manager 20 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

I

t is fair to say that big box buildings are the American architectural blight of the second half of the 20th century. While an increasingly automobile-centric society needed more expansive places to store goods for a growing population, the big box is less of a store in a traditional human scale and more of a warehouse for direct transactional purposes.

Architecturally, these boxes are an expression of little more than pure function. This may have suited the American psyche for decades, but post-pandemic (and pre- for that matter), there is an increased desire for more authentic, in-person experiences and transactions. This shift informs design requirements in the world we are building today.

MODUS STUDIO

TIM HURSLEY

The patio serves as a buffer from College Ave.

Vacant big box store prior to the renovation.

Big box stores are closing at a record pace, and their “bones” are nothing like those of a downtown, load-bearing masonry building tied so instinctively to the charm and nostalgia of long ago. Often, these big boxes are designed for a 20- to 30-year lifespan, and the large empty volumes are resource hogs in the worst sense. What is now clear from the booming development of big box culture is that these buildings were not conceived with the community’s best interest in mind. The proverbial seas of asphalt create stark, placeless voids in our communities, especially when businesses are no longer operational.

So why should we care?

Our built environment is a direct reflection of our culture’s values. As we travel across the heartland’s many states of placeless suburbia, the self-evident truth is that we are currently not doing a great job. But we can do better, block by block.

DOING BETTER In Fayetteville there stood a big, dumb box — formerly home to an International Grocers Alliance (IGA) store — located at the contextual intersection of a bustling downtown, a historic residential neighborhood and the University of Arkansas campus. A generally unattractive building, it was not aging well and, characteristic of the big box model, had no distinctive or inviting architectural features. The footprint was conceived within automobile-focused zoning and burned into the mind of the community as a missing tooth along the College Avenue corridor, nothing more than an unfortunate row of parking spaces set against a completely blank beige brick wall. Placeless. Void.

Despite all of this, our progressive client, Ozark Natural Foods Co-op, and our design team at Modus Studio saw potential to reposition this building in the hearts and minds of the community.

From big box to co-op, we began to reinvent the experience of the building, transforming it into a real place within the fabric of Fayetteville.

Our first big move was to remove the dated entrance vestibule that shoppers had been awkwardly navigating for decades. You know the one — that clumsy double-door zone that’s haphazardly filled with mismatched goods and overflow merchandise designed to alert consumers to a good deal.

We relocated the main entrance to the corner, entering under a warm plane of Arkansas-sourced pine and constellation lighting, where visitors are reminded that “Everyone Welcome” is the mantra of real community. This new corner approach is also part of a larger transformation, creating Fayetteville’s largest front porch.

Counter to preconceived notions of big box stores directing activity toward the parking lot, we opened up the previously blank

western wall, adding a 25-foot-deep canopy for dining, lounging and socializing all along the active four lanes of College Avenue traffic. Softened by native landscaping and edible plantings, steel planters and varied hardscapes buffer the traffic and carve out multiple scalable spaces for use by casual patrons and organized events hosted by the co-op. The direct connection to indoor dining, via a coffee bar and taproom serving up local grinds and brew, invigorates the 117-foot-long facade and is a beacon of community presence and interaction.

We were delighted by the opportunity to reuse this building, to breathe new life into an abandoned box. At Modus Studio, we know that sustainability is achieved by delivering projects that are truly embraced by those who use them. Adaptive reuse of existing buildings is often the first step in that process. Now, the box is alive and well, repositioned in a naturally weathering steel shell that speaks to the organic nature of the products within. A new landscape is woven into the existing parking areas, solving decades of hydrological problems, including polluted stormwater runoff that spilled directly onto College Avenue. All new high-efficiency mechanical systems, tubular skylights for natural daylighting and durable, low-maintenance finishes inside and out clearly identify the co-op as a community hub in a location that was once a food desert in the heart of the city.

In this reimagined place, long-term co-op members now mingle with younger university students. The urbanism is inviting and energetic, with multiple modes of transportation converging at the busy intersection and ultimately at the front porch. Pedestrians and cyclists are as abundant as vehicles, and this former big box typology is now a catalyst simultaneously serving the needs of the individual shopper and the community as a whole. The size of the building did not change, but the big box mentality has been eradicated via a scale of user-friendly space and thoughtful design revisions.

The city of Fayetteville has been leading a purposeful effort to fix the College Avenue corridor, attempting to rectify the unfortunate results of poor zoning decisions of decades past. The Ozark Natural Foods Co-op is a catalyst project in this vein, proving that good, thoughtful design aligned with the co-op’s mission to bring the community and quality local farms and food together can, in fact, be a collective urban endeavor.

In our journey at Modus Studio, we are driven to create built environments that challenge convention and elevate the human experience. We posit that the co-op does exactly that. See you on the porch.

Chris M. Baribeau, AIA, is a principal architect at Modus Studio.

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 21

THE BOTTLED-UP POTENTIAL OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION A Coca-Cola bottling plant in Morrilton goes corporate.

BY AMBER JONES

LIZ CHRISMAN

Crow Group’s renovated headquarters.

BEFORE

LIZ CHRISMAN

C Old abandoned Coca-Cola Building in Morrilton.

22 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

row Group Inc. purchased the building long known as the Coca-Cola Building from the city of Morrilton in 2018. The building was originally constructed in 1929 as a Coca-Cola bottling plant and was also the site of the original Morrilton Walmart Number 8 Store in the 1960s. More recently, the building served as Morrilton City Hall and the Morrilton Police Department for 40 years. When the city purchased it in 1978, they installed acoustic tile drop ceilings, golden wood paneling for walls, and linoleum and carpet for the floors. Many areas were divided into smaller office spaces to suit the needs of the city at that time, which also included installing more than 20 jail cells made of concrete and steel.

Crow Group’s headquarters lobby.

LIZ CHRISMAN

LIZ CHRISMAN

BEFORE

Old Coca-Cola bottling room before the renovation.

A SURPRISE WAS DISCOVERED IN THE AREA THAT HAD BEEN USED AS THE JUDGE’S BENCH AND COURTROOM. THE REMNANTS OF THE ORIGINAL BOTTLING ROOM WERE REVEALED WITH THE REMOVAL OF THE DROP CEILING AND WOOD PANELING. ANOTHER SET OF PHOTOS WAS TAKEN TO DOCUMENT THE FIND FOR THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE. The building was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 based on its exterior Colonial Revival and Art Deco architectural features. It helped that the building was designed by the prolific Arkansas architectural firm of Thompson, Sanders and Ginocchio and there was a federal push to nominate buildings to the National Register at that time. The interior of the building was not even mentioned in the nomination, of course, because at that time there was nothing visible worth mentioning.

One set of photos was taken to document the existing conditions of the building to apply for federal and state historic tax credits. Selective demolition removed all of the wood wall paneling, carpet, linoleum, drop ceilings and multiple tons of concrete and steel that made up the jail cells. A surprise was discovered in the area that had been used as the judge’s bench and courtroom. The remnants of the original bottling room were revealed with the removal of the drop ceiling and wood paneling. Another set of photos was taken to document the find for the National Park Service.

A plaster frieze depicting life-size Coca-Cola bottles inside plaster medallions surrounded the room at the ceiling. The frieze also contained florals and draping cords depicted from plaster. Black with white ceramic tile was on the walls to about six feet from the floor; no one, however, wants a conference room with black tile on the wall, and this was certainly not in Crow Group’s plans. Knowing that the building was designed by a Charles Thompson firm, the Old State House Museum was consulted to locate the original plans.

Meanwhile, Brian Rohlman with Crow Group was rethinking its plan and how the firm could make this new development work. He knew he had found something very special with the discovery of the bottling room. The original 1929 plans were found and architect Terry Burrus used them to replicate missing elements of the bottling room frieze and wall tile. The plans were also instrumental in recreating the front facade windows and mullions, which had been changed out to louvered windows. The modern aluminum commercial front door was removed in favor of crafting and recreating a new wood front door

from the original plans. Period lighting was researched and pendants similar to the original were purchased and installed at their original locations. Adjacent to the bottling room, the original mosaic tile floor was discovered under layers of linoleum and mastic. What seemed impossible became reality: With a lot of elbow grease, Crow Group construction workers managed to excavate the tile floor in the main entry from decades of mastic. The restored mosaic tile floor is the perfect entryway into the restored bottling room, which now serves as a conference room at Crow Group headquarters.

Many steel frame windows throughout the 20,000-square-foot building were in disrepair, painted to obscure light or boarded up entirely. The window openings were returned to the building and the existing steel frame windows and glass were restored, while the missing windows were fabricated from the original plans, restoring the original exterior envelope of the building.

The original yellow terra cotta block interior wall of the Walmart side of the building was restored and incorporated into the office design. The concrete shear wall below the block was allowed to be covered by the National Park Service to allow wiring and cable for modern office use to be installed and hidden. Initially Rholman, the president at Crow Group, was not thrilled with leaving this block exposed, but admitted recently that he really liked the block and is glad he was convinced to leave it in place. The historic feature is complemented by the new offices. Additional improvements included adding solar panels to the roof of the building, an investment that was aided by a USDA grant, federal energy tax credits, and federal and state historic tax credits.

Not only did Crow Group meet the surprise challenge of restoring the bottling room with their Coca-Cola Building project, they gained approval from the National Park Service and a modest compliment — an email reading “nice job” from the reviewer who literally wrote the book on preservation standards.

Amber Jones is an historic preservation tax credit consultant.

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 23

PARTNERSHIPS + PROGRESS=PARAGOULD Nonprofits, economic development groups and the city work together.

BY MIRANDA REYNOLDS

F The GIN (Generating Innovative Network)

Farmers’ Market

24 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

ew places have the power to steal your heart away from your hometown, but Paragould took mine and ran with it!

When I arrived here roughly a year ago, I immediately felt welcome. The residents of this friendly city share a sense of pride in their community and its history.

It all began in 1882 when J.W. Paramore and Jay Gould’s railroad paths crossed here. An amalgamation of their surnames created Paragould — hence our tagline, the “one and only.” It’s a point of pride that no other town in the world has this unique origin story.

You could say that this spirit of unity has been part of Paragould from the start — and it continues today. The municipalities of the 21st century work together effortlessly. Look no further than the Community Pavilion to see partnership at work. When it became evident that our Farmers’ Market was becoming wildly successful, the Paragould City Council and Greene County Quorum Court worked together to fund a new Community Pavilion in downtown Paragould. The Community Pavilion, scheduled to open by the end of 2022, will house the Farmers’ Market among other venues. Talk about progress! But it doesn’t stop there.

The Economic Development Corporation of Paragould bought four underutilized properties downtown to create the GIN (Generating Innovative Networks) to boost our economy. It will be a shared workspace, innovation center and small business incubator all made possible by the Economic Development Corporation of Paragould. The location of the GIN spurred future development on that block, and we will soon cut the ribbon on two new restaurants set to open right across the street.

No matter where you live, preserving the past is paramount.

During the construction process, the storefronts and buildings themselves will be renovated with an eye toward historic preservation, and the Community Pavilion’s new construction will look similar to the existing power plant to its north. We think of it as tasteful progress.

LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THE COMMUNITY PAVILION TO SEE PARTNERSHIP AT WORK. WHEN IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT OUR FARMERS’ MARKET WAS BECOMING WILDLY SUCCESSFUL, THE PARAGOULD CITY COUNCIL AND GREENE COUNTY QUORUM COURT WORKED TOGETHER TO FUND A NEW COMMUNITY PAVILION IN DOWNTOWN PARAGOULD. The city council continuously allocates funds in each year’s budget for economic development in downtown Paragould.

Main Street Paragould is a nonprofit organization focused on economic development and historic preservation in downtown.

This year’s allocation will be used to enhance lighting, recycling and sanitation, and street signage.

We can see the economic development unfolding from MSP’s office, housed in the iconic red train caboose. Through our window, we can watch the Community Pavilion being built. We can see the pedestrians entering our small businesses and exiting with full smiles and full bags of merchandise. People feel safe walking our sidewalks. Joggers and runners are common sights.

A vibrant downtown is the lifeblood of a community, and we’re witnessing ours come to life.

Paragould’s success also comes from civic groups working together. The city of Paragould and the Greene County Future Fund secured over $700,000 for the 8 Mile Creek Trail project.

This trail will connect our parks to downtown.

The only way this progress can happen is by working together.

Mayor Josh Agee and Chamber of Commerce CEO and EDC Director Allison Hestand regularly convene to ensure their offices can meet goals. And as the MSP executive director, I row in the same direction, meeting weekly with the Chamber of Commerce so we can help one another.

Come see us, stay awhile and enjoy all we have to offer. Discover the many reasons why Paragould is the “one and only.”

Miranda Reynolds is executive director of Main Street Paragould Inc. VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 25

ENVISION 30-CROSSING DESIGN COMPETITION

What to do with new city-owned property in downtown Little Rock.

BY JORDAN THOMAS

I

n 2009, the 87th Arkansas General Assembly created the Blue Ribbon Committee on Highway Finance to find ways to fund highway, county road, city street and surface improvement projects across the state. The committee’s recommendation was to implement a half-cent sales tax increase over a 10-year period, requiring an amendment to our state’s constitution. Ultimately, in November 2012, Arkansas voters approved an amendment to fund the estimated $1.8 billion in projects proposed by the Arkansas Department of Transportation. The resulting Connecting Arkansas Program would be the largest highway construction program ever undertaken by ArDOT and include rehabilitation of Interstate 30 between the 630 and 40 interchanges.

Also in 2012, studioMAIN, along with partners from Keep Little Rock Beautiful and staff from the city of Little Rock, began planning for the inaugural Envision Little Rock Design Competition. The idea for the competition was not in response to the CAP Program’s successful run on the ballot, but rather to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of John Nolan’s 1913 Report on a Park System for Little Rock. A landscape architect and city planner, Nolan presented a greenspace masterplan to the Little Rock Parkways Association on Nov. 4, 1913, which would inform the competition guidelines and goals.

The design competition’s planners selected the project area to be at the eastern terminus of Capitol Avenue, where, as identified in Nolan’s plan, a proposed Choctaw Train Depot along Rector Avenue would welcome visitors to a tree-lined Comstock (Capitol) Avenue.

Though the Depot did not come to fruition, other themes from 26 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

Nolan’s study including creating a visual and physical connection between eastern downtown Little Rock and creating an iconic gateway informed the competition’s objectives. Twelve competitors submitted concepts presenting a wide range of ideas, from towering spires to mixed-use developments, awards were given and the Envision Design Competition was born.

Fast-forward 10 years and the Envision Competition is back where it all started, centered on a sprawling 17 or so acres of soon-to-be urban “greenspace” left over from the 30 Crossing project’s removal of several on- and off-ramps. The space will provide extensive views east and west from the Clinton Presidential Library to the Historic Arkansas Museum and will be partly bridged by a widened I-30.

Of significance for the newly recovered city blocks are restrictions on its future development to be reserved only for public use due to the properties having been originally acquired through eminent domain. Nonetheless, these restrictions on the land use may direct a more appealing solution.

Early in the CAP program’s development, specifics about project details and scopes were not fully developed. At the time, Interstate 30 was to receive needed safety and surfacing improvements, nothing too eye-popping or concerning for adjacent residents and businesses. However, the public learned during initial presentations on the scope of the project in 2014 and 2015 that 30 Crossing would potentially be a $1 billion project. Early plans called for consideration of up to 12 to 14 travel lanes, more than twice the interstate’s current capacity. Expansion of the interstate and its effects on the adjacent communities received ample criticism, and several subsequent

Submission from past Envision Competition

Submission from past Envision Competition

lawsuits ultimately failed to significantly alter the project’s progress. In the summer of 2020, 30 Crossing broke ground, and the expected construction duration is anticipated to last until 2023, with subsequent phases occurring thereafter.

Once the 30 Crossing contract is complete, the streets, sidewalks and newly minted open space will become the responsibility of the city to program and maintain, all of which has the potential to become an iconic space welcoming visitors to Little Rock and serving as a gateway view for the estimated 130,000 vehicles that pass by each day. StudioMAIN, along with other stakeholders, recognized the need to consider the future programming and potential use of the nearly 10 city blocks in the heart of downtown Little Rock. Cities facing urban interstate improvement and expansion projects rarely end up gaining real estate that can be repurposed for public use. The steel columns and expanse of paving will be repurposed, by what and for whom exactly remains to be seen. The city of Little Rock has engaged in initial planning for the area but is limited by a parks and public works budget spread thin across the city.

The Envision 30 Crossing Design Competition will solicit ideas from professionals and the public for potential solutions to the impacts of the 30 Crossing project on pedestrian connectivity, greenspace programming, economic development and how a space could perform beneath the newly constructed overpass. The design competition will be a venue for visionary ideas of how to create an iconic place in the heart of the city of Little Rock.

As studioMAIN learned with previous design competitions and other community-driven efforts around Little Rock, sourcing ideas and concerns from eventual endusers generates more diverse and robust outcomes. Invest in thinking big for this area. Registration for the Envision 30-Crossing project is open until July 1. Information can be found at studio-main.org/envision.

Jordan Thomas is a studioMAIN board member.

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 27

HILL STATION, THE PEOPLE’S STATION How a once completely hardscaped corner became the perfect neighborhood amenity.

BY JONATHAN OPITZ

Helmich’s Mobil (historic photo)

A

t the corner of Beechwood and Kavanaugh in Little Rock, known as the heart of the Hillcrest Historic District, is a site that has existed as either a service station or an auto repair shop about as far back as people can remember.

In 1955 a Magnolia gas station was constructed and the property remained a full-service gas station until 1991. It then became an auto repair shop until the property was sold in 2016. I lived on Kavanaugh Boulevard, about two blocks away from this property, until about 2014. I appreciate auto repair shops and I’m on a first-name basis with the two my family frequents, but to me, this site seemed to have so much more potential for the neighborhood with its prime location. It definitely didn’t seem to be serving the neighborhood at the highest or best use. Twelve parking spots were located along a retaining wall and the entire site was covered in asphalt or concrete, while the raised curb from the two previous pump service stations still protruded from the middle of the site.

Along Kavanaugh street frontage, 75% of it was curb cuts for vehicle access and the garage was pulled back to the far wide corner of the pie-shaped lot. On the south side of Kavanaugh, across the street, buildings lined the sidewalks with parallel parking spaces 28 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

Hill Station Courtyard view

and mature trees, a stark contrast to the old service station across the street. The two sites were the polar opposite ends of what is considered good urban design and community development.

Luckily, Doug Martin, a Hillcrest resident, saw an opportunity to correct this travesty. Knowing that the garage was about to be closed and torn down, he acquired it with a desire to do something positive for the neighborhood. Martin commissioned studies to explore the possibilities of a park-like setting on the corner with an adjoining restaurant housed in the garage. The goal of the project was to maximize green space while minimizing the building footprint.

The construction of Hill Station began in the spring of 2019.

The existing service station had later alterations removed, its original features exposed, retained and repaired. An addition, slightly larger than the original building, was constructed to bring the structure to the street and further enhance the strong urban conditions experienced throughout the neighborhood. The massive amounts of existing site paving were removed and replaced with decomposed granite to allow trees, landscaping and casual outdoor seating to comfortably fill a corner once alienated by harsh paving and vehicles. Five large mature lacebark elm trees were relocated to

TIM HURSLEY

TIM HURSLEY

Hill Station views of the front addition and original station

the site from Maryland to further enhance the park-like setting by creating shade to protect the patrons from the harsh western sun.

The original service station houses the kitchen, a soda fountain, restrooms and family-style dining space. The gas station’s original pink and blue tile restrooms were retained, providing just the right amount of context and nostalgia as a nod to the past while fully embracing the future.

The design decisions for the new addition fit within the material legacy of the neighborhood while also taking design cues from the modern design elements of the original service station. The interior of the new addition showcases the facade of the original structure and houses the main dining room and bar, including an overhead door to serve the outdoor bar on the large west porch.

If there was ever a project that deserves to have a garage door that connects space, it’s this one. Other interior features include open roof joists (similar to the original garage), repurposed 1920s v-groove paneling (salvaged from a nearby historic house), linoleum flooring and a combination of table, booth and bar seating. These material choices help accentuate the best aspects of the original building while also tying the entire project together.

The development, design and construction team, including Doug Martin, Daniel Bryant, Tommy Jameson AIA, Tanner Weeks of the Ecological Design Group, and Cline Construction Group, should be commended for creating a project that enhances the neighborhood and truly serves as a hub for Hillcrest. The way they incorporated the existing site, reused the existing building, designed the new addition to fit the historic context while still feeling new and innovative, elevated the outdoor space and made it highly visible, and the extensive lengths they went to creating an environment that is easily relatable and extremely comfortable makes this a successful project. Anyone strolling down Kavanaugh can see the impact this bustling restaurant has had on the neighborhood. It could stand up against similar projects in places like Austin or Nashville. My only regret is that I didn’t get to enjoy this when I lived only two blocks away!

Jonathan Opitz, AIA, is a partner with AMR Architects and the editor of Block, Street & Building.

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 29

These are the top six reasons why economic development plays a critical role in any region’s economy.

1J

ob creation

Economic developers provide critical assistance and information to companies that create jobs in our economy. We help to connect new-to-market and existing companies with the resources and partners they need to expand, such as the Metro Little Rock Alliance utilities, and county and city partners.

2i 3b

usiness retention and expansion

A large percentage of jobs in the North Little Rock economy are created by existing companies that are expanding their operations. Our economic development team along with the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce conduct regular retention and expansion visits to local companies to assist with their operational needs.

ndustry diversification

A core part of economic development works to diversify the economy, reducing a region’s vulnerability to a single industry.

In North Little Rock, economic development efforts help to grow industries outside of one industry, including Innovative Technologies and Digital Media, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Aviation, Aerospace & Defense, Advanced Manufacturing, Tourism, and Business Services.

4e

conomy fortification

Economic development helps to protect the local economy from economic downturns by attracting and expanding the region’s major employers.

5i

ncreased tax revenue

The increased presence of companies in the region translates to increased tax revenue for community projects and local infrastructure.

6i

mproved quality of life

Better infrastructure and more jobs improves the economy of the region and raises the standard of living for its residents.

L e a r n mo re at nlr.ar.g o v /eco n

U P TO G N I H T S OM E

e v i t a Innov

Recently named an Arkansas Business Trendsetter City in Tourism Development, North Little Rock is always up to something fresh and bold. From the development of Argenta Plaza - a catalyst for more than $50 million in economic development (with more in the works) - to the transformation of an old rock quarry into a multi-phase bike park, North Little Rock understands that tourism has a direct economic impact on its economy. Working closely with North Little Rock Economic Development and the City of North Little Rock, North Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) helps improve tourism assets and develop new tourism product in North Little Rock. Come see what we’re up to.

NorthLittleRock.org @exploreNLR 600 Main Street, Suite 100 North Little Rock, AR 72114

PRIORITIZING PUBLIC SPACES IN CONWAY With the Markham Square project.

BY JAMES WALDEN

P

ublic spaces are important. No cheesy made-for-TV movie is complete without a dramatic kiss between the protagonist and their love interest at a community festival in the town square. The fact that these kinds of public spaces are so ubiquitous to be a movie trope is telling. Often taken for granted, a hard-to-fill void opens when these places don’t exist in a town.

It’s a frequent joke within the Conway Planning Department that our town father, Asa P. Robinson, was a much better railroad engineer than city planner, and his legacy is a mixed bag. Streets like Oak that should have grand widths don’t. Others like Locust

32 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

Rendering of Markham Square Entry

that shouldn’t, do. But Mr. Robinson was also largely responsible for ensuring the forested land in Old Conway remained a legacy Conwegians enjoy today. Regardless, being a good railroad man, he made sure Conway’s central focus was the rail line running through town and not anything trivial like a courthouse square. As such, good public spaces have been a challenge for Conway.

In the last two decades, however, the city has made excellent strides. Rogers Plaza, resulting from the demolition of the infamous bright blue “Smurf” building and a realignment of Van Ronkle Street, has become a key gathering place. Festivals, celebrations, protests and Hallmark-esque movie kisses in front of the giant Conway Christmas tree all happen there.

Ever evolving, an area north of downtown is planned for growth and redevelopment.

The Markham Street corridor connecting downtown to Hendrix College was the historic route of U.S. Highway 65. It was also the heart of Conway’s Black business district, featuring establishments like the Deluxe Diner and Mattison’s Blacksmith Shop. Historically, the Deluxe Diner was an important safe haven for Black travelers, being listed in the Green Book as a diner and hotel. Mattison’s shop was noted for being one of the oldest Black-owned businesses in the region, even being featured in EBONY magazine in August 1956. Today, the corridor is a shell of its former glory.

To revitalize the area, the city of Conway sought a Metroplan Jump Start grant in 2013. The grant funded a planning study to rethink the corridor, using a solid plan, zoning reform and transportation dollars to catalyze development. Though identified in previous planning efforts, a key recommendation of the plan was the development of an amphitheater at the site of a metal scrap yard. That recommendation started an ongoing eight-year, multipronged effort to achieve a poetic redemption of the site.

The Conway Scrap Metal Yard, in operation since the early 1900s, provided value to the many people that used and relied on it for economic gain. However, over time, the site became a polluted eyesore that harbored toxic materials in its soil. As a result of a 2014 grant from the EPA and Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment, the city of Conway acquired the property and began cleanup. Subsequent grants from the EPA, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and National Endowment for the Arts allowed the city to work with the University of Arkansas Community Design Center and others to transform the amphitheater concept from previous planning efforts into something more. Their work envisioned the site as a town square and rain terrain.

In 2019, the EPA and Arkansas Natural Resources Commission provided still more funding to design and construct the Markham Square project. The city partnered with renowned landscape architects SWA Group on the design. Officially a water-quality demonstration project, Markham Square has evolved into something much bigger. The site will serve as a detention pond in heavy rain events that plague downtown Conway.

Markham Square will use time as a key ally in fighting floods, which have been a persistent problem in downtown Conway since its founding. The square’s detention function will slow the release of water from the site during heavy rain events. City Engineer Kurt Jones is quick to point out that this feature alone won’t fix all of downtown’s drainage problems. However, the square will be a valuable down payment in a silver buckshot approach to solving flooding.

Markham Square will also use the power of plants to help heal its natural surroundings by using organic features like rain gardens and bioswales to help treat stormwater. The intent is that water exiting the park will be cleaner than when it entered. This occurs

through a treatment train effect where stormwater is slowed, allowed to absorb back into the ground or evaporate, and pollutants and sediment are captured in rain gardens or bioswales. Plants then use phytoremediation to capture pollutants and break them down into less harmful materials.

In future phases of construction, woonerfs will border the square.

A woonerf, a Dutch term meaning living street, is a street design that aims to balance the comfort of pedestrians and drivers. Cars are permitted to drive through the area at very slow speed, but environmental cues ensure drivers are aware the road is meant to be shared with pedestrians. Textured surfaces and flat curbs make the street operate more like an extension of the park, where people walk freely through the space. The woonerf is an important tool to fully leverage the public space created by the square. The city’s partnership with local, highly innovative engineering and landscape architecture firm McClelland Consulting Engineers has been critical to achieving an effective design.

The other major benefit of Markham Square is the creation of a new, high-quality public space. The area is envisioned as a place to loiter and congregate. It will become a place for gatherings, festivals and celebrations, as well as a respite from daily life for people to simply enjoy and be. As any good public space, it will reflect the

. . . MARKHAM SQUARE . . . IS ENVISIONED AS A PLACE TO LOITER AND CONGREGATE. IT WILL BECOME A PLACE FOR GATHERINGS, FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS, AS WELL AS A RESPITE FROM DAILY LIFE FOR PEOPLE TO SIMPLY ENJOY AND BE. AS ANY GOOD PUBLIC SPACE, IT WILL REFLECT THE IDENTITY AND CULTURE OF ITS SURROUNDINGS. identity and culture of its surroundings.

Though little is left of the Black business district on Markham Street, the square will pay tribute to the legacy and identity of the community by honoring important figures in Conway’s Black community like William T. Mattison, a Tuskegee Airman.

Additionally, the park will be dedicated to the life, legacy and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. These steps will ensure the square embodies the identity and character of the place in which it’s rooted, regardless of growth or change that may occur in the neighborhood in the future.

To this end, Markham Square tells a beautiful story of redemption and reconciliation. An environmental hazard reclaimed and used to heal the natural environment. A minority community, disappearing through demolition and time, honored and remembered. A public space created to bring people together across divides, honoring the life and work of an American hero whose dream was an equal and undivided people.

Public spaces are important, and, hopefully, a Hallmark movie kiss or two will happen at Markham Square, too.

James Walden is planning and development director of the city of Conway.

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 33

UNCOVERING A HIDDEN GEM IN THE HEART OF FAYETTEVILLE Former bank on the square restored to former glory.

BY LISA KNEMEYER SKILES WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY ALBERT SKILES

I ALBERT SKILES

BEFORE

34 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

n 1964, the building at 26 W. Center on the Fayetteville Square was “renovated” with a Mid-Century Modern screen that covered the original structure. Only by looking carefully could one perceive the vague outlines of arches behind the screen. In the summer of 2018, the building’s new owners and their architects began a journey to reveal the masonry masterpiece that had been hidden for over 65 years. Generations had come and gone without knowing there was an exquisite Richardsonian Romanesque jewel right in the middle of town.

From its beginning in 1898, this grand edifice served as a robust venue for a variety of businesses and professional offices. Archival photos and recollections of longtime residents spoke of the vital role that 26 W. Center played in the cultural and civic life of Fayetteville. Almost 25,000 square feet were filled with three stories of bustling enterprises that included a drug store, general dry goods store, realty company, and dental and architectural offices, among others. From 1924 to 1981, the ground level anchor tenant was First National Bank.

When the restoration began, the building was vacant and not suitable for habitation given its lack of fresh air, daylight and circulation, as well as its

ALBERT SKILES

26 W. Center’s renovated elevations

fortress-like character. The design intent for the project was to unveil and restore the original facade to be as authentic as was feasible and to establish new interior circulation. An overarching theme was to create a pedestrian-friendly presence to match the robust vibe on Center Street and Block Avenue.

Research has shown that the likely architect and stonemason was D.C. Wurtz, who also built the nearby 1905 Washington County Jail.

All the stones were hand-cut from local quarries before construction began. Wurtz’s entry design of 26 W. Center is notable because, by virtue of an open arcade (loggia), the entry can be entered from both Block Avenue and Center Street. Also, the bank had one of the earliest drive-thru deposit services in Arkansas. A former bank employee, Mildred, participated in an early walk-through and explained how she used a system of mirrors and a conveying system that delivered deposits from customers in their cars to her “snorkel room” under the sidewalk on Block Avenue. That equipment was left intact as it was found.

This was a complex project that overlapped several preservation categories — preservation, restoration, reconstruction and rehabilitation were all applicable to one degree or the other. The initial 1960s facade deconstruction included removing a metal rain-screen, heavy granite wall panels and concrete block in the original window openings and stripping tar and paint from the stone with a nontoxic gel. Then, energy-efficient-clad wood windows were placed in the original openings, many with dramatic arch tops. The building was brought up to code through the design of new stairways and entries to Block Avenue and Center Street, as well as new interior corridors, bathrooms and utility networks.

A substantial challenge included inserting interior stairways and corridors around historic structural systems and three large concrete bank vaults. Frequent structural assessments occurred as layers were removed to determine restoration solutions, such as the design of the three-level staircase on Block Avenue, most likely in its original location. A beautiful vault door was left exposed within so that it could be appreciated as one travels up and down the new daylight-filled stairwell.

Innovations involved deduction of where original circulation occurred by observing structural conditions (and old grainy photos) and reestablishing those patterns to meet egress codes, all while maintaining the original integrity of the building. This included not only the new stairwell but also two new major access points on Block and Center that are connected internally to create a multilevel egress backbone. To make the basement space viable, a new entry from Block Avenue was threaded between levels by working with the existing column pattern. A final keystone of the restoration was returning the original loggia (arcade) to the square, which had been enclosed during one of the many building updates.

At the start of restoration, the building was not only obscured, but also severely dilapidated and out of code compliance. The new owners, architects and build team all held to a commitment for a quality restoration and rehabilitation that honored the architecture of the original Wurtz Building and consulted local historical resources. The end result serves as a window into Fayetteville’s historic legacy and sets the stage for this landmark to contribute once again to the vibrant life of the Square and Fayetteville.

On Jan. 28, 2022, Preserve Arkansas representatives Rachel Patton and Hunter Windle presented 26 W. Center with the “Excellence in Preservation through Restoration” honorable mention award at the 2021 Arkansas Preservation Awards ceremony held at the Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock.

Lisa Knemeyer Skiles, AIA, and Albert Skiles are co-principal architects at Skiles Architect, PA. VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 35

BRINGING BIG FLAVOR TO SMALL TOWNS IN THE DELTA Creating community through the culinary arts.

BY RYAN BILES

Grumpy Rabbit’s renovated Front St. elevation 36 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

L

iving in the Delta, it’s not unusual to drive an hour or so for dinner on a Friday or Saturday evening. So many overlooked places and storied locales are known for the restaurants and legendary proprietors who keep them full of regular patrons during daily lunch hours and weekend suppers. Whether leaving city limits for a favorite spot frequented for generations, or driving into town to meet friends over a favorite burger or dessert at the place everyone is talking about, we have a way of planning our days, our weekends and our road trips around the places where we love to eat.

Because Arkansas is often lagging in a number of indicators, it tends to be awhile before national restaurant chains, retail and other trends find their way into our borders. When these big names do arrive, they naturally locate near the more obvious population centers and statistically higher income earners. This is sometimes a point of frustration for economic developers, chambers of commerce and commercial real estate professionals who are in an ever-increasing arms race of greater volume with lower margins, and who find themselves competing with neighboring states like Texas and Tennessee for attention, deal-making and job creation. While there is something initially energizing about gaining the attention of a shiny national brand, the pursuit of the latest big thing is often fleeting and less satisfactory in the long term. A compelling case can even be made that these types of generic, interstate-oriented developments do not make our communities unique, memorable or better overall. In many of the smaller communities in the Delta, South Arkansas and other rural parts of our state, the ever-shifting industry metrics, demographics, capacity and infrastructure requirements to attract such national projects may never exist at all.

Rather than be discouraged, small communities can be inspired by the example of a number of small towns that have chosen to expend creative energy to develop something unique and homegrown.

LOOKING AT LONOKE Lonoke has been overlooked for a number of years. It is also a special place, where residents and business owners are working hard to embrace the moniker “The Front Porch of the Delta.” With a deep love for her hometown, Gina Wiertelak created an acclaimed new restaurant in historic downtown Lonoke based on a clear vision and a commitment to excellence. Lonoke has proven to be the perfect setting for such a project, matching a need for quality dining with a built-in local loyalty and a momentum cycle that was ready to support the investment. In 2016, volunteer leaders in Lonoke undertook an extensive strategic planning process with a technical assistance grant from University of Central Arkansas Center for Community and Economic Development and the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. This process was essentially a community conversation that yielded a game plan and a unifying community vision that was launched in 2017 and which the community has been pursuing diligently for the last five years.

The driving concept behind the plan is that Lonoke would become “visible, attractive and connected,” with key points of emphasis in this citizen-driven initiative focused on downtown revitalization, infrastructure and jobs.

Having spent her childhood in Lonoke, Wiertelak spent 31 years of her professional life in Memphis, moving back to her hometown a few years ago with her husband, Jim “Grumpy” Wiertelak.

“It was my dream to come home and try to bring back downtown

[Lonoke],” Gina Wiertelak said. In 2019, she was ready to pursue this vision that would serve her community and lean into the progress that the town had been building on in recent years.

“We talked to a lot of people in town about what they thought would help [bring] foot traffic, and all conversations led to a restaurant,” Wiertelak said. With the purchase of the historic Joe P. Eagle Building at 105 Front St. in downtown Lonoke (originally designed by famed architect Charles Thompson), Wiertelak set about building her team that would bring her vision to life.

With a love for the hometown Jackrabbit mascot (Gina was a member of the Lonoke High School women’s basketball team, which won the state championship in 1977) and a tribute to Jim Wiertelak’s grandpa persona “Grumpy,” The Grumpy Rabbit American Eatery concept began to come together. Her team included kitchenplanning consultants, an award-winning interior design team, an architect, landscape architect, branding design and strategy consultant, and historic tax credit consultant. Wiertalk also enlisted the services of Whitney Horton’s team at Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC) at UA Little Rock in the planning and visioning of the restaurant business model.

“It took so much work from so many people,” she said. The result of this intentionally collaborative process is a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. The Grumpy Rabbit represents the tremendous value-add when a clear vision is paired with a trusted team in a place where people are ready to support it.

“We’ve been very lucky to have the community support us. It almost makes me choke up thinking about it,” Gina Wiertelak said.

One of the many things she has learned is that when you build something special for your hometown neighbors, word will get out and people throughout the region will find you and become loyal patrons, too. The restaurant was recently recognized with eight Arkansas Times Readers Choice Awards, including Best New Restaurant, Best Overall Restaurant, Best Chef (James Beard Award finalist James Hale), Best Brunch and Best Burger. Perhaps one of the least-recognized community development principles, but one that is very much on display at The Grumpy Rabbit, is when we build something that is for the community in which we live, it will be attractive to guests and travelers, too. Investing in her hometown is what has driven Gina Wiertelak for many years. Seeing her hometown return the loyalty is tremendously rewarding.

The Grumpy Rabbit is a gift to the community of Lonoke. Easily accessible by bike and located in a walkable downtown, the energy and brightness of the restaurant’s front windows extend all the way to the alley behind, where a surprising balcony dining experience reminiscent of the square at Oxford, Mississippi, is paired with a fun, flexible patio designed by landscape architect Brantley Snipes.

These reimagined spaces are one of a kind in the community, and they have been an exciting addition to the fabric of the historic downtown.

STANDING OUT An important key to success for hospitality projects, and economic development projects of any sort in overlooked places, is the ability to stand out in the crowd. This involves a well-considered awareness of the unique value proposition offered by a local business, the place it is serving, or the region in which it is located. A project must be considered in context, and then built on a premise that is unique and attractive. For Christy Ouei, founder of MuleKick in Magnolia VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 37

and El Dorado, that unique approach is more about who is in the kitchen, behind the counter and at the tableside, more so than the historic building in which MuleKick MAD is located in the Murphy Arts District, or even the energy of the South Arkansas University students that feeds MuleKick Magnolia. “Investing in team development is what makes us special,” Ouei said. She has developed a keen understanding of the hyperlocal labor factors that impact South Arkansas in the hospitality and service industries, and has intentionally worked to create a culture in which employees and talent at her restaurants see themselves as part of a bigger picture — one in which the food and beverage industries and tourism industries have great potential for positive impact on the community. Weaving a sense of “pride and industry” into the fabric of her establishments is essential to Ouei, and she approaches her team-building efforts with a heaping dose of optimism. Ouei strongly believes in the next generation of students and young talent in her region, and she feels the obligation to ensure that they have an opportunity to learn and lead when they become part of the MuleKick team. From receiving practical training and experience in the industry, to nontraditional personal development training such as financial literacy classes provided by the restaurant, team members at MuleKick are part of something bigger. “We want to add value over their entire lives,” Ouei said. As a result, this deeper level of investment naturally has an impact on patron experience at the MuleKick restaurants. Employees who have an understanding of the establishment’s commitment to celebrating local flavor and supporting local revitalization efforts are able to deliver an exceptional customer service experience. “That’s our guiding ethos — our employee investment and our customer service,” Ouei said.

The Grumpy Rabbit American Eatery has also found a way to stand out in the crowd, shining bright from an unexpected place.

In addition to the unique name, The Grumpy Rabbit made an early decision to invest in brand development strategy, hiring Helena, Arkansas-based Thrive, led by Associate Creative Director Sarah Melby and Executive Director Will Staley. Staley often notes that, “Every community should have access to the joy and vibrancy of good design.” Lonoke is one of those places where an emphasis on excellence in design makes a big impact. Thrive’s team was integral in the process of the design environment, working closely with interior designers Natalie Biles (my wife) and Stacey Breezeel of Shine Interior Design Studio to draw elements of the interior palette and finishes into the restaurant’s outward-facing visual elements. The result is a brand launch that had garnered thousands of followers on social media before The Grumpy Rabbit opened in January 2021. By the time the doors opened, the community and the region at large were ready for it, attracted by the friendly, accessible branding that contributed to an irresistible lure.

ADVOCATING FOR THE OVERLOOKED With such a dynamic approach to their work, proprietors such as Gina Wiertelak and Christy Ouei are positioned to be key ambassadors for their communities. Ouei has embraced this role, describing her commitment to a regionalist mindset. She is sharing her words of experience and encouragement wherever she can, on podcasts “The Heaping Spoonful” produced by Ben E. Keith Food Distributors, The Conductor Podcast with Tiffany Henry, and The CDI Podcast with Dylan Edgell; in publications like City and Town by the Arkansas Municipal League; and at statewide conferences.

“It’s definitely community over competition,” said Ouei, describing her approach, noting that the “Golden Triangle” of South Arkansas communities of Magnolia, Camden and El Dorado offer something special when considered as a collection of unique places.

“We can be a destination together,” she said. In her advocacy for a region she loves, she is drawing attention to overlooked places and 38 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

Grumpy Rabbit back balcony and patio.

encouraging locals and visitors to spend time and money at other local establishments, such as Postmasters Grill, developed by Emily Jordan-Robertson, and Native Dog Brewing, developed by Bobby and Lauren Glaze, both in Camden. This love for South Arkansas and care for others are contributing to a greater awareness and changing perception about what our state has to offer in our small communities.

Grumpy Rabbit rear alley before.

Grumpy Rabbit interior before.

Grumpy Rabbit 2nd floor renovated interior.

RECOGNIZING THE POTENTIAL WITHIN Christy Ouei understands that when her employees at MuleKick know how much she values and cares for them, they will become part of a culture where exceptional guest service is a natural outcome.

Gina Wiertelak loves to cook for anyone who walks in her front door, but her kitchen at home wasn’t big enough to fit the whole town of Lonoke, so she built a restaurant and hired a world-class chef because she knew her hometown deserved a place to call its own. Both of these women are leading the way in a new approach to development that leans into the cultural and culinary distinctions of their communities, and as a result, are bringing big flavor to our small towns. There is a certain audacity on display when we invest in creating places and celebrating people in overlooked communities.

The pursuit of a unique experience — memorable, enjoyable and shared with others — is part of what makes dining out such an important part of our lives. State tourism promotional dollars are expended on the premise that people will flock to Arkansas when they understand the full offering of authentic experiences to be had here. This effort, paired with an emphasis on asset-based community development, created an environment today where hometown restaurants, both new and old, have been positioned as community anchors and destinations throughout Arkansas.

Hospitality projects in rehabilitated historic buildings downtown have great potential to bring energy, identity and fresh flavor to a place, playing a key role in attracting and retaining residents and visitors alike to our hometowns.

Hospitality projects are also often where the most dynamic and powerful design moments happen. There is embodied energy in bringing any type of development to market, and it takes a team of thoughtful and creative people to bring a hospitality project from concept to sustainable reality. There is a case to be made, then, for expending that energy on something unique, place-centric and thoughtfully designed. As MuleKick’s Ouei observed, “National chains don’t add as much depth and dimension to the community.”

For Lonoke, the proof is in the numbers. Restaurant tax revenues in Lonoke are up 25% year over year for the first nine months of 2021 compared to the first nine months of 2020. Considering 2020 an anomaly, the increase over the first nine months of 2019 is 18%. Monthly average receipts are up 24% over 2020, and 20% over 2019. The Grumpy Rabbit American Eatery created 55 jobs downtown when it opened — numbers that will pique the interest of any economic developer. If a small town is looking for a spark, it is going to start from within. Architects and designers have the important stewardship of leveraging our creative skills to reawaken latent potential in forgotten places. In a community-centered process of building an ecosystem that supports reinvestment, we have the opportunity to design the conditions in which creativity can make a big impact in our hometowns.

Ryan Biles is a practicing architect, founding the firm Kudzu Collective with a deep love for the people and places of the Delta and a speciality in the adaptive reuse of historic properties in rural communities throughout the region. Ryan and his wife, Natalie, an interior designer and founder of Shine Interior Design Studio, are raising three sons in their hometown of Lonoke.

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 39

REALIZING A VISION FOR ARGENTA

Roger Coburn Jr. and Fletcher Hanson talk downtown North Little Rock.

RENDERING BY TAGGART ARCHITECTS

BY KATHERINE WYRICK

6th + Olive Development, Argenta.

I

n 2021, local developer Roger Coburn Jr. and co-developer Fletcher Hanson — real estate adviser and principal at Moses Tucker Partners — ushered in a new phase of development in North Little Rock. Their three high-end residential neighborhood projects set into motion a revitalization of a long dormant section northeast of Argenta.

Coburn and Hanson now have plans in the works for 40 lots — some as large as 10 acres — near the north end of the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge, less than a mile from their residential projects. Scheduled to begin in 2023, it’s an area rife with possibility; one idea circulating involves a 3-acre stretch along the River Trail that has the potential to be a mixed-use project with some cyclingcentric amenities. Though it remains to be seen, Coburn and Hanson’s recent developments in the area suggest that whatever is 40 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

planned, it will be designed with the community in mind.

When you’ve amassed so much property in one neighborhood, you have the opportunity to fundamentally change the DNA of the place. As your projects move forward, what would you like Argenta to be known for?

Argenta has a DNA of its own, which is what attracted our attention and investment in the area. If anything, we are looking to enhance the existing DNA while expanding Argenta as a whole.

After seeing the first three projects you announced, it looks like you two are trying to test different levels of density and price point. Is this a mix that you see continuing, both single family and varied size/density multifamily?

Yes, with the intention to include some small commercial and business uses north of Bishop Lindsey [Avenue] in the form of mixed-use projects. Most of the property has now been rezoned from primarily R-4 or Industrial to C-6. The C-6 zoning is critical in creating a vibrant, walkable and dense urban community.

As you work to improve the quality and quantity of housing types in Argenta, who do you view as your ideal tenants? What mix are you trying to create to provide the best neighborhoods?

Diversity is key, and we see a community that appeals to all ages and all people, whether it’s a renter or an individual looking to build their forever home.

Having purchased so many lots that are truly blank slates for opportunities, are there certain cities around the country that you look to for inspiration? Either as examples of strategic new development or historic mixes in vibrant areas?

We are constantly looking for inspiration from other communities, but the investment by the city of North Little Rock in a master plan years ago still serves as our primary guide. Our plans will evolve over time, with a focus on creating a vibrant, walkable and dense urban community.

As you try to work commercial spaces into future projects, are there certain typologies that really lend themselves to the low-rise, pedestrian-focused environments that really attract potential residents to these areas? Are restaurants and outdoor public spaces one of the next phases of your master plan?

We are considering a variety of different uses but do envision a limited number of services, including restaurants, human-scaled spaces and green gathering zones as the area densifies. In addition to any new offerings in the future, being located near Main Street, residents and daytime occupants will have easy access to Argenta’s local attractions and other amenities.

With your lots varying in scale from a fraction of an acre all the way up to 10 acres, are you approaching these scales with a very different mindset? Imagining who your tenants will be, price points, rent rates and what level of density makes for the best neighborhood developments?

Many of the lots are or will be replatted to accommodate larger projects, which is necessary so that projects are not considered on a lot-by-lot basis. The impact of how any project impacts future projects is critical.

With the diverse architectural language of your first three projects, how important is it to you to tackle the missing middle in housing types, such as duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, courtyard buildings, cottage courts, townhouse, brownstones and live-work buildings? Do you think all of these types have their place in your developments, mixed in with single-family housing?

Yes, we feel the types above have their place in the development and will be looking for ways to incorporate them into the project over time.

When you look 10 years into the future, what do you hope the legacy will be for all of the projects that you’re undertaking in Argenta?

The projects are a continuation of what has been envisioned for Argenta for years. Our hope is that the projects contribute in a meaningful way to the human experience enjoyed by all that live in or visit the area.

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Nestled on the banks of the beautiful Lake Chicot, Lake Village is a natural for the outdoor enthusiast or the amateur historian. Life in Lake Village, for both the young and the “young at heart”, epitomizes the hometown hospitality of Southeast Arkansas and the Delta.

lakevillagear.gov VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 41

HOW SHORT-TERM RENTALS ARE CHANGING THE MARKET

TIM HURSLEY

BY JONATHAN OPITZ

1424 SoMa

A

s cities across Arkansas work to regulate short-term rentals, mostly due to their proliferation in singlefamily, residential-style neighborhoods, we thought it would be helpful to interview an expert. Samantha Stocks of 524 & Co., Inc., has extensive experience managing a variety of short-term rentals across our state. The goal of such projects is not to put additional strain on the housing market, but to create spaces for visitors and guests — along with local, long-term residents — that offer safe, high-quality experiences in desirable destinations.

Have you seen a trend toward a more transient nature of shortterm renters?

We have, more so in the larger Arkansas cities; people are 42 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

TIM HURSLEY

How has the short-term rental market changed over the past two years?

Stocks: It has drastically changed in a positive way. Renters want flexibility in case of sickness, job loss or any other unforeseen condition, and are willing to pay a higher rate not to be locked in to a long-term lease.

1424 SoMa studio unit

working more remotely now and need the flexibility to move around as needed. With short-term rentals, they have that. Like great neighborhoods in past decades, downtowns across the state tend to be more dynamic if they offer a variety of housing options.

Are there certain professions that seem to be more flexible and rent for shorter periods at a higher rate?

Travel nursing is a large part of short-term rentals. They pay a higher rate, and they stay anywhere from 30 days to six months, depending on their contracts. The next highest user group would be the military, who constantly shift locations. We see these industries transitioning more toward short-term rentals for the flexibility and better connections to the vibrant urban areas where they prefer to engage outside of work hours.

Do you feel like millennials have shifted to a more nomadic lifestyle? People used to travel for fun; now that fun can be a part of day-to-day life with remote jobs. Have you experienced that with the units that you manage?

Yes! As a millennial myself, I used to only travel for vacation.

Now, I travel all the time. I see a lot of millennials engaging in consulting work, temporary work, relocation work, etc., and the flexibility of not having to break a one-year lease allows them to remain nomadic and try out different avenues of life. Much like trying on clothes you purchase online, you can keep trying until you get it right. Now a “right fit” doesn’t necessarily mean a forever job, as it did in past generations. It can be right for weeks, months or years at a time, and this can be extremely liberating.

What are the main drivers for mid-term rentals? Length of employment, flexibility of month-to-month leases, oneto three-month leases, the amenities of the property, the neighborhood the property is located in or the overall vibe and attractions of the city?

To use the famous real estate phrase, location, location, location!

The second biggest driver, as I mentioned, is flexibility — monthto-month, week-to-week or day-to-day options, as some are unaware of their time at/in a specific job/city. The third biggest driver is safety. They want the city life, but I am asked daily what safety and convenience features each property offers (gated parking, flexible check-in and check-out times, keypad entry, etc.) Also, 99.9% of the time they are looking for pet-friendly, furnished units. All they have to do is jump on a plane or in a car with their bags and their pets, and they are good to go.

If there were three things you could add to all your properties to help attract more short-term renters, what would they be?

The three most asked about or requested items are: dog parks and other puppy-related services, gym/fitness facilities, and space in every unit for a dedicated home office area.

How do you see short-term rentals evolving in Arkansas? Do people mainly come for the larger cities, natural setting or a combination of the two?

It is definitely a combination, evolving and growing each and every day. I am constantly seeing apartment complexes move to a little more “flex living” instead of 12-month leases. More professional occupations — such as freelancers or those in health care, the military or the government — are drawn toward the cities due to their connections to larger institutions. Then we have the “millennial nomads” who want to travel and stay a few weeks or months in the state’s natural settings and then move on to the next one. They “work to live” and generate income as a means to continue the adventure.

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 43

BUILDING WITH A SENSE OF PRIDE

How values drive design at a historically Black university.

BY LAURENCE B. ALEXANDER

UAPB Student Engagement Center

44 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

W

hen we started meeting with students and faculty almost three years ago to brainstorm what a new student engagement center might mean for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, we didn’t start with names of spaces or the dimensions of rooms. We started by generating a list of words to describe how students, faculty and the administration wanted to feel and how they could experience and engage with the building. Pride, engage, connect, community, gather, welcoming, visible, cultural and inclusive — these were the words repeated most often. As we looked back at our campus master plan, we questioned which potential building site might be best.

Continuously referencing the list of inspirational words, we also reminded ourselves of our core values and how these could be intertwined: student focus, excellence, integrity, engagement, diversity, globalization and accountability.

The more we reviewed the list and thought about how we serve the needs of our students of a racially, ethnically, culturally and economically diverse student population, the more we realized we needed this building to uphold and enhance our campus culture and community.

working through the initial design schemes. The exterior of the building has covered outdoor spaces lining both the long north and south elevations. In making this building the end of the promenade, it will also have a central lobby that will serve as a welcoming space for both students and visitors alike. The east end of the building is divided into four levels. The first floor, with a central east/west axis, will have mostly student service spaces, including two food service concepts, a student success center, a career services office, a graduate studies and professional development office, an office of international programs and studies and student health services that include both physical wellness and counseling offices. Locating these services on the first floor allows interacting with them directly as they approach the more recreational spaces located on the upper floors. The second floor of the east end is predominantly a large multipurpose room and a large game room for students, with back-of-house support spaces. The third floor includes a wellness center that will have new equipment and a large walking track wrapping the space. An administrative development and meeting center is located on the fourth floor. On the east end of

AMR ARCHITECTS

WE PRODUCE STUDENTS WHO BECOME PILLARS OF THEIR FAMILIES, CHURCHES AND COMMUNITIES. WE WANT TO INSTILL IN THEM THE VALUES OF PRIDE, CONNECTION, COMMUNITY, GLOBALIZATION, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. WE BELIEVE THIS NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SURE THESE VALUES READ PROMINENTLY WITHIN OUR CAMPUS. We decided to locate the new student engagement center along Watson Boulevard. There it will serve as the northern terminus of a central promenade that provides a main pedestrian thoroughfare running north/south through the center of campus. It will also unify gathering spaces adjacent to the most commonly used student buildings, including the John B. Watson Library and the L.A. Davis Student Union. This move will eliminate a few smallscale parking lots and two dead-end convenience drives to provide students with a much more pedestrian-focused campus that will allow for higher levels of connection.

As such, our campus planning strategy doubled as an opportunity to further build upon our campus climate to foster success. We know our students perform better when they feel connected, supported and safe. We produce students who become pillars of their families, churches and communities. We want to instill in them the values of pride, connection, community, globalization, diversity and inclusion. We believe this new construction project is the opportunity to make sure these values read prominently within our campus.

With these ambitious goals in mind, we’ve started

the building, we focused on large communal spaces and provided increased glass and transparency in areas that students will congregate to increase and enhance the visibility to and from the rest of campus. The west side of the building will house the Performing Arts Center, phase two of our project, giving the campus a space large enough for 1,100 students to gather. Special attention has been paid to make sure the stage is large enough for Handel’s “Messiah” and the aisles are enlarged to accommodate strolling, ever mindful that this building will need to help our students become globally connected and relevant while also staying very culturally and community oriented.

We, as a campus family, are very excited to share publicly what we’ve been working on as it starts to shape the future direction of our university. We take a tremendous amount of pride in the impact our students make in the world. We steadfastly and diligently focus on building and reinforcing the values we strive to instill in them and have let those values be the guiding force in this exciting new project.

Laurence B. Alexander, J.D., Ph.D., is the ninth chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 45

CAN WE FIX IT? YES WE CAN! Small developers make a big difference in downtown Springdale.

COURTESY PAYTON PARKER

BY PAYTON PARKER

BEFORE

811 S. Turner in Springdale.

I

f you visit downtown Springdale today, you’ll find it alive with cranes — the feathered kind and those that run on diesel.

That’s because, as you may have heard, downtown Springdale is experiencing a rebirth of sorts. In addition to new art, new programming and new businesses, there are a few new buildings filling the skyline — among them Tyson Foods’ information technology office (opened in 2018) and Blue Crane’s mixed-use developments. These large-scale projects are important because they will provide the density (workers and residents alike) that is so critical to creating a vibrant downtown.

Before these big developments came along, however, downtown Springdale residents were already at work on smaller projects that have paved the way for the larger ones by generating demand and stirring up excitement and interest. Here, I share my story and that of a colleague whom I admire. Hopefully they will inspire you to join us in the league of small developers. Can we fix those eyesores in our neighborhood? Yes, we can!

THE ROAD TO REAL ESTATE My journey into real estate began when I began buying and renovating properties in 2014. My second purchase in 2015 was an 800-square-foot cinder block building once used to test vaccines for the poultry industry. Though it was somewhat unsightly, I could see the potential in this little building and bought the property off market by sending the owner, who lived in California, a letter — an actual mailed letter with a stamp. I bought it cheap and spent about a month cleaning it up; 45 days later, I had it leased to a local trim carpenter who also built furniture. Over the years it also served as a music studio and bathrooms for a food truck. That may not sound glamorous, but that’s real estate development! Fast-forward to 2022, 46 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

and there’s a new street extension and major upcoming investments in the nearby park. I’m happy to report that my partners and I have completed several other projects and are exploring plans for a new mixed-use project on that site.

It’s funny now to think that for a long time I didn’t consider myself a real estate developer. I didn’t feel like I had earned that title. I had never built anything from the ground up. I had never assembled five parcels from various owners using tax credits and a 1039 exchange.

I couldn’t tell you what an equity waterfall was, but I did fill empty spaces with people. Really, that’s all it is, and you can do it!

A WORD TO ASPIRING DEVELOPERS If this article has inspired you to run headfirst into real estate development, here are some commandments (or strong suggestions): *Familiarize yourself with your local code of ordinances, especially those involving form-based code (if you’re lucky), zonings, land use, design standard and parking minimums (if you’re unlucky).

Knowing your city’s master plan is like having a crystal ball. *Network and get to know the other people in your development sphere — that includes planning department staff, other developers, business owners and any other interesting characters that inhabit your neighborhood. We’re all on the same team with the same goal of improving our community. *Hunt for those diamond-in-the-rough properties, and when you find them, be willing to do what others won’t. That includes mailing physical letters (see above).

Payton Parker is the owner and principal broker at Black Bear Real Estate & Development.

COURTESY PAYTON PARKER

STRIVING TO PROVIDE INNOVATIVE ELECTRICAL SOLUTIONS WITH QUALITY MATERIALS & SUPERIOR CRAFTSMANSHIP

The Grove Cottage in Springdale.

THE GROVE COTTAGE

BY SARAH TALDO-BROTHERS

I

n 2017, my husband, Zach, and I —new empty nesters — were ready for an adventure. Being a lifelong resident of Springdale, I have many fond memories of downtown, which is why getting involved with the revitalization effort was a perfect fit. For our first project, we purchased a cottage built in 1897. Even though most considered it a teardown, we could see the potential. Our goal was to complete the project in such a way that it would enhance downtown. We had years of experience remodeling our rental properties, but we were green with regard to the then newly passed, form-based code. Initially the code intimidated us, but once we started working with it, we appreciated the guidelines it provided. As with most processes, we experienced some things that worked as we hoped and others that did not. We were able to save the wood floors, open a dropped ceiling to expose beams and keep the wavy glass windows on the original part of the structure. We were also able to arrange the addition in a way to save the more-than120-year-old trees and the detached outbuilding, which is now a repurposed garden shed. In contrast, we learned quickly that when you are working with an old home, you should expect that issues will arise. We also found that saving original details in the home took longer and cost more than we thought. In the end, however, we feel like the increased time and extra funds spent were worth it because they allowed the design of the cottage to flow seamlessly from old to new. Today, The Grove Cottage is a successful short-term vacation rental where we focus on giving guests an opportunity to experience historical charm with modern comforts. We hope all who see the cottage enjoy our little piece of sunshine in downtown Springdale.

Sarah Taldo-Brothers is a downtown Springdale resident and developer.

Serving the Central Arkansas area for 40 years

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www.entegritypartners.com |info@entegritypartners.com VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 47

FORT SMITH’S SECOND CITY Chaffee Crossing is booming.

COURTESY OF FORT CHAFFEE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, PC BRANCHOUT STUDIOS

BY DANIEL MANN AND LORIE ROBERTSON

Chaffee Crossing Historic & Entertainment District aerial

T

hough many city administrators and leaders dream of having more land to develop and use for the economic and social benefit of their residents, many never have that opportunity. That’s not the case, however, in the Fort Smith region.

In 1995, the U.S. Department of Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted to convey 7,000 acres of the former Fort Chaffee Joint Regional Training Center (now Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center operated by the Arkansas Army National Guard) to the state of Arkansas. This ultimately created the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority Public Trust, which oversees development of the land and how it can best benefit the residents of Fort Smith, Barling, Greenwood and the rest of Sebastian County.

Due to the sheer volume of real estate, the dated or lack of utility infrastructure, the number of buildings in disrepair and the lack of 48 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

connectivity to development around the perimeter of Fort Smith and Barling, the challenges were great. The greatest variable in the equation was, of course, funding for the public aspects of the project. It was known that proceeds from the sale of the property would eventually come back to the trust and be reinvested in infrastructure and public developments, but in the beginning, resources were very, very scant.

Many concepts were brought to the table to address the rapidly evaporating regional manufacturing jobs and the need for residential development. As they took a step back, however, leadership recognized the gift for what it was: a blank slate that could be planned, molded and formed into a near fairy tale development. Fast-forward to present day and a staggering $2.3 billion projected in capital investments have been made in Chaffee Crossing, the branded name of the economic development project.

This dream project is now the hottest development prospect in

western Arkansas with tangible momentum that will change the course of history for generations to come. The Redevelopment Authority attributes this success to a number of factors, including: intense, methodical planning and execution of a future-landuse plan; partnership building; developments that complement regional assets; and balancing all aspects of daily life from employers to services, residences, recreation and amenities. The growth, however, is wisely tempered by lessons learned over the past 25 years.

WRITING THE VISION Working with planning professionals to create a road map for the development was critical. It provided an opportunity to plan streets, utility easements, setbacks for sidewalks, trails and public amenities before the first foundation was poured. Areas of greatest projected density were identified, and complementary land uses were designated around it. The beauty of the plan lay in the fact that the land was not zoned; parcels were assigned landuse classifications. This provided FCRA trustees the flexibility to change land-use classifications within reason once the property was sold to a buyer with a defined development plan. Real estate contracts with development periods and a comprehensive set of design guidelines also helped shape the master-planned community in tandem with city unified development ordinances

success of the project has attracted successful community leaders who have in turn raised its overall level of achievement. Success definitely breeds success.

COMPLEMENTING THE ENSEMBLE Bringing together a consortium of the brightest, most talented and visionary people in the regional community has been essential to achieve FCRA’s development goals, but that’s just one component of relationship-building. Organizations cannot build relationships for the sole purpose of getting what they need — they must also give in return. The future master development plan wasn’t created in a vacuum. It was designed not only for the land within the boundary, but also to complement regional assets with a look toward future regional development. For instance, several hundred acres were set aside for public landfills and the future Interstate 49 right of way even though there was no funding or schedule for the project. Street and utility rights of way were planned before parcels were sold with required setbacks for sidewalks and trails included. Land-use considerations related to proximity to the regional airport and Arkansas river ports were put in place. The need for residential development to accommodate growth in the private sector as well as new and expanded missions for Arkansas Air and Army National Guard units based in Fort Smith were given high priority. Public demands for the Arkansas

THIS DREAM PROJECT IS NOW THE HOTTEST DEVELOPMENT PROSPECT IN WESTERN ARKANSAS WITH TANGIBLE MOMENTUM THAT WILL CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. or codes. As time has passed, design guidelines have been adapted to reflect changes in modern building materials and standards, but not to the point of deviating from the overall vision for the area. Interestingly, this has contributed to the adoption of parallel UDOs among the cities of Fort Smith and Barling, which has created even greater opportunities for consistency within Chaffee Crossing. Having a written future-land-use plan and master development guidelines have helped smooth the development process. In addition, an independent design review committee evaluates development plans based on Chaffee Crossing master development guidelines before city planning commissioners consider plans for permits. Working in tandem with city planners, this process has created open dialogue and communication that helps facilitate projects.

CHOOSING WISE PARTNERS The success of Chaffee Crossing development would not have happened without the wise counsel and support of a wide range of professionals and supporters. The magnitude of the work required barriers to be broken down in order to bring the right partners to the table. From a broad perspective, this project is parallel to building a city within the cities. Building relationships with recognized leaders representing engineering, architectural, finance, public utility, education, commercial and residential development, nonprofit and recreational organizations in addition to congressional delegates and city leaders has been critical to the planning and development process. Over time, the contributors may have changed in response to the phases of development, but there has been no lack of supporters wanting to be involved. The

Game and Fish Commission Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center, trails, dog parks, the Chaffee Barbershop Museum and other amenities required donation of land and creative partnerships with other public entities to obtain grants and other funding to make those projects come to life. On the topic of land donations, FCRA trustees made a very bold move in 2014 when they donated 200 acres of prime property to the newly created, privately owned Arkansas Colleges of Health Education.

Madness, they said. Perhaps it seemed so at that time. But crazy smart and visionary? Absolutely! Today, ACHE is changing the culture of Fort Smith by attracting more than 700 future medical professionals and 170 highly paid staff to a city that was known for manufacturing, not medicine, with an economic impact of more than $100 million per year. ACHE in turn donated part of the original 200 acres to Mercy Fort Smith to build a $23 million state-of-the-art rehabilitation hospital. And they’re just getting started. FCRA’s scale is tipped toward giving, and it has proven contagious.

BALANCING WORK, BALANCING LIFE Arkansas companies facing workforce shortages are relying on the appeal of community assets more than ever in their recruiting.

The Fort Smith region has that advantage. For the past two decades, millennials have made it clear they are more interested in having experiences than owning possessions; therefore, many first choose an address that appeals to them and then find jobs online when they get there. Working remotely also gives Americans wide-open opportunities to ditch the magnet of metropolitan brick-and-mortar employment and seek lower-cost-of-living VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 49

COURTESY OF FORT CHAFFEE REDEVLOPMENT AUTHORITY COURTESY OF FCRA/ERC CREATE, LLC

Chaffee Crossing Farmers & Artisans Market

COURTESY OF FCRA/RIGHTMIND ADVERTISING, G6M PRODUCTIONS

Revel at The HUB

HSA Engineering office in remodeled Historic District warehouse.

50 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

opportunities in smaller markets. The pandemic exponentially increased the demand for outdoor recreation and amenities near natural resources. Cue the Chaffee Crossing lifestyle. The FCRA future master land-use plan includes areas for public art, public parks and open spaces in addition to industrial, commercial and residential development. All of these attractive features organically exist in the western Arkansas region and have been intentionally reserved, preserved and enriched within Chaffee Crossing. Miles of trails for running, cycling and walking, lakes for fishing, pickleball and three entertainment districts now exist. The appeal of a balanced lifestyle is helping local businesses with recruiting and retention. Who knew back in 2008 how prophetic that plan would become? The proof is in the numbers. FCRA has reinvested at least $14 million in Chaffee Crossing infrastructure and capital improvements.

More than 3,800 jobs are being created in Chaffee Crossing, and many of those employees are choosing to live in or near the area due to the close proximity to so many amenities. There are now 42 residential neighborhoods in Chaffee Crossing with more than 4,000 units built or planned; approximately 44% are singlefamily homes ranging from starters to luxury custom builds.

Since 2011, real estate tax collections have been boosted nearly $23 million by property sold in Chaffee Crossing.

HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF When the U.S. Army built its premier Army training camp for World War II in 1941, the injection of millions of dollars changed the western Arkansas economy forever. When FCRA inherited some of those historic buildings, trustees wondered if they could ever be productively used again or if they should be demolished. A future vision for a mixed-use development — including 50 historic buildings nestled next to the I-49 corridor — that was bounced around for nearly 20 years finally took hold in 2016, and the Chaffee Crossing Historic District was officially under development. Today, more than $30 million is being injected into the area. Former admin buildings are being converted to retail and commercial spaces. Two-story barracks are being converted to Airbnbs and apartments above retail and restaurant spaces. Parades, farmers markets, artisans markets and fundraising events are hosted year-round. Property values are increasing, and housing issues are being solved. Jobs are being created and taxes generated for the first time in 80 years.

It took a lot of patience, time and creativity, but the end result is that the development in Chaffee is once again rewriting the regional economy for generations to come.

REAPING WHAT IS SOWN Chaffee Crossing is a living example of dreams coming true against all odds. The success story began with World War II and continues today as international businesses make this hallowed ground their home, offering desirable employment opportunities to replace other jobs lost. Thousands of families of varying socio-economic status enjoy trails and amenities a few steps from their front doors. Local government has more funding for public infrastructure that is accomplished through cost-sharing with FCRA. It’s an unlikely Cinderella story, but it is a living example of people following their dreams, coming together, envisioning what can be and creating balance through development that is planned, inclusive, wholesome and beneficial to all members of the community.

Daniel Mann is CEO of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority and Chaffee Crossing. Lorie Robertson is director of marketing.

Architecture

Planning

Interiors

Making Everyday Places Extraordinary

Existing Condition

NW Arkansas Long Beach, CA San Diego, CA Reston, VA

The Barracks at Chaffee Fort Smith, AR Rival CRE RDC AR.indd 1

Lance Weatherton Senior Regional Director 2203 Promenade Boulevard #8260 Rogers, AR 72758 lance.weatherton@rdcollaborative.com (479) 202-6122 RDCollaborative.com

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET5/26/2022 & BUILDING | 51 10:03:42 AM

REPURPOSING IN ROGERS

How an Art Deco-style automobile dealership became a museum.

BY GAIL AND BRAD SHEPHERD

Rogers Historical Museum

52 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

COURTESY HIGHT JACKSON ASSOCIATES

I

n 1947, Newt Hailey built a new Art Deco-style building in downtown Rogers to house his automobile dealership. Large, curved storefront windows under a tiled facade allowed passersby to view the Ford and Mercury automobiles on display in the showroom. The yearly unveiling of new models was a special event. Workers sneaked the cars into the showroom overnight and covered both the showroom windows and the cars themselves so they could not be seen before the big moment. Residents dressed up for the Saturday event to admire the new cars, even though most could not afford them.

Hailey’s building housed Ford/Mercury sales and service departments until 1967 when the Rogers Daily News purchased the building.

A newspaper does not need a showroom or automobile service area. By 1969, the Art Deco automobile dealership was buried beneath a Federal-style building, with heavy brick walls and square columns and a portico around its entrance.

The thick walls of the remodeled building hid the curved showroom wall so that corners became square inside and out. The ground floor held office space and the heavy press that printed the newspaper every day. A dark room and storage space were tucked up into the attic.

A remodel and addition in 2006 made the building more utilitarian but also more pedestrian.

While it fit the needs of the newspaper, it would not have looked out of place in a strip mall — aside from the lack of large windows.

In 2015, the Northwest Arkansas DemocratGazette, successor to the Rogers Daily News, closed its Rogers office.

Across the street, the Rogers Historical Museum had outgrown its location and needed more space. Following a 1982 donation, the Rogers Historical Museum had moved into the Hawkins House, located across South Second Street from the Hailey Building. The small Hawkins House was supplemented in 1987 by the Key Wing annex (named in honor of donor Vera Key).

A block away, the old Rogers Youth Center was repurposed as the museum’s collections storage.

Over the years, the old Youth Center building has housed the Rogers City Hall and Benton County administrative offices. Vacant before the museum took it over, it now has a purpose again.

The museum began planning an expansion almost 10 years before the newspaper closed its Rogers office. Instead of having to build a new building, the acquisition of the Hailey Building meant that the museum would have the space it needed and that the historic building would be restored and saved, the front returned to its VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 53

Gail Shepherd is a principal architect at Hight Jackson Associates, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP. 54 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

COURTESY HIGHT JACKSON ASSOCIATES COURTESY HIGHT JACKSON ASSOCIATES

original appearance.

The renovation began in 2018, a joint venture between Louisville, Kentucky-based De Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop and local Rogers architects Hight Jackson Associates.

The architects faced the challenge of restoring the building to its original appearance while making it fit the Rogers Historical Museum’s needs. The 2006 building addition needed to defer to the character of the older structure, so it was reskinned in gray brick and tone-on-tone metal panels to provide a simple, elegant backdrop for the historic building.

The facade was found partially intact within the 2006 remodel by the newspaper, but the architects needed historical photographs in order to reconstruct it. Original brick remained, damaged by the construction that concealed the Art Deco building. Brick was carefully curated to match in color and texture. The rare Vitrolite glass tiles that covered the facade also needed to be refurbished or replaced, the existing tiles supplemented with Vitrolite tiles salvaged from across the country. To complete the exterior renovation, a true neon sign was built for the museum to replicate the Ford sign that had once hung over the front entry.

For new materials, the architects alluded to the original form and function of the building. High lacquer surfaces and smoothly rounded corners evoke the lines and paint of the old Ford and Mercury automobiles. Paint colors were pulled from the original terrazzo floor found under carpet during demolition and restored to be the flooring for the main lobby.

Much of the original showroom space inside is open once again.

For the building’s grand opening, a stagecoach similar to those that plied the Butterfield Trail sat where classic Ford and Mercury cars once had. The formal exhibit spaces take advantage of openweb steel trusses that give the exhibits the flexibility to move and change as needed. A diagonal circulation path shapes the galleries and leads to the exterior alley behind the museum. The 2006 addition now houses visitor-support spaces, a smaller specialized gallery, the administration area, and an exhibit workshop and delivery area.

Taking advantage of exterior spaces, the newspaper’s loading dock was transformed into an outdoor classroom that continues on to the alley space behind the museum. The adjacent parking lot, with tree plantings, doubles as an exterior plaza.

Over the last decade and more, the city of Rogers has attempted to revitalize its historic downtown area. Many buildings in the area that were vacant or falling into disrepair have been renovated and serve as restaurants, shops, bars and offices. A block northeast of the Hailey Building, where downtown meets the railroad tracks, has been reimagined as the Frisco Park, a multiuse public space that includes a historic caboose with interpretative panels provided by the museum.

The Rogers Historical Museum campus (the Hailey Building and Hawkins House) — adjacent to the Frisco Front and Victory Row Experience Districts identified in the city of Rogers Master Plan — anchors the southeast side of the historic downtown district. Giving these historic buildings a contemporary purpose reinforces the museum’s mission to “enrich lives through education, experience and exploration” of the region’s unique heritage and celebrates the idea of the “city as exhibit” by capitalizing on relationships between the stylistically diverse collection of downtown buildings, outdoor public spaces and connective pedestrian pathways that engage the community at large.

The Hailey Building once gave residents of Rogers a destination to view the latest, most modern cars. It once again provides a destination, but now to view the city’s and region’s history.

Interiors of the renovated Rogers Historical Museum.

WOVEN TOGETHER

Creating a tapestry of equity through the arts.

BY CRYSTAL C. MERCER

B

COURTESY CRYSTAL C. MERCER

lack. Southern. Woman. Poet. Activist — these are just a building their own buffets of justice, trading seats and scraps for handful of the identities that are an integral part of my thrones and feasts. humanity and how I move through this world. Though An example of such ceremonious table setting is the scale of my important to show up in my fullness, there is also a veil of recent work, “Black Star: A Love Letter From A Daughter of the disdain when I am navigating a world that constantly rejects me for Diaspora.” It was seen on display in March 2022 at the Arkansas my ethnicity and assumed civil standing in a country that was built Repertory Theatre, held as a flagship institution of performance from a legacy of slave labor. As a young girl, my late grandmother, art in Central Arkansas, during their production of “School Girls; Leola Strong Brown Or, the African Mean Girls (affectionately known as Lobby installation at the Rep for “School Girls; Or, The African Play” by Jocelyn Bioh. My “Memaw”), picked cotton Mean Girls Play”. lobby installation featured a in Pelahatchie, Mississippi, 32 1/2- by 12-foot Ghanaian later laying roots in Pine Flag quilt, swallowing the Bluff as a wife and mother entire theater, visible from in the late 1940s. Her hands, the heavy traffic at the a wrinkle in time, lined with corner of Sixth and Main the stories of her sacrifices streets, as a testament to to build a better life for every iota of my being. her family, are the same A diverse threading of hands that prayed with me, young, old, professional, combed my hair, prepared creative and a rainbow of holiday meals and lifted ethnicities stood under with thanks when good the red, gold and green things happened. Those bands, centered with a happenings were few and black star, making their own far between. Barriers and quilted cool of connection. access to justice are more That declaration in like boulders to shoulder, the cloth ignited many as if the titan Atlas himself conversations about origin, was an uncle to me, posed art, beauty, culture and, in a position I often feel, most importantly, the crux weighted with inequities. of my work as an artist: However, being from The equity. These dialogues are Natural State, a lush haven necessary and simulated of mountains, lakes, caves by art; whether it’s an and diamonds, I understand how pressure can create beauty. installation, mural or sculpture, they help us interact in rural and Godmother. Sister. Daughter. Traveler. Artist — these are another urban settings, hopefully allowing progress to be made. collective of identities that have fueled my work to dismantle Stitch(her). Make(her). Create(her) — these identities are at the oppressive systems and construct new realities to encourage intersection of a cotton blossom of a girl from Little Rock, who equity. My primary mediums: theater, poetry and textiles, are fully bloomed in her world travels and returned to the South to utilized for building creative communities through artistic promote freedom. It is in that freedom where I perfect my work, expression. There are a slew of artists who are using their craft to amplify my voice and the voices of others, to fight for change and create a tapestry of equity through the arts. Be it visual, literary advocate for communities where people of color can exist without or tactile, artists are generating a positive relationship with their agitation, oppression or question. It is the balance of justice, art, small towns, city centers and booming metropolises to provoke design, renewal and development that can erect a stronger sense of thought and spark dialogue, interlocking pain with expression, to togetherness. But this work is not my work alone. There is room for pursue deeper human connections. In addition to strengthening everyone to light a candle on the altar of liberty. There are enough our equilibrium of co-existing in peace, artists are also leading the thrones for us all to dine like royalty at the table of freedom. charge of preserving humanity through an imaginative historical record and boosting economic activity with their capture. A current recognizable phrase being used to describe how we integrate as society is diversity, equity and inclusion. DEI work, also known Crystal C. Mercer is an Afro-creative, textile artist, actor, activist, as DEIA (adding the “A” for accessibility), is a hot topic, as poet, author, creative director of Columbus Creative Arts + Activism, communities that were traditionally excluded from the table are and designer and lead merchant of Mercer Textile Mercantile.

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BUILT TO SUIT Bentonville’s first mid-rise building is a structure in, of and for its place.

BY LINDSAY SOUTHWICK The Ledger is Arkansas’s first truly bikeable building.

PROJECT CREDITS Michel Rojkind: Design Architect Callaghan Horiuchi: Design Architect and Design Manager Marlon Blackwell Architects: Design Architect and Architect of Record

56 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

MICHEL ROJKIND AND CALLAGHAN HORIUCHI

H

ow do you design an office building that incorporates the biking infrastructure of a community?

How do you build a structure that honors the art culture of the city?

How do you create a diverse office space that is also accessible to the public?

What if you could ride your bike to the door of your fifthstory office?

What would a bikeable building look like?

Just blocks from Bentonville’s town square, in the heart of the city’s best offerings of food, recreation and art, a six-story office space is being constructed. Ledger is a state-of-the-art structure that is anything but a conventional office building.

Its purpose is to meet Bentonville’s increasing demand for flexible work space, but the inspiration behind it comes from the culture that has been created there.

“The idea emerged from answering questions and looking at the specificity of the place,” said Marlon Blackwell of Marlon Blackwell Architects, the architect of record for Ledger. “Looking outside the box of how you make a new development become part of the larger network of businesses and institutions that have long been in the community. Going against the status quo and looking at how you can both connect to the biking infrastructure, as well as honor the art culture that’s there.”

Marlon Blackwell Architects worked in collaboration with architecture firms Callaghan Horiuchi and Rojkind Arquitectos. The designs of Marlon Blackwell are not new to Bentonville; the firm’s work dots the downtown landscape at Thaden School and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Each firm has a proven track record for creating spaces that encourage human interaction and incorporate public space into commercial buildings. The combined resumes of the three firms span the globe — from Mexico City, to New York, to Abu Dhabi. Their projects are works of art, consciously designed to reflect the cities in which they reside.

With outdoor ramps vertically traversing the building — from the street to the rooftop — Ledger is a true bikeable building. It’s a first of its kind and one of few buildings in the world that has vertical pedestrian experiences.

“You come to a project like this with a progressive mindset, moving away from the typical or conventional-type building,” Blackwell said. “Biking and mobility are now exemplified and manifested in the actual articulation of the building itself. It’s a structure that’s in its place that’s of its place, and that’s for its place.”

Ledger, which is slated to open this fall, introduces Bentonville’s first mid-rise building. The demand for a high-density structure is the result of the extreme growth Bentonville has experienced in recent years. A mere 20 years ago, Bentonville was considered a sleepy town, where shops closed early and parking spots were never hard to find. Today the population sits just below 55,000. Over the last decade its population grew by 53%, which is an increase of nearly 600 people per square mile.

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 57

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arktimes.com 58 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

In addition to the growth derived from being the corporate headquarters of Walmart, the arrival of Crystal Bridges and The Momentary — world-class art museums — has created an artistic culture that is seen throughout the city and on the trails with intermittent sculptures and graffiti-lined buildings. And then there are the miles and miles (and miles) of bike trails that have made Bentonville one of the best bike destinations in the world. The culmination of these investments into the city have put Bentonville on the map as a premium place to live, work and play.

Ledger is merely an appendage of Bentonville’s ecosystem.

The traversing ramps that scale the six-story building act as an extension of the expansive greenway system. The bike ride to the top offers some of the best views of the city. Its floor to ceiling windows allow for constant connection to the outdoors, and with more than 200 pieces of original artwork throughout the building, it pays tribute to the thriving art culture.

“By introducing a vertical building you’re actually taking public space and you’re extending it,” Blackwell said. “It’s six stories but the entirety of it is bikeable and walkable. The way the exterior interfaces with the interior creates a much more active space. You’re not cut off from the world when you go to work.”

The interior offers multiple ways to use the space. Leasable private and shared spaces are available for individuals or companies, large and small. “On-Demand Space” will give patrons the ability to reserve meeting rooms, classrooms and even micro-kitchens. A “Day Pass” will allow guests to make Ledger their place of work just for the day, giving them full access to the many amenities offered, including wellness and mothers’ rooms and a shared pantry. The exterior space, with the meandering switchbacks and outdoor terraces, is open to anyone. It’s an office building and community center in one.

“It plays into the whole ethos of well-being and mobility that the city of Bentonville is about,” Blackwell said. “In the day-today life, there is a high degree of possibility. The option to bike or walk to your office. All the infrastructural amenities that are built into the building. It’s a community within a community. I envision it creating a condition where all are welcome. Where people enjoy the relaxed and informal setting. It’s a healthy environment that’s also conducive to work.”

Scaling a building in an unobtrusive way is what makes Ledger both unique and a model for what sensitive urban development can be — in Arkansas and elsewhere. Population growth and rising land costs are inevitable and with them, the demand for high-density spaces is all but certain. Ledger is a proof of concept that a building can meet the growing demands of a city while also providing inclusive, public spaces. It’s proof that a building can be just as much a functional space as it is an homage to its city.

Lindsay Southwick is a freelance writer. When she isn’t writing she is running or biking on the trails. Originally from out west, Arkansas has been her home for 10 years. She lives in Bentonville with her husband and four children.

Customized Development Solutions From site selection to move-in day, the development team at Colliers | Arkansas can help make your ideas a reality.

Contact us today to find out how we can help: Bradford Gaines, PLA Director of New Developments

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bradford.gaines@colliers.com 1 Allied Dr., Suite 1500 Little Rock, AR 72202 1.501.372.6161 colliers.com/arkansas

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Bear Den Estates, Little Rock VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 59

‘THE PRETTIEST BUILDING ON MAIN STREET’ A renovated anchor serves the city in Lake Village.

BY STEPHEN KOCH Tushek Building

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WINROCK INTERNATIONAL

T

otaling 4,000 square feet, the Tushek Building “could have been anything,” said former owner Beverly Mihalyka. And it has been. But, over a century of use, the Tushek may now be serving its most important function yet — as the anchor of municipal services for its citizens, and as a model of historic renovation in a city looking to encourage reinvestment in its downtown.

The two-story building has housed a jewelry store, and later became Epstein’s, a department store that eventually moved down the street in the 1950s. It was also home to Lake Village’s first telephone office, an optometry office for the Tusheks’ son and USDA offices. A rooming house was upstairs, and during the 1927 flood the family lived on the second floor — rare high ground in the flat river Delta plains of extreme Southeast Arkansas.

As years went on, the distinctive structure fell into disrepair, although the thickwalled building remained structurally sound. Mihalyka, who now lives in Vicksburg, Mississippi, loved it so much that she and her then-husband’s company, Chicot Irrigation, bought the Tushek from the family. “I couldn’t let anything happen to that building,” she explained. Estimates for renovation ran at about $1 million.

After plans for a restaurant languished, JoAnne Bush, Lake Village mayor at the time, asked if they’d consider donating the building to the city.

And today, the Tushek, located on Main Street in the Chicot County seat, serves as Lake Village City Hall. “I’m in the building right now,” said Lake Village Mayor Joe Dan Yee during a phone interview. LEED certified, the Tushek Building became Lake Village City Hall 10 years ago. In addition to the mayor’s office — with its stellar views of Lake Chicot, the titular “Lake” in the town’s name — the building houses municipal court offices, city council chambers, the fire chief’s office and police. The city water department is also located in the building, which means most of the local citizenry visits at least once a month, if only to pay the water bill — but benches outside encourage sitting a spell if you’ve got the time.

JoAnne Bush served as mayor during the changeover. “We had outgrown the old City Hall, and it was not in the best shape,” she said. Born and raised in Lake Village, Bush had childhood memories of the jewelry store and Mr. Tushek, but she was driven by more than nostalgia for an admittedly “gorgeous” building: “We wanted to stay downtown and stir up some growth,” she said, noting that “most new construction is out by the highway.”

With the previous city hall in “pitiful” condition, council member Linda Haddock served on the renovation committee; she said the goal was to save and restore as much of the building as possible. Original doors were hung on the walls “like art.”

The early 20th century wood floor remains on the top story. The antique glass display cabinets from the Tusheks’ jewelry store era now show off other jewels — area “relics,” including a hunk of the old river bridge that once straddled the mighty Mississippi east of town. “It’s a beautiful way to show off those things, and preserve what we have,” Haddock said. In still another instance of adaptive reuse, the old mayor’s office is now the local food pantry.

“It’s the prettiest building on Main Street by far,” Haddock said. “And it’s all only because JoAnne Bush was on this project like white on rice. She was the glue.”

Bush said with the Tushek serving as the central hub for city services, Lake Village was “able to shut down four different city buildings, so we saved money there. And having all that in one place made it really accessible [to the public].”

Remembering her time “pestering everyone for grants,” Bush said she encourages municipalities and “all mayors to take advantage of all the resources out there. I believe in grassroots — from the bottom up, not the top down.” A decade ago, with the Tushek freshly renovated, Bush’s initial inclination in setting up her office was for the mayor’s desk to face the lake. She changed her mind. “I decided to put my back to the lake, so maybe some who come in here who were not happy were made happy by looking at the lake.”

Saving the Tushek “was just the thing to do,” former owner Mihalyka noted.

“Now, we just need more people to invest in Lake Village and Main Street.”

Stephen Koch is an award-winning journalist in both broadcasting and print.

Author of “Louis Jordan: Son of Arkansas, Father of R&B,” he’s also writer/host of “Arkansongs,” heard on public radio stations all across Arkansas, in east Texas and Louisiana.

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 61

A CITY GRANT LIGHTS THE WAY FOR SUCCESS IN LEVY

BRIAN CHILSON

BY GRIFFIN COOP

Crosswalk at 34th and Camp Robinson in Levy.

S

ometimes the wheels of government turn slowly, but that doesn’t mean things aren’t moving in the right direction.

Nine years ago, the city of North Little Rock received a grant for $2.3 million to improve transportation options and spur economic development in the city’s Levy area near Interstate 40. Today, the project is nearly complete with new sidewalks and crosswalks in place and new lighting and landscaping on the way.

The area is home to several small businesses, including restaurants, a small grocery store and a church with residential areas nearby.

Metroplan awarded the grant in 2013, but the project dragged on for years as the city held “countless meetings” with stakeholders, according to the city’s director of development, Robert Birch.

Birch took over the program in July 2019 when it was only about 50% complete with the goal of getting it to construction.

“Over the eight, nine years prior to construction starting, it was a very slow process,” Birch said. “It was a lot of meetings with community members [and] walking the area, but it was a time for

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getting some plans going and moving.”

The project moved to construction in January 2021, and today it’s nearly complete. Sidewalks and decorative crosswalks have been installed and parking spots have been created along some of the streets. The city also changed some zoning in the area to create more mixed-use development and narrowed Camp Robinson Road to two lanes to slow traffic passing through the area. New lighting and landscaping will be added as well.

Metroplan Executive Director Tab Townsell described the Levy project as an attempt to “redefine the cultural life and economic future of an older corridor by creating a full-spectrum transportation system in that corridor that is both sensitive to the users of the system and the land uses alongside it.”

Construction created a few hassles for the neighborhood, but Birch said most people involved understood it was good for the community in the long run.

“I told a lot of the business owners, ‘it’s going to be a headache while it’s being built,’” Birch said. “But the long-term future of

BY INVESTING IN THE AREA, THE CITY HOPED BUSINESS OWNERS AND PROPERTY OWNERS WOULD BE MORE INCLINED TO MAKE THEIR OWN INVESTMENTS. PROSPECTIVE BUSINESS OWNERS WOULD ALSO, HOPEFULLY, FIND THE AREA MORE ATTRACTIVE TO CREATE NEW BUSINESSES.

SOUTHGATE PLAZA

this area is going to be greatly enhanced by this project, because businesses want to locate in newly developed areas.”

By investing in the area, the city hoped business owners and property owners would be more inclined to make their own investments. Prospective business owners would also, hopefully, find the area more attractive to create new businesses.

According to Birch, existing businesses have already begun investing, and prospective owners have called to inquire about the area.

“A city can only do so much to promote growth,” Birch said. “But us showing that we are going to invest almost $2.5 million into that area shows that we feel it’s worthy to those business owners and landowners to invest in their property to increase their value, to increase the value of the neighborhood as a whole.”

In addition to the Levy project, Metroplan has funded similar projects in North Little Rock’s Park Hill neighborhood as well as areas in Bryant, Conway and Little Rock.

Griffin Coop lives in Little Rock and covers the cannabis industry for the Arkansas Times.

TOPGOLF & THE WALMART AMP

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SITE DEVELOPMENT AT UPTOWN ROGERS VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 63

ARKANSAS RIVER CONNECTION PROJECT Connecting trails, rails and water-based transportation to create new economic opportunity.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND TOURISM

BY GREG NABHOLZ

Arkansas River Connection envisioned as transportation hub for statewide tourism travel.

I

n 2004, I — along with a group of dedicated economic and tourism leaders from Northwest Arkansas, the Arkansas River Valley, Central Arkansas and Southeast Arkansas launched an effort to look at how the Arkansas River and trail systems, railways, scenic byways, airports and other transportation hubs adjacent to and/or intersecting with the Arkansas River could be integrated in such a way that an entire new tourism experience and economic development tool for the state could be utilized.

In 2006, Arkansas River Connection was named and organized as a 501(c)(6), a mission has formally adopted and funds were raised

64 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

for the first phase of a master plan study to identify all the assets that existed along a corridor where the river and its connections spanned.

The mission of the organization is to analyze and connect tourist, recreational and entertainment attractions along the Arkansas River using multimodal forms of transportation for the purpose of expanding economic development and improving the quality of life.

The name includes “Arkansas River” because it is the primary focus and backbone of this project. “Connection” refers to linking the cities, towns and counties along the Arkansas River and other

navigable waterways. Two of those waterways are the White and Mississippi rivers, accessible from the Arkansas River as well as accessible to cities and counties through other transportation means — i.e. Arkansas-Missouri Railroad’s excursion passenger train in Northwest Arkansas and trail systems such as the Arkansas River Trail in Central Arkansas and the Delta Heritage Trail in Southeast Arkansas. “Connection” also denotes unification for Northwest Arkansas, Arkansas River Valley, Central Arkansas, East Arkansas and Southeast Arkansas.

The first phase of a master plan was funded and completed in 2007.

A database was created allowing users to easily search for business listings, tourist attractions, recreational venues, events and other tourism-related information for locations near the Arkansas River and its identified rail and trail connections. What was clear from the first phase of the study is that the number of these attractions, venues and events was immense, providing for almost every type of recreational or leisure activity a person might want to enjoy.

Because almost all were located within a short walkable or bikeable distance to the Arkansas River or its connections, just by developing new or integrating existing intersection points where trails, rail and the rivers met into transportation hubs, the infrastructure would be there to link all these attractions and create new tourism experiences.

One example of the numerous experiences is summed up best in the opening paragraph of an article where I was interviewed about the ARC project by Roby Brock in the 2008 edition of Talk Business Quarterly magazine titled “The Arkansas River Connection”: “It’s a glorious fall weekend in Arkansas. The Razorbacks are playing a Saturday night football game in Fayetteville. From Little Rock, you and your spouse decide to take off from work Friday, catch a boat ferry up the Arkansas River to the wine country in Altus.

By afternoon, you are sampling vineyard vintage creations. Then upriver to Van Buren, where you’ll port at the marina and stay in an area hotel or bed & breakfast for the evening. You sample the local music scene in Fort Smith that night after throwing back a couple of cold ones and dogging on a plate-sized mega-burrito at Rolando’s on Garrison Avenue. The next morning brings some light shopping up and down Main Street in Van Buren before catching a train ride through the color-bursting Ozark Mountains to Fayetteville in advance of tailgating with local friends before the game. The Hogs whip Alabama by four touchdowns, which makes the rest of the night on Dickson Street one for the ages. Back to your hotel for some shut-eye. The next morning, you sleep in, have a late breakfast, and begin the return trip by rail and by river. Sound like a pipe dream? Maybe the Alabama beatdown. But the rest of the scenario is moving toward reality.”

In 2011, a flotilla organized by ARC spanning the entire Arkansas River brought great publicity to the ARC Project and the initiatives for some of the individual developments that were in motion. ARC also was instrumental in getting legislation passed that provided for public-private partnerships for rail, trail and water-based transportation. It was also during this time that the Delta Project — an initiative spearheaded by former Gov. Mike Beebe to connect communities via trails, byways and the Mississippi and White rivers — that ARC formally incorporated those plans into its mission.

The second phase of the master plan — which remains uncompleted — is to identify the missing pieces needed to complete the infrastructure necessary for the multimodal transportation hubs and generate the financing to support it. This includes new and upgraded transient docks and marinas along the rivers as well as rail, trail, streetcar and public transportation upgrades and stops.

Another aspect of the plan would be to identify and eliminate major obstacles.

The largest infrastructure need identified by the ARC board was and still is to get a fueling dock in the area where the White and Arkansas rivers meet. Due to the fact that the last place to get fuel for boats traveling up the Mississippi River is Greenville, Mississippi, and down the Mississippi River is Memphis and sometimes HelenaWest Helena and the first place to get fuel on the Arkansas River is Little Rock, there is a fuel desert that prohibits most boats from making it up the Arkansas River. It was estimated in 2012 that if the state invested $200,000 to build a 10-foot-by-160-foot dock with a fuel pump next to Arkansas Post State Park near the White-Arkansas River confluence and the Department of Parks and Tourism created a “River Trail” ad campaign like the “Golf Trail” and “Holiday Light Trail” ads, more than $10,000,000 in state tax revenue would be generated.

One of the biggest obstacles identified was the red tape involved in trying to negotiate locations for transient docks and marinas with federal and state agencies and railroads on a site-by-site basis.

Obstacles aside, much of the missing connecting infrastructure that did not exist when ARC was formed has been developed thanks in part to the Walton Family Foundation and federal, state and local infrastructure grants. In 2015, the Razorback Greenway, the 38-mile backbone of a trail system from Fayetteville to Bella Vista that links over 100 miles of local and regional trails in Washington and Benton counties, was dedicated. In 2016, the Big River Crossing bike and pedestrian bridge linking Memphis and West Memphis was opened. The Big River Trail and Delta Heritage Trail are fully funded and when completed will create 215 miles of continuous trail in the Arkansas Delta. In 2018, the Arkansas Missouri Railroad received a federal infrastructure grant to rebuild three bridges, including one spanning the Arkansas River, that will allow more passenger excursion trips to Fort Smith. Master plans for both downtown Rogers and downtown Fort Smith incorporated upgraded rail stops and locations for transient docks and a marina, respectively. The Arkansas River Trail in Central Arkansas is being expanded to include other cities in the metro area. The Southwest Trail, a 75-mile trail along an abandoned railroad line connecting the Arkansas River Trail in Little Rock to Downtown Hot Springs, is under development. Two full-service marinas, Rockwater (downtown North Little Rock) and Rock City Yacht Club, (downtown Little Rock) have also been built.

Now more than ever is an opportunity for The Natural State to move forward with the ARC Project as it was originally envisioned. There is a state budget surplus, federal infrastructure funds, economic development tools and public-private partnership financing that can all be used to fund completion of the plan. ARC as an organization can be an advocate, but this needs to be led by the governor’s office.

The immediate step would be twofold: to release the funds and work through the appropriate state agency to get the fuel dock in place in Southeast Arkansas and to promote traveling on the river. The next step would be to form a partnership between all the state agencies involved with transportation, economic development, local and regional tourism and economic development organizations; and nonprofit foundations and the private sector need to create and execute a master plan.

Greg Nabholz is CEO of Nabholz Properties Inc. and a placemaking economic development consultant.

VOLUME 8 | 2022 BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING | 65

A SECOND ACT

New owners to bring luster to a former gem.

ARTWORK SUPPLIED BY S KEET

BY DWAIN HEBDA

Breckinridge Village revamp intends to revitalize Rodney Parham corridor.

O

n the list of retail and entertainment developments in Little Rock, few are as ensconced in the surrounding residential neighborhood as Breckenridge Village. Now, a new ownership group is committing multiple millions to bring the former gem into a new era of prominence.

“I was around when Breckenridge was first conceived and built and it won all kinds of national awards,” said Jim Keet, chairman of JTJ Restaurants LLC, which forms part of the new ownership group. “Its approach was innovative, from the landscaping to the configuration of the buildings to having a movie theater on site. All those things combined to make it the premier development in Central Arkansas.

“Over the last couple of decades, as other properties were able to recruit some of the higher-profile tenants and others moved out, it kind of lost its way. We’re excited to be creating it in a whole new image.”

KBK-Breck LLC, spearheaded by the Keet family of restaurateurs and joined by fellow ownership partners The Kelley Group, Dale V. “Bo” Briggs, the Bodnar Group of Nashville and others, announced on May 12 its plan to transform Breckenridge back into the city’s premier retail and entertainment destination. The 80,000-squarefoot center at 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road will receive new building exteriors, new landscaping and signage and new entrances with distinct architectural features.

The Regal UA Breckenridge movie theater will remain at the shopping center, amid new tenants that will include no fewer than 66 | BLOCK, STREET & BUILDING VOLUME 8 | 2022

four new restaurant concepts, one of which will be Waldo’s Chicken and Beer. It will be the second location for the fast casual restaurant, of which the Keets and Bodnar are partners.

“We’re excited about creating a whole new image architecturally on the three primary entrances,” Keet said. “We’re also planning some pretty innovative things, such as an amphitheater-style public space feature in the courtyard that all of the restaurants can use.”

Hank Kelley of The Kelley Group, whose I-430 LLC was the center’s previous owner, said the announcement of the new plan represented a bright new dawn for the development. Kelley Commercial Partners will continue to manage the property under the new ownership.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to invest with experienced restaurateurs that understand the food and entertainment business.

They can help guide us in the redevelopment of this property,” he said in a press release. “To serve the region, there is no better location in Central Arkansas than the 11 acres at the southeast corner of Rodney Parham and Interstate 430.”

Keet said preliminary work is expected to be completed before Little Rock students head back to school, and he forecasts the entire project to be complete in 18 months or less. Financing partners for the project are Relyance Bank and First Financial Bank.

“This group intends to bring back the glory days of Breckenridge and revitalize it,” Keet said. “We’re excited to be making this investment in our city and our state. We know that it’s going to be a real draw for Central Arkansas.”

Connecting Arkansas with Global Markets

S

erving the entire global market – over 60 countries, from the U.S. to China, India to Argentina. The Port of Little Rock has everything a manufacturer needs to succeed. From its convenient mid-America location, to its inter-modal transportation system.

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Annually, over $500 M in commodities crosses the docks of three full-service river terminals.

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Contributed $5.1 billion to the local economy over the last decade

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Over 50 businesses, employing 7,000-plus people from 23 Central Arkansas counties

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4,500 acre industrial park

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Competitive incentive packages

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UP and BNSF Railroads serve the Port’s switching railroad – over 10,000 cars yearly

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Quick connections to Interstates 40, 30 and 440 – within five miles

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Adjacent to Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport

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The Port’s Foreign Trade Zone #14 caters to global markets

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Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranked Little Rock #1 of America’s 10 Great Places to Live.

PortofLittleRock.com (501) 490-1468

Welcome to our newest industry partners

Little Rock Port Authority Board of Directors

Joe Bailey Chair

Bobby Brown Vice-Chair

Clay McGeorge Treasurer

Melissa Hendricks Director

Stan Hastings Director

Tamika Edwards Director

Keith Harvey Director

Mayor Frank Scott City of Little Rock

TREX Synthesia AFCO Steel

Our continued growth is guided by strong local leadership and is predicated on continuing to attract investments in the unique Little Rock connection at home and abroad.

Building communities better — together.

COMPREHENSIVE LEGAL RESOURCES FOR DEVELOPING ARKANSAS. Dover Dixon Horne and Wright Lindsey Jennings joined forces under the WLJ umbrella in January 2022. The combination brings together a deep bench of experienced attorneys. Together, we offer sound guidance to private business owners, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, public entities and municipalities, construction companies, architects and real estate professionals in all phases of development.

Deep roots.

Rich history.

Bright future.

WRIGHT LINDSEY JENNINGS LITTLE ROCK

ROGERS

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SINCE 1900