Block, Street & Building | Vol. 9 2023

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 THE NWA HOUSING CRISIS

Fayetteville looks to ADUs, pre-approved designs as solutions.

16 GO DOWNTOWN, MOSES

Native son helped spark Little Rock rebirth.

20 STREAMING CONNECTIVITY

Building Rose Creek Park and Trail holds promise for Capitol View neighborhood.

22 RAISING CONWAY

$25 million federal grant will extend greenway connections, spur private investment.

24 FAVORITE SON

Steve Clark drives hometown revival in ways large and small.

28 WHAT POURS AROUND COMES AROUND

Modernization of alcoholic beverage laws transforms towns.

32 TOWN SQUARE TRANSFORMATION

Downtown El Dorado’s renewal set the stage for MAD

36 THE NEW TRADITIONALIST

Benton developer gives downtown a kick-start.

40 BACK TO ITS ROOTS

Rogers’ railway history informs blueprint for modern development.

45 REIMAGINE THE TOWN YOU LOVE

10 winning plans from urban designers.

56 RURAL RENAISSANCE

Trumann project could offer template for Delta towns.

58 ADAPTING AND REUSING

Restaurant owner brings new life to old buildings.

60 VISION TO IMPLEMENTATION

Fayetteville’s Highway 71B corridor transformation.

62 THE FABRIC OF COMMUNITY

Bentonville launches Quilt of Parks project.

64 RIVERSIDE REVIVAL

A vision for North Little Rock’s Second Street Promenade District.

LITTLE ROCK WATER RECLAMATION AUTHORITY

CONNECTING BUSINESSES TO OPPORTUNITIES

LRWRA has teamed up with cities, counties, and other Arkansas entities to create the AR Bid Online Procurement System. This one-stop shop allows vendors to conveniently access and respond to bid opportunities from multiple agencies through a single portal.

Scan the QR Code to see business opportunities.

BLOCK STREET & BUILDING

A Special Publication of Arkansas Times Produced in partnership with the Arkansas Municipal League

BROOKE WALLACE Publisher brooke@arktimes.com

JAMES WALDEN Editor

LESLIE PEACOCK Managing Editor

MANDY KEENER Creative Director mandy@arktimes.com

LESA THOMAS LUIS GARCIAROSSI SOMMER THROGMORTON Account Executives

WELDON WILSON Production Manager/Controller

ROLAND R. GLADDEN Advertising Traffic Manager

MIKE SPAIN Advertising Art Director

ROBERT CURFMAN IT Director

CHAROLETTE KEY Billing/Collections

JACKSON GLADDEN Circulation Director

Beyond the design

Todd Mueller knows that the best communities are the ones that make connections between people and the spaces they inhabit. Garver’s awardwinning Markham Street Jump Start Improvements Project does that by laying the foundation for a vibrant, active corridor that will benefit the community today, tomorrow, and beyond.

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Not to mention using natural gas is more efficient than other fuel sources, so you can save energy and money all while enjoying the amazing benefits natural gas provides.

Want to learn more about natural gas and Summit Utilities? Visit

Todd Mueller, PE Transportation Team Leader GarverUSA.com

From the Executive Director of the Arkansas Municipal League

THE NEED FOR GENERATORS AND NOT JUST THOSE FOR POWER OUTAGES

Several years back, Mother Nature dealt my neighborhood and central Arkansas a wicked winter blow in the form of a snow and ice storm. I’m not referring to “snowmageddon” of February 2021 when more than 20 inches of snow fell in less than 24 hours. While that snow was debilitating, it didn’t cause a power outage at Casa Hayes. What it did mean is that my wife, stepdaughter, two 10-week-old puppies, an 80-pound goldendoodle and a very cranky cat were stuck for a week at home until things thawed out. Like I said, however, we didn’t lose power so it was a tolerable seven days. The storm I’m referring to occurred on Christmas in 2012. It also meant seven days of being housebound but with an enormous difference. Yep, no power. We had our four kids, two dogs, one cat and my mother under roof when the ice and snow started to fall. I heard a transformer explode about 8 p.m. while we were finishing Christmas dinner. The house went dark and soon became COLD! VERY COLD!

Somehow we got my mom home the next day, although driving may not have been one of my brighter decisions. For the next few days, we ran the gas fireplace nonstop as well as the gas cooktop. It was unpleasant to say the very least. One of my worst memories from those days was the constant reminder that I hadn’t bought a generator for such an occasion. The reminder was twofold, the first being obvious: It was cold in the house no matter how many layers of clothing or blankets we used. With a generator we could easily have run a couple of space heaters and kept most of the area we lived in acceptable if not warm. Second, I repeatedly heard, at least in my head, my bride’s request that I buy a generator. That request started in about 2007 when we married and was repeated quite often. I didn’t win husband of the year in 2012, but I did buy a generator in 2013.

Generators come in all forms and sizes. Prices vary dramatically as well. There are built-in home generators that kick on when the power goes out. We’ve all seen and heard them during outages. Those big units power the entire house and voila, the power outage isn’t even remotely problematic for the homeowner. Even the smaller ones that require gasoline every three or four hours can bring great comfort to a home.

There’s another generator, however, that likely doesn’t come immediately to mind. An economic generator is what I speak of, and there is no greater economic generator than municipalities. Give that a little thought. Roll it around in the old noodle and picture all the economic footprints in your city or town. Off the top of my head, here’s a list:

• Grocery and retail stores.

• Manufacturing plants.

• Commercial office space.

• Hospitals.

• Museums.

• Dining establishments.

The list goes on and on, but I think you get the idea. While certainly some of these establishments exist outside the city limits, the majority do not. Why is that? I think there are quite a few reasons. If you open a business you want to be sure police and fire protection are available, professional and within just a few minutes of arrival when the 911 call is made. Cities and towns do that. You’ll want to be sure your home has those same protections. Again, cities and towns do that. Both homeowners and business owners need reliable, highquality water and wastewater systems. Cities and towns to the rescue! High-quality streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters ensure safe travel to and from school, work and play. No surprise here, but cities and towns do that. Where do kids play baseball, kickball, soccer or go swimming? City and town parks, fields and pools. When storms blow through, who picks up the debris? For that matter, who picks up the garbage every week? Cities and towns, that’s who.

Arkansas is fortunate to have 499 cities and towns, and each and every one of them drives the economy. They generate jobs, housing, health care and quality of life. Municipalities are our state’s economic generators as sure as the small generator in your garage is the difference in surviving versus thriving after a storm.

Peace.

Mark R. Hayes Executive Director Arkansas Municipal League

GENERATING POSSIBILITIES

Great places and great communities don’t just happen. The inertia of modern city building is firmly and squarely behind creating developments that fail to create place and result in the repetitive, monotonous sameness we see across our country. Overcoming this inertia is hard. It is daunting to contemplate the mix of policy, financial strictures, market forces, NIMBYism and developer resistance that perpetuate it. It requires a person, plan or project to generate a new direction for a place, to change the norm.

That’s the focus of this edition of Block, Street & Building — Generators. It is a celebration of the people, plans and projects that have and are working to change the direction of a place or community toward good urbanism. You’ll see stories of people that have dedicated a lifetime to building better places, stories of projects that stand to have transformational effects, and stories of plans and policies that are setting a new course for communities.

I am also very excited to introduce the Reimagine the Town You Love design competition. Continuing the theme of generators, the submissions show projects with catalytic potential to foster better urbanism. I applaud the 10 winners of the competition. Each submission is excellent work and shows the limitless potential for more great places in our state.

Finally, a thank you is due the Arkansas Times for allowing me to serve as editor for the ninth edition of Block, Street & Building. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to help continue celebrating the best of urbanism in Arkansas. I hope these stories inspire you, the reader, to become a champion for better urbanism in your community.

James Walden, AICP, is an urban planning leader with Garver.

THE NWA HOUSING CRISIS

Fayetteville looks to ADUs, pre-approved designs as solutions.

BY JONATHAN CURTH

Acrisis seems like the perfect time to suspend, bend or even break the rules. Natural disasters often see curfews imposed or martial law declared. Military conflicts lead to national governments appropriating material and equipment. Often these efforts are successful in achieving their stated intent. Perhaps just as frequently, though, the tools employed to address a crisis have unintended, long-term negative consequences.

For local governments, among the more pervasive of issues arising to the level of crisis are housing availability and affordability. Once the problem of the United States’ more prominent coastal markets, ballooning housing prices are now found nationwide, including in parts of Arkansas. Notably, Northwest Arkansas’s housing market continues to stand out for its growth in both construction and prices. While Arkansas overall retains one of the lowest median home values in the country, the cities of Benton and Washington counties are experiencing dramatic market change.

Fayetteville, the largest city in the region and the second-largest city in Arkansas, is looking at ways to address its housing crisis with changes to building regulations and permitting times and other moves. The impetus was the doubling of the average price of housing over the last eight years.

In 2012, the average home price in Washington County’s county seat was $200,000, according to a Skyline Report performed by University of Arkansas researchers. In 2022, the report found, the average price was $400,000. Over a longer period, from 2010 to 2022, Fayetteville’s multifamily housing vacancy fell from approximately 15% to 1%. Without a commensurate increase in income, residents are relocating, being displaced or dedicating ever-greater proportions

of their income to rents and mortgages.

Fayetteville in particular is further challenged by an additional factor: It is home to Arkansas’s largest university. While the University of Arkansas is an asset to Fayetteville, the region and the state, its growth has strained the local housing market. After expanding by approximately 1,000 students annually for 10 years before plateauing at approximately 27,000 in 2019, by 2022 enrollment had grown to 31,000. The immediate impact of this was an inability to house all the students who wished to live on campus. To accommodate the expanded enrollment, the university signed contracts for almost 1,000 bedrooms off campus in private, multifamily developments. While the influx of students undoubtedly benefits aspects of the local economy, it also impacts housing options for nonstudents.

In this climate of growing housing costs and dwindling availability, there is a strong temptation for elected leaders to increase home construction at any cost. Zoning codes that once assured predictability are recognized as midwives for land-hungry, lowdensity development patterns. Subdivision connectivity standards adopted as best practices now reveal each street stub-out to be a lost house. Areas of potential natural hazard, like slopes and floodplains, appear as unexplored greenfield sites.

In Fayetteville, a critical approach has been taken, but not necessarily at the cost of urban design and planning. Instead of repealing ordinances or letting ineffective ones remain, many are revisited and amended after validation against planning goals. Rather than short-circuiting a permitting process, it is assessed and often streamlined. When anticipated outcomes are not realized, different approaches are explored. Instances of each follow from

Pre-approved designs can yield a diverse palette of building blocks.

MBL ARCHITECTS

FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AMONG THE MORE PERVASIVE OF ISSUES ARISING TO THE LEVEL OF CRISIS ARE HOUSING AVAILABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY. ONCE THE PROBLEM OF THE UNITED STATES’ MORE PROMINENT COASTAL MARKETS, BALLOONING HOUSING PRICES ARE NOW FOUND NATIONWIDE, INCLUDING IN PARTS OF ARKANSAS.

Traditional neighborhood with incremental development.

Fayetteville’s years-old steps toward a larger, quality and more diverse housing stock.

Among the steps that have garnered Fayetteville regional and national attention is its evolving regulation on accessory dwelling units (ADUs). In recognition of a newly adopted “attainable housing” goal in 2005, planners presented the city council several tools to promote housing options. Among these was a means to allow existing homeowners to add housing to their property. Like many cities, much of Fayetteville’s land use is dedicated to areas of single-family homes that are unlikely to be redeveloped and present little opportunity for more housing. A solution was an old one found in many areas of Fayetteville and nationwide: ADUs. Also known as carriage houses, mother-in-law suites and by a host of other names, ADUs represent a rare opportunity to add incremental, smallscale housing to existing neighborhoods while also empowering homeowners with a means of supplementing their income with an on-site rental.

Fayetteville’s city council recognized and continues to recognize the value that ADUs represent. With an initial ordinance adoption in 2008 to permit ADUs anywhere single-family homes are allowed, the council has since amended the ordinance three times to broaden allowances and reduce regulation of ADUs. Key barriers to remove were a standard for separate utility metering, a deed restriction requirement that mandated that a homeowner live in the main house on a property or the ADU, and numerous prescriptive design standards. With these “poison pills” eliminated, limits on ADU sizes and the number of permitted ADUs per property were increased, and ADUs were permitted to be built in association with duplexes. Many other changes were made, with the net effect being a dramatic increase in ADU permitting, albeit from a low starting point. Where Fayetteville issued between one and three ADU permits in the late 2000s, 16 were approved for construction in 2022. In a similar vein, Fayetteville recognized that its goal to encourage more diverse housing options was being confounded by legacy ordinances that pushed developers toward single- and two-family dwellings or large apartments. Given the less stringent standards that applied to detached houses and duplexes, it is perhaps unsurprising that many developers chose this construction type despite any community need for townhomes, three and fourplexes, cottage courts and a wide range of other housing types now commonly known as the “missing middle.” On the other end of the spectrum, to justify the expense of engineering and design, a developer contemplating anything beyond a detached house or duplex had to build many, many more units.

Around the same time that the consequences of these development standards were becoming widely understood, Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas grew rapidly and the city experienced multiple flooding events. Students no longer able to be housed on campus and new residents entered Fayetteville in larger numbers,

often housed in large footprint single- and two-family homes with associated driveways and other hard surfaces without accounting for run-off. Although a 6,000-square-foot duplex required no accommodation for stormwater capture, a 3,000-square-foot fourplex did. Where smaller units in greater numbers may have been what Fayetteville needed, ordinances continued to push the market toward the path of least resistance.

This changed in 2021 with one of the largest amendments to Fayetteville’s development code in years. With Planning Commission and development community input, staff proposed that development standards and project categories be based on new imperviousness instead of housing type. That means the amount of new concrete, asphalt, rooftop and other areas that prevent rainwater infiltration is the new standard. If a project can minimize these impervious surfaces, it is eligible for streamlined approval. Fayetteville’s city council adopted the new standards, and they are in practice today, albeit with insufficient time to evaluate effectiveness. Regulations can hamper the supply of affordable housing: For every residential project that is denied or becomes infeasible due to regulation, labor shortages, building material prices or public opposition, those unrealized housing units contribute to higher housing costs. Although it is overly reductive to assert that Arkansas, Northwest Arkansas and Fayetteville can build their way out of our housing crisis, it is irresponsible to dismiss the upward pressure on home prices and rents when more residents compete for fewer homes.

In a step to address this, Fayetteville is engaging with the evolving practice of pre-approving buildings. While many elected officials, developers and residents are familiar with zoning as the primary regulatory tool for land use, “pattern zoning” is a less common standard. Pattern zoning creates a framework for neighborhood-oriented residential and commercial projects along with a convenient path to project approval. As a subset of pattern zoning, a pre-approved building design program uses stakeholder engagement, market study and ordinance research to craft a series of context-sensitive buildings for a given project boundary. These buildings are vetted for compliance with adopted codes and ordinances and then made available to residents and developers who can benefit from the savings in design cost, permitting time and, ultimately, risk.

For Fayetteville, a pre-approved building program can meet several goals, from reducing barriers to housing production and restoring municipal control over residential building design, to giving residents some agency over neighborhood appearance and giving the opportunity for incremental introduction of new, but appropriately scaled, housing types. Additionally, vetting building designs through the municipal review process is an opportunity to simultaneously evaluate internal processes. With development of the pre-approved building program still underway, expectations are high.

All told, while Fayetteville has adapted in many ways to the housing crisis, data indicate that more change is needed. With almost onethird of the city zoned for quarter-acre, single-family homes, zoning reform is likely an issue on the horizon. Similarly, development costs that Fayetteville can influence, like infrastructure requirements, fees and design standards, all merit consideration for whether they contribute to higher quality design and standard of living or if they are relics of 20th century best practices. If past efforts are any indication, Fayetteville will remain on its path toward methodical experimentation, deliberate change and steady progress.

Jonathan Curth, AICP, is development services director for the city of Fayetteville, overseeing planning, building safety and code enforcement.

ALL TOLD, WHILE FAYETTEVILLE HAS ADAPTED IN MANY WAYS TO THE HOUSING CRISIS, DATA INDICATE THAT MORE CHANGE IS NEEDED.

GO DOWNTOWN, MOSES

Native son helped spark Little Rock rebirth.

BY JIM VON TUNGELN

It takes a village to save a downtown. But first a village needs a generator, a spark. What impact can one person have on the resurrection of a struggling part of a city? Consider the case of Jimmy Moses and the success of Little Rock’s River Market and the entire central business district.

Many who enjoy Little Rock’s River Market District have no knowledge of how the area looked almost a lifetime ago. A view south from across the Arkansas River would have, in 1972, revealed a landscape containing a jail, a derelict tannery and other abandoned buildings, an active railroad line, and scads of empty liquor bottles sparkling in the sun.

South of all this stood the historic Capital Hotel, which once hosted president, and savior of the Union, Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, Julia. In 1972, it mainly hosted prostitutes practicing their profession.

Today a typical guest in the five-star facility might practice international finance. The entire area throbs with visitors and locals. The success of the River Market area has spread north along Main Street. Things are different from the early 1970s. There is life, and it is good.

Jimmy Moses

BRIAN CHILSON

W. Third, a Moses Tucker development.

Recognizing all who contributed to the rebirth would require a lengthy list. Choosing one person pays honor to them all.

Jimmy Moses serves that purpose.

Many would agree that a successful generator of a downtown’s rebirth has roots in the city, is educated and experienced in the nuances of urban planning, and is a bold risk taker not deterred by setbacks.

This makes Jimmy Moses a triple threat.

Most know him now as one of the founders, with co-visionary Rett Tucker, of the real estate development firm Moses Tucker Partners. One can find the firm in Little Rock’s River Market District near many of its numerous regenerative projects. Other readers may remember him as the heir apparent to one of Little Rock’s most endearing Main Street retail outlets: Moses Melody Shop. His roots run deep, back to his great-grandfather Herman Kahn, who developed the landmark Marion Hotel on Markham Street that once stood at the site of the Statehouse Convention Center.

What does having roots contribute to being a generator of redevelopment of a neglected part of the city? His answer is passion, passion dedicated to “focusing energy on the redevelopment of the urban core.”

That proved a particularly important aspect in Little Rock. In the 1970s, the city and the state were just emerging from a decade of slow growth resulting from the school-integration crisis of 1957.

Downtown Little Rock had also survived the national movement called “urban renewal.” New buildings emerged at the cost of losing many smaller ones and retail businesses, an important part of the retail fabric. This would affect preservation efforts. “Without urban renewal, these [buildings and some businesses] would have still been around,” he comments, “so we had to start out behind.”

“I believe cities have something like DNA, as people do,” Moses adds. “In ours, there was an impulse to destroy the old and build the new. But the new development was slow to occur.”

Sensing the decline of retail on Main Street, and dreaming of

Moses convinced Bruno’s to relocate to Main Street.

BRIAN CHILSON

horizons beyond the family store, Moses left retail and took a position as executive director of Little Rock Unlimited Progress, created by boosters dedicated to reviving downtown retail. The failure of that organization’s efforts tested his passion, but left him with an interest in urban planning. In 1976, he and his family left Arkansas, presumably for good. They traveled to Gainesville, Florida, where he obtained a master’s in urban and regional planning from the University of Florida. With diploma in hand, the entire country, no doubt, seemed open.

A job offer from the legendary urban planning and development firm of Hodges, Vines, Fox and Associates lured him back to Little Rock, a fortuitous move for him and the city. There he developed real-world skills in developing plans for disparate communities. But the passion for his hometown never left him, nor did a passion for making things happen.

That led to his forming a company with two friends, John Allison and Rick Redden, both architects. The firm eventually morphed into the present company. Between the first project, the restoration of the former Gans Building on Second Street, to today’s developments east of Interstate 30, were a series of successful ventures in and around Little Rock’s urban core.

In addition to the projects generated by Moses and his associates over the years, other improvements bolstered downtown Little Rock. Each time the bell of success rang, Jimmy Moses was there, once in helping overcome resistance to locating the Clinton Presidential Library near the eastern terminus of the River Market.

Are roots and passion enough to make a successful generator?

“At 30 years of age, we were unknown quantities, but aggressive in sharing a vision to make Little Rock a better place,” Moses said. “We talked to anyone who would listen.”

What is important about sharing a vision? One great result of talking to myriad individuals and groups is the elimination of socalled “silos.” These occur within administrative organizations and also in cities. Individual departments or groups tend to focus inward and neglect lateral communication. This, in turn, thwarts synergy among entities with common goals.

Few people are as adept at lateral communication as Jimmy Moses. This has allowed his ties to the city, his talents and his passion to extend beyond his own projects. He has always shown a willingness to be one cog in the wheel of progress so that many may succeed. Is this the ultimate test of a development generator?

“Never underestimate incidents and serendipity,” Moses said. He recalls the time in 2003, early in his development career, when the River Market dream needed a strong anchor. “My partners and I had a real estate contract on the old Fones Brothers building,” a substantial but abandoned building in the heart of the proposed “River District.”

Moses and partners shared a dream of repurposing the building for residential, including some loft apartments, “But we really didn’t know what we were doing at the time,” he admits. “Then one day I happened to run into Bobby Roberts, director of the Central Arkansas Library System. I mentioned that we had a contract on the Fones building and he mentioned that he had a need for a new main library.” Down came the silos.

Soon the library had a home, and the River Market had a strong anchor. Several other anchors now grace the once-neglected urban core of the state’s capital city, testament to the passion of groups and individuals. In the long run, it’s not a city that creates redevelopment. The city’s role is to allow it to happen. It’s people like Jimmy Moses who make it happen.

A request to name two of his favorite projects resulted in one anticipated and one surprise answer. The first is the landmark development 300 Third Tower, in the River Market area. Built

in 2007, when residential development posed a gamble in downtown Little Rock, it is an 18-story residential project with 98 condominiums, a restaurant and a salon.

The second development of which Jimmy Moses is most proud — Bruno’s Little Italy — reveals his strong roots in the community. Bruno’s was a landmark restaurant that had served Little Rock and surroundings since 1949. (See a history of the family and restaurant at http://www. brunoslittleitaly.com/history/.) When changes to Roosevelt Road traffic patterns caused the original location to suffer, the restaurant began the first of a couple of partly unsuccessful relocations. The institution closed in 2011.

But Jimmy Moses didn’t forget it. “It was the first restaurant I remember dining at,” he said. “It was always a favorite.” In 2013 he worked his magic, convincing the descendants of the original Bruno family operators that Bruno’s should take part in the rebirth of downtown Little Rock, in a new location on Main Street. They agreed, and the rest, as they say, is history — a history that is still being enhanced by Moses and his associates.

Individual catalysts for downtown development are not rare in our state. They succeed when passion and talent act in harmony with a shared vision and the nerve to allow dreams, not fear of risk, to govern. Fortune blessed Little Rock with such an individual. His work wasn’t easy, but a passion supported by a partner, continual education and roots in the city helped overcome failures along the way. Thwarted? On occasion. Discouraged? Often. Defeated? Never.

“After all,” Moses said, “My great-grandfather developed the Marion Hotel.”

DNA? Maybe so. It also helps that he is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.

Interested readers can find a listing of the work of the MosesTucker firm through 2017 at https://arktimes.com/news/coverstories/2017/02/23/moses-tucker-on-the-move.

Jim von Tungeln is an urban planner and staff planning consultant with the Arkansas Municipal League.

EACH TIME THE BELL OF SUCCESS RANG, JIMMY MOSES WAS THERE, ONCE IN HELPING OVERCOME RESISTANCE TO LOCATING THE CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY NEAR THE EASTERN TERMINUS OF THE RIVER MARKET.

STREAMING CONNECTIVITY

Budding Rose Creek Park and Trail hold promise for Capitol View neighborhood.

BY MASON ELLIS

“The shallow stream of Rose Creek within a comparatively small area in this section winds through exceedingly varied scenes, now over a pebbly bed surrounded by scattered cypress, now through a meadow with groups of willows, now through a little grove, and now through a rocky ravine — of small proportions but much beauty — under a bridge at a point suggestive of a beautiful permanent structure in keeping with surrounding nature, and thence on to its junction with the Arkansas River, westward of the Rocky Bluffs. Such natural features are precisely the elements to determine the site of a park, and while it has been impossible to fix any definite areas on the general plan, whatever sections may not actually be required by the railroad may with particular appropriateness form connections between the Capitol grounds and the River Bluffs.”

It’s been 110 years since city planner and landscape architect John Nolan first suggested the valley between downtown and the growing Capitol View neighborhood as a beautiful park for the city. The area has remained overlooked for most of the time since, but Rose Creek is getting some new attention thanks to the surrounding community.

Like most waterways in urban areas, Rose Creek is virtually unknown to the — residents of the city it runs through. The small stream, which starts at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences campus, travels under Interstate 630 and runs alongside the Union Pacific railroad line before finally emptying into the Arkansas River — has been channelized, buried and altered beyond recognition. However, this tiny stream is the backbone of a community effort to turn an overlooked

Rose Creek trail is one mile long and borders Capitol View. ROSE CREEK

and neglected part of the Capitol View neighborhood into its biggest asset.

The Rose Creek Initiative was formed in 2004 to create a new city park along the banks of Rose Creek at some vacant lots at the east edge of the Capitol View neighborhood, a largely overgrown area that has been a regular dumping ground with only a few crumbling houses remaining. In 2019, the group expanded its goals to include building the Rose Creek Trail and the Rose Creek Watershed Alliance. And in 2022, the organization officially became a nonprofit. Today the park, the trail and the watershed are a three-part plan to not only revitalize an inner ring neighborhood, but also build connections between the neighborhood and nearby communities.

The Rose Creek Initiative has organized multiple volunteer-led efforts to clean up trash in the park and in the creek, including the installation of a homemade trash boom to prevent trash from entering the park and the Arkansas River. Other events, such as the Pop-up Park event in 2022 and the annual Christmas fireworks watch party at the State Capitol, have highlighted the park’s possibilities.

The key to success for Rose Creek is in the completion of the Rose Creek Trail. Communities up and down the Razorback Greenway in Northwest Arkansas have stood witness to the benefits of trail-oriented development. In North Little Rock, the thriving Rockwater Village along the Arkansas River Trail is proof that people want to have access to trails and want to have options for transportation. The Rose Creek Trail will have a similar effect. Stretching from the Arkansas River Trail on the north near Gill Street to the Seventh Street Viaduct on the south, this one-mile trail will have a big impact. The trail will make the Capitol View and Stifft Station neighborhoods one of the only single-family residential neighborhoods in Little Rock to have direct trail access to the Arkansas River Trail system. This will not only provide access to recreation opportunities along the city’s river parks, but also will provide a direct and safe route for biking or walking to downtown. The trail will be a link from the river trail to the Capitol Avenue bike route connecting to UAMS and will one day connect to the Southwest Trail stretching all the way to Hot Springs. And, although the trail is only a small footpath now, there are already new investments in the surrounding areas underway, from renovations of vacant lots and empty houses to large-scale mixed-use development, all either directly on the future trail route or a short distance away.

It’s often we see stories of large-scale, million-dollar projects by big developers or big organizations that promise to bring big changes to a city. These mega projects get most of the attention because of their sheer size and sparkle. But do not forget the small projects, the ideas talked about among neighbors or dreamed about by residents that get together and decide to make something happen. These smaller projects at the neighborhood level, led by the people that live within the communities, can make a larger and more direct impact on neighborhoods.

The Rose Creek Initiative is developing the trail.

Mason Ellis AIA, LEED AP, is a principal at WER Architects and chair of the Rose Creek Initiative.

THIS TINY STREAM IS THE BACKBONE OF A COMMUNITY EFFORT TO TURN AN OVERLOOKED AND NEGLECTED PART OF THE CAPITOL VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD INTO ITS BIGGEST ASSET.

Future trail site.

ROSE CREEK INITIATIVE ROSE CREEK INITIATIVE

RAISING CONWAY

$25 million federal grant will extend greenway connections, spur private investment.

BY JAMES WALDEN

Thanks to a multimillion-dollar federal grant, Conway in the next few years will be able to add 15 miles to its trail network, bringing amenities, commuting alternatives and new development to the college town.

The city announced Aug. 10, 2022, that its Connect Conway program had won a $24.647 million RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) Discretionary Grant to build the expansive greenway system in the community. To call the grant a coup in radically advancing Conway’s future might not be an overstatement.

The U.S. Department of Transportation grant program is part of a series of historically large federal grants intended to help address decades of underinvestment in transportation infrastructure. RAISE, along with other programs such as the Reconnecting Communities pilot project and Safe Streets and Roads for All grants enacted by Congress in 2021, reflect a major shift in federal transportation funding toward transit and active transportation modes under Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The Connect Conway greenway system will tie east Conway,

which often feels like the forgotten child of the community, to the more asset-rich west Conway. The project’s network will connect 10 city parks, seven schools, three major retail centers, three colleges, 14 employment centers and 16 neighborhoods.

Creating a web of bike and pedestrian routes that takes people to a wide number of destinations creates possibilities for the community. Offering an accessible, convenient transportation alternative regardless of income makes this project more than just another quality-of-life amenity like many greenway trails.

This connectivity is why the city of Conway calls the project transformational, and change is already afoot. For example, Jonesboro developers Jetton General Contracting and Halsey Thrasher Harpole Real Estate Group have applied to the city to build University Lofts, a three-story, mixed-use development of 120 residential units and first-floor commercial space on College Avenue. The greenway plan was an important draw to attract the University Lofts project. Mixed-use infill projects promote greater walkability and support use of the greenway beyond recreational use. The Connect Conway greenway will connect residents at

The RAISE grant-funded network. CRAFTON

University Lofts to the University of Central Arkansas campus. The first-floor commercial space could support uses such as coffee or bike shops, further promoting walkability.

This development is not a one-off example. Anyone traveling to Northwest Arkansas to the Razorback Greenway can’t help but notice all the trailside infill development occurring. Outside Arkansas, Action Greensboro, a nonprofit that promotes publicprivate partnership investments in Greensboro, North Carolina, has found the $37.5 million invested in the Downtown Greensboro Greenway is yielding more than $415 million in planned and completed private investment in the heart of that city. By 2020, Atlanta’s $670 million investment in the Atlanta BeltLine project had spurred private investment of $8.2 billion in the project, which began in 2005.

These types of development are the secret sauce of bike and pedestrian infrastructure investments. Conway is already working to leverage the future potential of Connect Conway to inspire more smart planning. The city recently completed the Oak Street Ahead Plan, a broad reimagining of the city’s primary legacy corridor.

The Oak Street of today is a place any pedestrian or bike rider actively works to avoid. The Oak Street Ahead plan tackles this issue head on by proposing a series of land use and transportation recommendations to make the corridor more accessible for all users and a place people want to be. This is key, because Connect Conway will intersect Oak Street by way of the Little Creek Greenway. The plan proposes trail-oriented development to take advantage of the planned Little Creek Plaza that is being funded through the RAISE grant. This interrelationship will help ensure the greenway’s benefits extend beyond its narrow corridor and into the community.

Public investment primes the pump for private investment, promoting walkability and economic vitality in the neighborhood. Connect Conway is a big deal for the city and a big deal for Central Arkansas. It sets a framework for additional public and private investments that have real potential to transform the city for the foreseeable future.

Rendering of the proposed Little Creek Plaza.

The proposed University Lofts.

CREATING A WEB OF BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN ROUTES THAT TAKES PEOPLE TO A WIDE NUMBER OF DESTINATIONS CREATES POSSIBILITIES FOR THE COMMUNITY.

James Walden, AICP, is an urban planning leader with Garver.

FAVORITE SON

Steve Clark drives hometown revival in ways large and small.

BY DWAIN HEBDA

PLACEMAKING HAS BEEN AN EFFECTIVE CATALYST FOR REVITALIZATION AND RENEWAL THROUGHOUT FORT SMITH.

The looming Fort Smith murals painted on the side of OK Foods’ silos are as captivating a piece of public art as can be found anywhere in Arkansas. Soaring over the landscape on one edge of downtown, the black-and-gray “American Heroes” depicts three individuals in stunning detail: Kristina, a young business owner, and Ed, a Navajo man active in the Lawbreakers and Peacemakers reenactment group, flank one square silo, while Gene “Beck” Beckham, a World War II veteran and 70-year OK Foods employee, is portrayed on the other.

As with all great artwork, the key to “American Heroes” is the angle of perspective of the viewer. In this case, the angle of the subjects’ view is important as well. Ed’s gaze is downward as if taking stock of what’s behind him; Kristina looks out steady and confident to her right, and Gene’s eyes aim skyward. It’s an apt representation of life, be it individual or in the collective, seen in triptych: acknowledgement of the past, focus on the present and a glimpse of the future.

If Fort Smith entrepreneur Steve Clark’s work in reviving his longtime hometown needed an illustration, many would do, but none would be as fitting as Guido van Helten’s monochrome masterpiece. Clark, a highly successful entrepreneur that claims Fort Smith as his adopted hometown, has spearheaded the drive to reinvigorate the city’s core through public art, repurposed buildings and fresh thinking.

“Anything we can do to make it easy for people to live, work and play and then make it desirable for developers, through any number of plans, to develop should be top of mind for those of us working on downtown and for the city at large,” Clark said.

Clark’s love affair with the city dates back to his childhood where trips to Fort Smith would form a blueprint for what he would attempt to resuscitate later in his adult life.

“I graduated from Roland, Oklahoma, High School in Sequoyah County and have had a bit of a romantic relationship with Fort Smith,” Clark said. “You leave Roland, you drive through the bottoms where it was agriculture and then you would get to the Arkansas River where you’d cross the bridge. Coming off the bridge you’d be coming into this really picturesque downtown. There was kind of this transition from rural agricultural to urban downtown and I was always captivated by it, whether it was lit up for Christmas and the holidays or just bustling with activity.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Arkansas in 1986, Clark lived in Little Rock for a spell before returning to Fort Smith in his 30s. He founded Propak, a provider of logistics, transportation and supply chain management solutions, growing the company to thousands of employees, including dozens in its downtown Fort Smith headquarters. He also founded Rockfish, a digital media company, and while growing both companies he couldn’t help but notice how the vitality of his businesses stood in sharp contrast to the generally stagnant state of the community he called home.

“[Industry] was still going, but you could certainly feel that there was beginning to be a bit of transition,” he said. “And then when Whirlpool closed their big plant here [in 2012], it took us quite a while to see that not only is Fort Smith changing, but the economy at large is changing. I feel like we went through maybe a 10-year stretch where I’m not sure we really knew what to do.

“Fort Smith is a city with fantastic bones, but it was a very strong manufacturing city, and when Whirlpool went away I think we were focused

Mural transformation on Towson Avenue.

on trying to do what we had always done. Even though we have a fantastic chamber and fantastic leadership at the chamber, what we as a city had been set up to do was changing.”

Rockfish sold in 2016 and Propak in 2022 and today Clark remains employed by the latter in addition to mapping, out other entrepreneurial pursuits. That, and his ongoing work to help Fort Smith reimagine itself and its place in the global marketplace.

“We can never lose sight of the fact that we’re in a global fight for the maintenance of jobs and the attraction of new jobs and the education to prepare us for the jobs of the coming generation, which is changing quickly,” Clark said.

It’s not the first time the city has had to radically change course to keep up with the changing times. Steeped in frontier lore, Fort Smith was founded in 1817 as a military outpost, with a small settlement sprouting up around it. The military would be an important economic driver in some form for the next 200-plus years, thanks to the establishment of Fort Chaffee in the 1940s, but dwindled until the U.S. Army base transitioned to an Arkansas National Guard training facility in the 1990s.

Economic diversification came via manufacturing that took advantage of the river, railroad and later highway transport that was available. Like the military, manufacturing remains an important sector, though not nearly what it once was. The loss of Whirlpool and its 900 jobs sent shockwaves through the local economy, and a period of malaise set in as the city struggled to reimagine itself.

Into this breach stepped community visionaries, Clark among them, who lent critical leadership to the efforts of the city to regain its momentum.

“You can’t really explain the why, other than you kind of wake up and realize there’s no economic cavalry coming. You fight a little harder if you think you’re on your own,” Clark said of his motivation to get involved. “And let’s face it: The economy has changed so dramatically and shifted from local to regional to state to national and then global that the things we’re doing, or trying to do here, are literally the minimum price of participation.

“I think that’s kind of where I landed, that it was not realistic to think a municipality or bureaucratic organization could have that kind of perspective or vision. You can’t even be upset about it. They’re simply not set up for it. It takes a lot of the same entrepreneurial tenets that exist in business or commerce and need to be applied on a larger scale for civic return.”

Clark and his allies in this effort approached the problem from a wholly unique angle. Whereas traditional strategies revolved around cheap land parcels or available warehousing, the new approach called for something called placemaking, investing in community amenities that enhanced quality of life to lure employers and attract and retain workforce.

A bold reassigning of both chicken and egg in the economic development equation, placemaking has been an effective catalyst for revitalization and renewal throughout Fort Smith ever since, particularly downtown.

Clark’s fingerprints on this process are most clearly visible through 64.6 Downtown, a nonprofit committed to creating vibrant spaces through business development, arts and culture, special events and projects. That group spawned The Unexpected, which is responsible for much of the larger downtown artwork that peeks out seemingly everywhere today.

Since 2015, The Unexpected has steadily helped craft the city’s new image, inspiring countless other communities statewide to follow suit in public art. But as with all radical new ideas, the early years of the effort ran contrary to many residents’ tastes.

“I remember telling people I may literally be forced to move because of this, because there was a huge outcry of people who did not like the idea of art on historic buildings,” Clark said. “I was standing in front of a broken, empty building that a beautiful mural was going on and a

South Ninth Street mural.

At 70 S. Seventh St.

Steve Clark

woman was standing there just shaking her head. I go, ‘What do you think?’ She said, ‘I don’t like it.’ I said, ‘What do you not like?’ She said, ‘It’s not our history.’ I said, ‘But frankly, neither are empty buildings and broken glass.’

“I wanted to be empathetic because what she was saying was ‘It’s not how I would do it.’ Fort Smith was stuck in her mind in a very particular, sentimental way. But the flipside of that is, as I told her, I love our history, I just don’t want to live in it. It’s important to remind people that this is who we are and then to act on that to make people see downtown differently than they’ve been used to seeing it.”

In the eight years since The Unexpected debuted, others in the city have adopted its audacious mindset, launching revamped living and gathering spaces, establishing festivals and birthing attractions including the crowning achievement of the U.S. Marshals Museum, slated to open this summer. As each new dream comes online it spawns something else, with the museum promising to be the biggest incubator of all.

“[The museum] has been a long-term process. I have been involved with it as a donor throughout,” Clark said. “Anytime you can have a federal museum in your city, especially one of the magnitude of U.S. Marshals, it’s a big thing. It would be impossible to overestimate the potential value.

“We have the largest undeveloped riverfront, I think, of any midsized city in the country. I think that becomes the first big ornament on that tree, on the river. The way I look at it is it puts us in a tier of cities that take themselves seriously and take their citizens seriously by doing the things they need to do for continued growth in the future.”

As commanding and ambitious as art such as “American Heroes” is, it’s not the only thing that catches the eye in downtown Fort Smith these days. Public art abounds in large, vibrant murals on brick and board and via street pieces that range from bronze effigy to whimsical junk sculpture. There’s also a certain art to the way commercial buildings have been refreshed, of the music and the food aromas that float on the breeze in summertime. All of which Clark has played a role in nurturing, either directly or indirectly, as part of a long quest to help the city rediscover itself.

“Before The Unexpected, downtown just kind of was what downtown was. It was where the courthouse was, it had a lot of history,” Clark said. “Now you’ve got people wanting to bring their families downtown to see the arts. You have greater civic participation, greater attendance at the city director meetings, more people willing to say this is what we need, this is what we want.

“It’s not just about attracting jobs; it’s about keeping jobs, it’s about making Fort Smith a place where ultimately people don’t want to leave. That really has to be the first goal. And I think that’s what we’re doing. I think we’re seeing ourselves, maybe for the first time in a long time, as a place where people want to stay.”

Talking about such achievements lends a crackling energy to Clark’s voice. There’s still work to be done to help solidify the residential and commercial amenities downtown, but there’s an undeniable air of optimism in Fort Smith, to his great delight and satisfaction.

“So many things in history are not quite explainable other than there seems to be a rising up of people who say, ‘This isn’t necessarily the type of city that we want right now,’ so what does the city that we do want look like?” Clark said.

“People ask me why do this? The answer is, because this is the type of city I want to live in, that’s why. A city that can appreciate the arts, a city that can appreciate its historicity but not necessarily be stuck in it.”

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WHAT POURS A ROUND COMES AROUND

Modernization of alcoholic beverage laws transforms towns.

BY STEPHEN KOCH

Delta Dirt Distillery in Helena-West Helena.

Aslight loosening in recent years of the once-draconian Arkansas liquor laws has transformed many cities across the state, bringing life back to struggling urban areas and abandoned buildings.

Conservative Arkansas, which didn’t allow restaurants to serve mixed drinks until 1969 and still prohibits the retail sale of alcohol on Sundays, began to license brewpubs in the 1990s, allow commercial sales of craft beers in 2000, and license distilleries in 2010.

The embrace of alcohol has literally changed Arkansas’s landscape, as breweries, brewpubs and restaurants fill real estate, most often in communities’ downtowns. The changes, initiated by the state to increase tax revenues, have been a boon to communities economically, culturally and gastronomically and have brought new life to once-empty storefronts.

Take the abandoned storefront on one of the most legendary streets in Arkansas history: In 2017, blues fans in Helena-West Helena for the annual King Biscuit Blues Festival were abuzz at the sight of “distillery coming soon” signs in the windows of a vacant building at once-bustling 430 Cherry Street Area farmer Harvey Williams had got the idea to use the sweet potatoes grown on his family’s land to make vodka, giving rise to Delta Dirt Distillery. The pandemic slowed progress at the business a bit, but Delta Dirt’s first batch was ready at the end of 2020, and the distillery opened for business in April 2021.

This farm-to-bar distillery is one of just a handful of Black-owned distilleries in North America. Delta Dirt Distillery is unique in another way: It’s a toorare sign of life on a street once lined with good businesses, in a town that has seen its share of economic hardship in recent decades, in a county that ranks among the poorest in the U.S.  Williams said he originally planned to open the distillery on the family farm, some 20 miles outside of town, but opted instead to locate in the 7,000-square-foot facility on Cherry Street, a location that had been for sale for a long time. The building had been “fine meats market” at one time, he said, a grocery store, a pawn shop and beauty supply store. The Williams family gutted it, removing false ceilings and walls “to get a clean canvas,” and did most of the work themselves.

Steel beams were added along both sides of walls, and damage from a water main leak that had gone undetected for years was repaired.

“I grew up knowing Cherry Street as a place we would shop and go to town. But it wasn’t in my mind when we put [the distillery] there that we would be a part of revitalization,” Williams said. “We turned out to be a destination. I didn’t, in my own lack of wisdom, have that thought.”

Now, Delta Dirt’s tasting room hosts not just individual consumers, but school, college and FFA group tours. “It gives me a lot of joy to explain what we do,” Williams said. “The business model is built upon the product going out the back door and have it to go beyond Helena. But the tasting room is so people can see ... what happens at a distillery. Most people who come in and see a future for Cherry Street don’t live here. I’m encouraged by those conversations.

“I’m hoping I can get some other businesses to come down here. We haven’t had the imagination to think about what these buildings can be.” However, the Williamses are planning to open a brick-oven pizza parlor next door to the distillery.

Last year, Delta Dirt sold more than 1,000 cases of its unique vodka and a gin infused with botanicals. Next year, look for Delta Dirt bourbon, also made with Delta-grown sweet potatoes.

It’s been a long road for Arkansas to get to the manufacture of alcoholic beverages. In 1983, the Arkansas Brewing Co. opened in Little Rock, operated by then-Fordyce Mayor William Lyon, but the brewery ran afoul of state laws and closed in 1986.

Enter Vino’s, known today as “Little Rock’s original brewpub.” When it started serving food in the 1909 Muswick building at Seventh and Chester streets in 1990 the brewery was still a distant dream. When it did begin brewing, in 1993, the brewing equipment was installed on the floor above the restaurant. That meant employees had to lug empty kegs through the kitchen and up a narrow flight of stairs, and take full kegs down the same treacherous path, David Jukes, a former Vino’s manager, told this reporter.

On April 24, 1993, Vino’s owner Henry Lee

BRIAN CHILSON

declared to the Little Rock Free Press “The drought is finally over!” The brewpub sold all 170 gallons of its three different beers that opening day. Brewers Mark Crossley and Preston Buchner had figured they’d brewed enough for two weeks: That they’d underestimated demand was an understatement. Impatient for the place to open, “Patrons were lined up, pounding on the doors and windows, before noon,” Stephen Steed reported in the Free Press.

Another hurdle remained: to-go beer. Again, as pretty much the only game in town, Vino’s paved the way, with Lee testifying in favor of the move before the legislature. Almost unnoticed in the already earth-shattering to-go beer legislation was an even more ground-breaking proviso: that it be allowed seven days a week.

“Sunday beer — that seemed like a miracle!” Jukes said. “That was a game-changer.” The market was thirsty for take-home brew, and on Sundays demand was even heavier. To meet demand, Vino’s expanded to the building immediately east of its location on Seventh, moving in brewing equipment, expanding restaurant storage and adding seats and a patio. One of the first economic success stories of modernized alcoholic beverage laws was under way. Today, as breweries and brewpubs have come and gone over the decades around the state, Vino’s remains an anchor on Seventh Street.

A similar story was happening a year earlier in Fort Smith, at Weidman’s Old Fort Brewpub. It opened in 1992; its state permit was approved in 1995.

a frequent volunteer on Diamond Bear’s early production lines, told the promotional publication Brewed in Arkansas in 2019. “It was exciting,” she said of assisting at what was then the state’s only commercial brewery. “It was all so new!”

Diamond Bear has since moved to a greatly expanded location across the Arkansas River, at 600 N. Broadway in Argenta, but its original Cross Street location has remained a spot for entrepreneurship in the food and beverage field, housing an artisan cheese shop, and now Dempsey Bakery, specializing in gluten-free products.

Stone’s Throw Brewing in Little Rock was one of the nanobreweries able to follow in the wake of comparative behemoth Diamond Bear. “Initially we were only looking for a space to brew,” co-founder Ian Beard explained. “As the idea of including a taproom evolved, downtown made more sense.” The 1,900-squarefoot location, built in the 1940s at 402 E. Ninth Street, is in the MacArthur Park Historic District, which is overseen by a city commission. Many early ideas didn’t work with the city codes designed to protect the historic character of the district and had to be scrapped: “Things like our signage, patio and back door all had to go through an approval process,” Beard said.

As the 21st century dawned, the time was right for the state’s first commercial brewery in modern times: Diamond Bear Brewing Co. The brewery began life in 2000 at a gorgeous former car dealership at 323 Cross Street in Little Rock. It gained the first toehold in the nascent state market for local-brew package sales using a bottling crew fortified with volunteers. “They just needed extra physical hands, like to yank a bottle out,” Bitsy Spencer LaFayette,

Stone’s Throw’s “MacPark” location looks prescient now with the transformation of the former Arkansas Arts Center into the new Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts a block east on Ninth Street and new residential construction in the area. But it’s also been a mixed bag: “When we moved in, the neighborhood was still mostly historic buildings, many of which were homes or flats converted to inexpensive apartments,” Beard said. “When we started, most of our staff lived within a few blocks and walked to work. Most moved out of the neighborhood as rents went up.”

Rapp’s Barren Brewing Co., 601 Baker Street in Mountain Home, is another example of how breweries can bring new life to

Stone’s Throw is a stone’s throw from the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts.

BRIAN CHILSON

communities while honoring their histories. Kyle Swallow said he and co-owners Russell Tucker and Chris Gordon chose the company’s historic and now gorgeously restored location because, “We wanted to be part of the community. The last decade or so, our downtown has been pretty vacant.” So, the group “bought the oldest building on the square.”

History is kind of Rapp’s thing. The brewery’s name derives from the original name of the Baxter County settlement, Rapp’s Barren, coined by founder Henry Rapp in 1810 to reflect the town’s location in a clearing. The settlement was incorporated in 1888 as Mountain Home.

The brewery opened in September 2017 at a different location; it moved June 2021 to the Baker Building, a two-story building erected in 1892.

The Baxter County town was the first community in Arkansas to take advantage of the 2021 state law permitting “entertainment districts,” which allow for the carrying of open containers of alcohol within a designated area, Swallow said. There were initial objections to the establishment of an entertainment district, but Swallow said they were overcome: “It’s not Bourbon Street by any means.” Too, he said, “It’s definitely brought life back to the square. Now there’s a wine bar, a burrito restaurant, a coffee shop, a whiskey bar, all within the past couple of years, and an ice cream shop coming.”

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The state went from about a dozen breweries in the early 2010s to more than 30 by 2016. Distillers have expanded, too, producing cider (Black Apple in Springdale), mead (Arkansas Meadery in Alexander) and sake (Origami Sake in Hot Springs). So, raise a glass: That growth is still bubbling over and is benefiting the people, buildings and tax coffers of towns and cities. Cheers to that!

Vino’s got the brew ball rolling in 1993.

TOWN SQUARE TRANSFORMATION Downtown El Dorado’s renewal set the stage for MAD.

BY RICHARD MASON

In the early 1980s, El Dorado’s downtown occupancy was less than 15%. It was a near slum. My office building, which I bought and renovated at the time, was the only new construction since the ill-conceived Union Square Mall was removed in the mid-1970s.

The renewal of downtown started with the dismantling of the structures that enclosed El Dorado’s central business district. After Main Street was once again a thoroughfare, I purchased three vacant buildings and renovated them. They have been under lease continuously since that time. These buildings were the start of several decades of the Mason family’s real estate purchasing and renovating downtown property. Along the way, as we were coming up with a more or less Downtown Master Plan, we added 54 park benches, planted more than 1,000 trees along the sidewalks, added 65 small box planters and four large courthouse corner planters, and installed two old British red telephone booths and an 1878 Central of Georgia Railway coach and caboose. We also worked with the Chamber of Commerce and Prestolite Electric to add 20 replica turn-of-the-century street lights.

Of course, not everything worked out according to plan, but a lot did, and with our hands-on approach to this urban renewal of downtown El Dorado, we came up with several concepts that I believe are critical in a downtown’s recovery.

THE MUST-DOS

Renovate downtown property: Make it equal or better than competitive mall or strip center property. When we purchased old rundown buildings, the first thing we did was to renovate them, and then we recruited businesses, but not just any business. We practice retail clustering, and that means our retail must have the same customer, and only retail is allowed on the ground floor.

Landscape the downtown: Plant trees and increase greenspace. I know that sounds simple, but sometimes solutions are simple, and the benefits that trees provide are easily overlooked. A recent study estimates that each downtown tree is worth $25,000 in benefits to the city. We have just planted 25 Autumn Blaze red maples, continuing a tree planting effort that is several decades old. These trees add to the ambiance, and reduce utility cooling needs by as much as 25%.

Make street and sidewalk improvements: These are basic infrastructure items that we take for granted, but good sidewalks and quality streets are critical if your downtown is to have a quality look. These include making sidewalks inviting and accessible, along with upgrading the existing sidewalks and repaving a number of multiple interconnecting streets where needed. El Dorado’s new wide pedestrian-friendly brick sidewalks are a great infrastructure addition.

Remove red lights and one-way streets: Red lights on virtually every corner need to go. Of course, roundabouts would be the perfect replacement, but since space and public attitude make roundabouts

Trees, box planters and a British phone booth were part of the Downtown Master Plan. WWW.THINKDERO.COM / EL DORADO

(Above) Downtown El Dorado. (Below) The dining scene includes a courtyard and other settings.

hard to insert in the center of an older city, four-way stop signs should take the place of all those red lights. One-way streets just confuse drivers, and most progressive downtowns did away with them years ago.

Promote living downtown: Focus on bringing more residents to downtown. Downtowns need people more than anything else, and a thriving downtown is always known as the place where people live and congregate.

AN EL DORADO RENEWAL

When Roger Brooks, a downtown development expert, came up with a plan to make El Dorado an entertainment destination, he said that if the downtown hadn’t been restored his plan wouldn’t have worked.

With funding from city sales taxes and private dollars, El Dorado Festivals and Events LLC created the Murphy Arts District (MAD) near downtown beginning in 2017. The first phase saw the creation of the Haywood, a 70-room hotel; the Griffin Restaurant; the First Financial Music Hall; the MAD Playscape for children; and an 8,000-seat amphitheater.

Plans for the second phase are to convert a four-story downtown building into a new art museum, and, as icing on the cake, renovate Arkansas’s last grand theater, the Rialto, as a Broadway venue playhouse.

When El Dorado became a Main Street town in 1986, one of its goals was to make downtown El Dorado the center of the city again, and in 2009 downtown El Dorado was awarded the Nation’s Best Main Street Downtown. Today El Dorado’s downtown is truly the heart of the city, and development of any significance is always planned around the Courthouse Square.

Richard Mason is a downtown developer, published author and speaker. He can be reached at richard@gibraltarenergy.com.

TODAY EL DORADO’S DOWNTOWN IS TRULY THE HEART OF THE CITY, AND DEVELOPMENT OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE IS ALWAYS PLANNED AROUND THE COURTHOUSE SQUARE.

THE NEW TRADITIONALIST

Benton developer gives downtown a kick-start.

BY DWAIN HEBDA

It’s not often that someone can be claimed as a favorite son of a community to which they’re not native. But in the case of Michigander Shawn Hipskind, Benton is willing to make an exception.

Hipskind, a serial entrepreneur, moved to Arkansas in 2000. His business interests are varied, having included real estate, construction, development, excavation and even a restaurant and music venue. Now, he can add another title to that distinguished list: catalyst for the rebirth of Benton’s downtown district.

“I see vibrant downtowns as the growth center for the future of communities, as communities with vibrant downtowns are able to keep their college-age students locally instead of them going off to big cities,” Hipskind said. “Vibrant downtowns are what people want to be near and [where] they want to live by.”

Hipskind’s march toward downtown’s revival is a study in recognizing opportunity and pivoting to meet it. He was in his

residential construction phase when he saw the first hints of the economic meltdown that would land full force in 2008.

“I saw it coming, so I switched over and got my commercial license because the government was going to give away a bunch of shovel-ready projects for commercial contractors,” he said. “We switched over to commercial contracting to avoid going bankrupt, like all my buddies did, in ’08 and ’09.

“I started doing first-time homebuyer homes because they were giving away $12,000 tax credits to first-time homebuyers. I think I sold more houses the first year of the crash than I’ve ever sold in my entire life.”

A decade later, Hipskind and his family were thinking of moving to Northwest Arkansas, but were turned off by the cost of living. That’s when he made a life-altering discovery.

“We researched prices of housing and decided real quick we weren’t moving to Bentonville, but we really liked that downtown

town square,” he said. “When we looked around at Benton, we noticed it’s super similar. We’ve got a nice little courthouse, we’ve got a nice little town square, all we needed to do was build it out. It’s just been neglected for 60, 70 years.”

For about $350,000, about the same money commanded by a single fixer-upper in Bentonville, Hipskind bought an entire block of downtown Benton in 2017. He leveled the existing homes on the parcel, replacing them with 14 new ones.

“Most of the houses didn’t even have floors on the inside,” he said. “When you walked in, the floor systems had totally rotted out straight through to the dirt. Through the crawlspace you could see the ground; when you stepped through the threshold, you stepped onto dirt.”

Today, Hipskind has been honored by city leaders for replacing the ramshackle homes with new models. But at the time, he said, the effort to replace the homes wasn’t without its vocal detractors.

VIBRANT DOWNTOWNS ARE WHAT

“People hated me for tearing down those houses. It was brutal,” he said. “A lot of people got mad at me and a lot of bad things were said about Shawn Hipskind, because the houses were in the historic district.

“I’d even say to people, ‘Do you want to buy one of these houses?’ And they’d be like, ‘Yeah.’ I’d take them inside and their jaw would hit the floor that wasn’t there, you know. They were like, ‘Sorry I wasted your time,’ and run off before they could pay me $80,000 for the shack with no floor in it. They somehow didn’t want to do that.”

Whatever goodwill the housing phase of revitalization may have cost him, he more than recouped with his second development project.

“After I got all these houses built, I really wanted places for people to hang out in downtown Benton now that there were places for people to live,” he said.

In 2019, Hipskind purchased the historic, if long-languishing,

The historic Palace Theatre and an annex now hold new restaurants. BRIAN CHILSON

PEOPLE WANT TO BE NEAR AND [WHERE] THEY WANT TO LIVE BY.

Palace Theatre, saving it from an uncertain future. According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, the Palace Theatre was built in 1919, for $60,000, more than $1 million in today’s dollars. One of three original movie theaters in Benton, it’s the oldest building of its kind in Saline County.

Hailed at its opening in the local media as “The Show Place of the South,” the two-story brick building at 224 W. South Street. boasted a large marquee that extended over the sidewalk and a brightly lit entrance. Inside, there were 1,000 luxurious seats, an intricately decorated stage and a glass-enclosed box office. It debuted Friday, March 5, 1920, with the silent film “In Walked Mary.”

Unfortunately, the shine of the grand new theater was to be shortlived, as ownership sold the Palace just a few months after opening. It changed hands several times during the 1920s until being purchased by the city in 1929.

For nearly a century after that, it served myriad municipal purposes, including as a youth center, the Saline County Library and, since 2005, for storage. In 2012 the structure was added to the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas’s list of “Most Endangered Buildings,” and in 2014 landed on the Arkansas Register of Historic Places. But city leaders remained stumped as to what to do with it, with demolition never being completely ruled out as an option.

Enter Hipskind, who converted the space into restaurants, including Valhalla Kitchen + Bar and Axe Throwing and Baja Grill, and added RŌBER Cocktails + Culinary in the annex next door. Hipskind, who originally operated Valhalla, recently sold the business to operators Craig Roe and Heather Baber-Roe, who own the other two concepts and who rebranded it Valhalla Kitchen + Bar.

“Baja Grill is 3,000 square feet and Valhalla is 3,000 square feet, and the Axe Throwing is 1,500 square feet,” Hipskind said. “RŌBER is a newer high-scale restaurant that we built out and that might be closer to 4,000 square feet counting the whiskey lounge and everything they put in there.”

For his work, Hipskind received the Visionary Award from the Benton Chamber of Commerce and the market has responded positively as well. Other developers have followed his lead with other downtown renovations and property values have spiked, sure proof of any real estate concept.

Hipskind said he’s taking a break from development for the moment, although he retains ownership of The Palace and leases all but one of the homes. He said he’s got additional project ideas in mind for the future, but for now is content to simply look upon what’s been done with pride.

“Things are becoming more local and it’s not a necessity for all these big, huge chains to take over a city anymore,” he said. “It’s just a huge benefit for everybody if we’re keeping these dollars local and they’re circulating within these local districts instead of getting pushed out to wherever these people hold their corporations. That’s our money that’s funneling out of Central Arkansas.

“[The projects] turned out pretty much how I envisioned them. I was pretty confident that it was going to be a home run if I could just get through the massive amount of work that had to take place. Everybody was super thrilled whenever I took over The Palace, and by the time that had happened, I had already done the block downtown. This is me saving history, not destroying it.”

Valhalla Kitchen + Bar.

RŌBER is an upscale restaurant and whiskey lounge.

BRIAN CHILSON

BRIAN CHILSON

BACK TO ITS ROOTS

Rogers’ railway history informs blueprint for modern development.

BY LINDSAY SOUTHWICK

More than 100,000 people from all over the country have moved to Northwest Arkansas since 2010, largely thanks to vendor migration to Walmart. But while the retail giant is one reason people have moved in, it isn’t the only reason they stay: Here, newcomers to the Ozarks plateau find recreation and arts offerings comparable to anywhere else in the nation.

The town of Rogers, settled in the 19th century as a railroad shipping point for apples, is illustrative of growth in Benton (and Washington) counties. Its charming historic downtown just east of Interstate 49, with brick-laid streets, antique stores and other shops and restaurants, has a quaint appeal amidst a bustling city whose population has tripled in the past 30 years.

“There’s no question this part of the state is experiencing a boom,” said John McCurdy, director of community development for the city of Rogers. “It has for some time. Booms are an opportunity. The question isn’t whether we need to plan for growth, it’s how.”

Rogers is revamping, starting with an update to its Comprehensive Growth Map (CGM), a blueprint guiding future development decisions. Rogers’ CGM paved the way for rezoning in the downtown area in 2015 and expanding to the greater area of Rogers in 2018.

The updated zoning is “building value throughout Rogers,” said Susan Henderson, the principal at PlaceMakers LLC, who has partnered with Rogers on its development plan. “It will serve two important roles: to assure protection in areas like established neighborhoods where change is a threat, but also [to] bring lots of opportunity to areas that are commercial or mixed-use.”

Henderson and McCurdy provided a history lesson in the role of zoning in city planning. Zoning falls into one of two categories: use-based and form-based. Used-based zoning restricts where and how commercial, industrial and residential areas are located. Form-based focuses on design and what is envisioned for the area at large.

Zoning practices in the United States date back to the early 20th century when, at the end of the industrial revolution, urbanization was on the rise. It made sense to separate the industrial parts of the city from where people lived to reduce congestion and protect people from pollution. Fast-forward a few decades, with the widening access to automobiles, and the suburbs were born, pushing residential areas to the edges of town. That left downtown areas struggling and more cars on the road commuting to workplaces. While this kind of zoning still has its place (think airports, industrial manufacturing plants and agriculture), over the decades there has been a shift to a more multifunctional, form-based zoning. Now planners want to bring people back into urban areas where they can get from their home to work, shop and play without needing a car. In addition to minimizing traffic, formbased zoning can energize a city and build community.

And that’s exactly what you’ll see in Rogers. The original boundary of the historic district included a cluster of commercial three-story buildings. Not only are they architecturally beautiful,

The Railyard attracts a crowd to its Butterfield Stage in Rogers.

“WE’RE LUCKY HERE IN ROGERS BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE WE CAN USE AND BUILD UPON.” —JOHN M c CURDY

(Left) Railyard Park on First Street. (Right) Onyx Coffee Lab, another sign of Rogers’ revival.

they’re also functional. Originally, the first floor would commonly be used as commercial space, the second floor for office space and the third for residences. The recent adoption of form-based zoning has Rogers using many of its buildings in the way for which they were originally intended. In some ways, as Rogers expands, the more akin it is to how it was before.

“We’re lucky here in Rogers because there is so much existing infrastructure we can use and build upon,” McCurdy said. “We’re making decisions with future and existing residents in mind. We’ve prioritized affordable and equitable housing by developing a range of housing types, but we also have left established, residential neighborhoods as they are because they’re still working for people. It’s all about finding the balance.”

A native of Rogers, McCurdy has a vested interest in seeing the development plan succeed. The retired Air Force pilot, who holds a degree in engineering and a master’s degree in strategic planning, spent the last four years of his service in construction management, working in the U.S. and in the Middle East. When he was ready to retire from the Air Force six years ago he could have moved anywhere, but chose to move back to his hometown.

“I saw what was happening in Rogers and was so impressed,” he said. “I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to help if I could.”

Thanks to his past experience, McCurdy knows what it takes to create more diverse and resilient communities.

“John is a visionary when it comes to building a better Rogers and thinks very strategically about the best ways to achieve that goal,” Henderson said. “There’s a culture of collaboration and customer service [with the development team] that is fabulous and encourages us to believe this code will be effectively administered.”

The project hasn’t gone without its challenges. People can feel uneasy about potential change, fearing it could negatively impact the value of their largest asset, their home. Henderson considers it part of the job to help people see what zoning facilitates and to be transparent in their process. “Local insights always make for better codes,” she said.

“We’re not in the business of making things worse,” McCurdy joked. “I think residents have largely seen how they are benefiting from the changes we’ve made and I like to think we’ve done a good job at listening to them when they have concerns. In that way, it’s a team effort in every aspect.”

The dedication of McCurdy, his team and partners (who also include DPZ CoDesign and Garver engineering of North Little Rock) to involve the community, listen to their concerns and address them accordingly has meant there is little public resistance to the plan.

Urbanization is a key driving force behind how cities go about zoning their communities. Building cities around the use of cars doesn’t make as much sense as it once did. Developing communities around people instead seems to be the wave of the future, and Rogers is proof that the concept can work.

The Railyard opened in 2021.

Cycling and pedestrian trail.

The Railyard “Water Stop and Playard.”

BLOCK STREET & BUILDING

REIMAGINE THE TOWN YOU LOVE

How best can we transform our cities and towns with 21st century design ideals that put community and lifestyle first and cars second? Block, Street & Building put that question to city planners via the Arkansas Times Blog and the Arkansas Municipal League, initiating a competition of ideas to create walkable, livable spaces where commercial and residential needs co-exist, and dozens responded with their ideas.

From those, 10 projects were named the best by a jury made up of members of the Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri chapters of the American Planning Association. (The contestants were kept anonymous during the judging phase.)

Entries were judged on several criteria, including the quality of the project description; how the projects related to their surroundings; walkability; how the projects were scaled and landscaped to attract the public; and how feasible it would be to bring the projects to fruition.

The winners will be featured in a session of the Arkansas Municipal League’s 89th Annual Convention, June 14-16.

The 10 projects follow.

2ND STREET PROMENADE

ARGENTA

ARTS DISTRICT

Connecting the river to downtown.

The 200 Broadway Street address is on one of four blocks that border the north side of the Second Street Promenade between Simmons Bank Arena and Poplar Street in North Little Rock. The promenade is the primary east-west pedestrian-friendly walkway between the arena and Dickey-Stephens Park and passing the newly renovated One Riverfront Place building. The overall vision is to create a pedestrian-friendly corridor by framing out the existing two-block part of the promenade with buildings from the arena to Main Street and Rock Region Metro’s streetcar stop. Working with Rock Region Metro, the city plans to extend the trail from the Junction Bridge at Washington Street to the intersection of Broadway and Magnolia streets that would intersect at the beginning of the promenade at the entrance of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, adding the missing north-south pedestrian-friendly access to linking the Junction Bridge to Argenta’s historic Main Street. The development currently in the planning stages at 200 Broadway Street would include a building on the corner of Poplar Street and the promenade, and one adjacent to the trail and the promenade with a hotel connected to it and bordering the trail extension to Broadway Street. The city of North Little Rock has plans to build a conference center on the south side of the promenade between Poplar Street and Main Street. Future developments could be added to the remaining two blocks.

Greg Nabholz, CEO of Nabholz Properties in Conway | Placemaking, Economic Development Consultant

OSCEOLA POCKET PARK Connecting history and community.

The community of Osceola has commemorated its musical and agricultural heritage through the installation of 36 historic markers as part of the Delta’s Cotton Highway. Six of these markers are located on an empty lot in downtown Osceola at the corner of Poplar and Hale streets. Except for a stage and six of the markers, the space is insignificant and underutilized. Main Street Osceola came together to work with landscape architect Brantley Snipes to design an innovative space to connect its history to its present-day community. The design strategically utilizes the Cotton Highway winding river insignia with hardscape elements to connect the stage to the town square. All hardscape elements will be flush, allowing both flexibility in use of space and accessibility by people of all ages and abilities. From downtown concerts to festivals and all events in between, this space will be accommodating and accessible to pedestrians from all neighborhoods in the community. Bright shade sails will be added to provide comfort for visitors to the space. The sails will be eye-catching, drawing the attention of both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Instead of one large shade sail, three smaller ones will be installed to create different gathering spaces within the overall context of the site. The footprint of the insignia river triangle provides adequate hardscape, visual interest and reduced construction costs. New landscaping will be installed in order to separate vehicular traffic areas from the new plaza, protect pedestrians and complement the newly designed space. What was once a vacant, pass-through lot will now become a living intersection of history and community.

Brantley Snipes of Brantley Snipes Landscape & Design, Inc in collaboration with architect Ryan Biles of Kudzu Collective.

THE ‘FUZZY URBANISM’ OF MARKHAM SQUARE HOUSING DISTRICT

The urban square and the forested hillocks.

Housing is an issue of territory as much as it is of building. The Markham Square Housing District, a downtown regeneration proposal for a vacated industrial metal yard in Conway, is a housing approach beginning with the concept of a living transect that connects the square and shared streets to building frontage, housing court and patio, and interior space — all articulated as a series of rooms. This invokes Christopher Alexander’s pattern language No. 122 to design the front edge of the building as a place. Building frontages should create “scalloped edges” or a fuzzy urbanism. Thick building edges accommodate a variety of social activities through urban building frontage (porches, balconies, decks, stoops and terraces), liminal spaces not specific to one housing type. The goal is to incentivize living downtown by structuring a walkable mixed-income neighborhood for a downtown that lacks a tradition of multifamily housing.

Two primary place types cluster housing around distinct urban landscapes for ecological and social repair. An extroverted residential square with shared streets articulated as a rain terrain features a neighborhood art park in a “wilded” landscape supporting ecological-based stormwater management (the park has been built). Shared streets are designed to be destinations rather than traffic arteries. They compel motorists to behave socially. Shared streets are designed to keep traffic speeds under 17 miles per hour, the threshold up to which pedestrians and motorists can maintain eye contact and socially negotiate their shared use of the right-of-way. While the square foregrounds stormwater treatment landscapes, a new forested hillock on a remediated brownfield provides a more discrete neighborhood node for stormwater treatment landscapes on the garden-side of multifamily units. The hillock adds a piece of suburbia as the backyard becomes a unique landscape opposite the home’s urban front.

The project recalls affordable walk-up residential typologies — rowhouses, bungalows, triplexes, courtyard housing and townhouses — that have not been built since the hegemony of suburban policy in the 1950s. Now, these affordable types are key to revitalizing mid-sized downtowns without the population dislocations accompanying gentrification. Housing types ranging between 900 and 2,100 square feet accommodate a mixed-income neighborhood, particularly for workforce populations lacking transportation options. Housing typologies pair economy of means (targeted construction costs between $150-$200/SF) with good town form and amenities that deliver an optimal living transect.

University of Arkansas Community Design Center, an outreach center of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. This project was made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts “Art Works” Program.

Scan for the list of participants on this project.

THE URBAN CORNER

Filling in the gap.

So many undeveloped corners in downtown Little Rock’s core are reminiscent of a missing tooth in the urban smile of our city. Here is a cost-effective implant … so to speak!

This mixed-use design is intended for infills in the edges of the urban fabric as it transitions into residential neighborhoods or smaller-scale commercial. It occupies a quarter-block-size site. This is a type prevalent in downtown, though many are used as surface parking lots. The modest two-story walk-up, with commercial tenant space on the ground floor and six apartments on the second floor, plays well with the residential neighbors while at the same time provides an active street frontage. The building addresses the corner enforcing the urban fabric and scale, specific to downtown Little Rock. The complex could be mirrored and complete a half-block or even full block, with parking and deliveries behind the building, and in some cases accessible by alleyway.

The efficient layout of the building packs a lot of use into a small footprint, resulting in a dense, vibrant development that can benefit the experience of the downtown Little Rock streetscape. The ground floor retail level is flexible for two or three tenants and sized to better fit the scale needs of today’s more modest local eateries and shops. The six upper-floor residential “walk-ups” are geared toward a market demand for budget-friendly housing solutions for the younger rental market with an assortment of one-bedroom units with nice amenities like balconies that look out over the street, open living space and inunit washers and dryers. All of this fits within 12,500 square feet of construction.

The scale is such that the construction type has flexibility, the financial risk is scalable and the style of exterior skin can be customized to the immediate context. The Urban Corner is a great idea to start to build back a more dense urban fabric and a more vibrant smile in downtown Little Rock!

David Sargent, AIA, LEED AP, principal/CEO, WER Architects Benjamin Gregory, AIA, principal/project architect, WER Architects

BIG ROCK QUARRY PARK Reconnecting North Little Rock’s parks.

Big Rock was an operating quarry as early as 1849, mining predominantly sandstone and shale rock formations. The quarry was in operation for over a century surrounded by bluffs up to 200 feet in height; but now, the 64-acre site located along the Arkansas River sits largely vacant.

The former quarry rests between many important and notable neighbors, including the University of Arkansas Pulaski Tech and the Eugene J. Towbin Veterans Administration Healthcare Center at historic Fort Roots. The rim of the canyon is ringed by Emerald Park, and Burns Park is just north of the site. Nearby communities include Baring Cross, Rockwater and the Esplanade.

The Big Rock Quarry Park project proposes to create a new active lifestyle park that acts as a community hub and crossroad between all these important places. The vision for the park includes a new pavilion along the River Trail with retail and bathroom facilities and a large central green that could host events and space for families to romp and play. An outdoor amphitheater nestled against the bluff would create a world-class performance space. At the center of the park would be a large playground incorporating traditional, inclusive and adventure play components. The upper bowl of the park would be left as natural as possible while expanding the current mountain biking efforts to create a competition quality venue capable of hosting regional tournaments and festivals.

James Meyer, architect, Taggart Architects

Brie Gregory, architectural associate, Taggart Architects

Brett Budolfson, landscape architect, MCE Inc.

Ruxin Tao, project designer, MCE Inc.

RIVERFRONT BOARDWALK Connecting downtown North Little Rock to the River Trail.

Since 2006, Central Arkansans have enjoyed the 15.6-mile Arkansas River Trail loop that connects the cities of Little Rock and North Little Rock. Along its length, users enjoy Little Rock’s Riverfront Park, First Security Amphitheater, the Clinton Presidential Library Center, multiple pedestrian bridges, four parks and the Big Dam Bridge. Unfortunately, the downtown North Little Rock section of the trail is often jammed up against the seawall, or strung through the middle of parking lots, or jiggered around awkward circulation for the previously mentioned pedestrian bridges. The primary issue is the seawall, which runs along downtown to protect the low-lying areas from flood waters. It is necessary, but unsightly.

The Riverfront Boardwalk project proposes to solve this problem by creating an elevated multiuse path that strings along the riverfront, reconnecting the urban fabric to the river and augmenting both existing and new programming along the riverbank. The boardwalk straddles the seawall spanning from the Clinton Presidential Pedestrian Park Bridge to north of the Broadway Bridge as a series of weaving and undulating ribbons that provide amenities and access to the River Trail.

The new boardwalk would extend from the Clinton pedestrian bridge (1), and provide connections to the downtown RV park (2), the Metropolitan Apartments (4), Simmons Bank Arena (5), the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum (6), Dickey-Stephens Park (8), the Broadway Bridge, and the Vue Apartments, before it merges into the Arkansas River Trail again (10). The boardwalk would enable multiple future economic development projects (3) and provide improved access for festival events like the Pulaski County Fair (7).

James Meyer, architect, Taggart Architects Brie Gregory, architectural associate, Taggart Architects

ROCK|21

Small-scale urban infill in the Pettaway neighborhood.

Building off the success of the neighboring Pettaway Square development, the proposed Rock|21 project brings the principles of Lean Urbanism to the intersection of Rock and 21st streets. The project includes leasable spaces sized to keep tenant costs attainable for small and new local businesses while still unlocking the multiplier effect of density.

Rock and 21st streets are fronted by three-story mixed-use buildings populated by local restaurants, retail and commercial office space. Residential townhouses wrap around the commercial buildings, creating pedestrian courtyards. In the center of the courtyards is a mixed-use building that incorporates a first-floor covered patio with outdoor seating and a community event space above.

Parking for the development is nestled behind the townhouses and screened from Rock Street by landscaping and a micro commercial building facing the street.

Projects like Pettaway Square and Rock|21 are critical for urban neighborhoods like Pettaway to anchor themselves and provide all the basic services and amenities required for modern lifestyles in affordable and accessible ways.

James Meyer, architect, Taggart Architects

Brie Gregory, architectural associate, Taggart Architects

Mike Orndorff, developer, Pettaway Square

Adam Fogelman, VP, Common Ground Development

Dan Beranek, professional engineer, LR office president

Maneesh Krishnan, professional engineer, project manager (formerly with MCE)

Jeremy Waits, engineering intern, project designer

Austin Petty, engineering intern, project designer

Brett Budolfson, landscape architect

Edwin Hankins IV, landscape architect

Zhijiao Li, landscape architect

Peter Stanley, landscape architect intern (formerly with MCE)

Ruxin Tao, landscape architect intern

MARKHAM ROAD DIET

Bringing a pedestrian scale back to Stifft Station.

The Stifft Station commercial district, in what is one of the most progressive and dense residential neighborhoods in Little Rock, has intact commercial bones but is extremely underutilized. The Stifft Station intersection was developed in the early 1900s as the first stop on the westward section of the Little Rock trolley line. The existing architecture is of period and has its own subtle yet unique mix of styles. Many of the major New Urbanism principles in the neighborhood are already intact; the goal of this project is to apply the missing principles and vastly improve the well-being of an already great community.

The Markham Road Diet proposal converts a high-speed, relatively low-volume four-lane road to a two-lane road with turning lanes and significant pedestrian improvements. The four-lane is a barrier between two high-density residential neighborhoods: Hillcrest on the north and Stifft Station on the south, both of which have sidewalks and low-speed streets and are walkable. Markham is being redesigned as a high-quality pedestrian connector between the Stifft Station Commercial District and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences District.

A bit more design focus has been on the intersection and a couple of blocks at Markham and Kavanaugh at the commercial hub of Stifft Station, a retail corridor that aside from a restaurant or two is somewhat vacant due to fast traffic and insufficient sidewalks, which makes for nearly zero foot traffic and makes it hard for any type of business or retail to thrive. Widening the sidewalk to 12 feet and providing traffic calming as well as a landscape buffer will create a strong pedestrian scale, storefront access and destination gathering areas at the commercial core. This area will also include Little Rock’s first “bike through” intersection.

The engineering and construction drawings are nearly 100% complete and ready to give Stifft Station a stronger community presence, a higher walkscore and a higher quality of life.

UNIVERSITY DISTRICT

University

University District

District

Fixing the most dangerous street in Little Rock.

Fixing the Most Dangerous Street in Little Rock

Fixing the Most Dangerous Street in Little Rock

Fun fact that many commuters do not realize: South University Avenue along the UA Little Rock campus has a speed limit of 25 mph. Unfortunately, the street design in this area features a channelized divider, wide lanes and broad sight lines just like arterial highways. Perhaps that is why drivers today average speeds of nearly 45 mph in this area. Students, faculty and staff can be seen dodging traffic daily as they try to navigate between campus and the adjacent businesses and parking lots. Over the years this has led to many accidents and even fatalities.

The University District project proposes to “right-size” the road and redevelop the adjacent shopping centers to be peoplecentric in lieu of car-dominated. The street would be reduced to four traffic lanes (from six) while adding bike lanes and improved sidewalks on both sides of the street. The center divide would also be widened to allow for vertical landscaping, which would also help control speeds.

Fun fact that many commuters do not realize: South University Avenue along the UA Little Rock campus has a speed limit of 25mph. Unfortunately, the street design in this area features a channelized divider, wide lanes, and broad sight lines just like arterial highways. Perhaps that is why drivers today average speeds of nearly 45mph in this area. Students, as well as faculty and staff, can be seen dodging traffic daily as they try to navigate between campus and the adjacent business and parking lots. Over the years this has led to many accidents and even casualties. The University District project proposes to ‘right-size’ the road and redevelop the adjacent shopping centers to be people-centric in lieu of car-dominated. The street would be reduced to 4 car traffic lanes (from 6) while adding bike lanes and improved sidewalks on both sides of the street. The center divide would also be widened to allow for vertical landscaping which would also help control speeds.

Fun fact that many commuters do not realize: South University Avenue along the UA Little Rock campus has a speed limit of 25mph. Unfortunately, the street design in this area features a channelized divider, wide lanes, and broad sight lines just like arterial highways. Perhaps that is why drivers today average speeds of nearly 45mph in this area. Students, as well as faculty and staff, can be seen dodging traffic daily as they try to navigate between campus and the adjacent business and parking lots. Over the years this has led to many accidents and even casualties. The University District project proposes to ‘right-size’ the road and redevelop the adjacent shopping centers to be people-centric in lieu of car-dominated. The street would be reduced to 4 car traffic lanes (from 6) while adding bike lanes and improved sidewalks on both sides of the street. The center divide would also be widened to allow for vertical landscaping which would also help control speeds.

Access across University Avenue would be augmented by two gateway intersections at 28th Street and Asher Avenue that would use raised pedestrian tables at crosswalks and intersections to control vehicle speeds and behavior. Between the gateways would be four pedestrian crossings, including a large pedestrian bridge connecting campus directly to a proposed bus station on the west side of University Avenue.

Access across University Avenue would be augmented by two gateway intersections at 28th Street and Asher Avenue, which would use raised pedestrian tables at crosswalks and intersections to control vehicle speeds and behavior. Between the gateways would be four pedestrian crossings, including a large pedestrian bridge connecting campus directly to a proposed bus station on the west side of University Avenue.

Access across University Avenue would be augmented by two gateway intersections at 28th Street and Asher Avenue, which would use raised pedestrian tables at crosswalks and intersections to control vehicle speeds and behavior. Between the gateways would be four pedestrian crossings, including a large pedestrian bridge connecting campus directly to a proposed bus station on the west side of University Avenue.

Once University Avenue becomes safer and easier to navigate, economic development will follow. The shopping centers on the west side of University Avenue will be ripe for conversion into mixed-use developments that can engage with the surrounding neighborhood and UA Little Rock.

Once University Avenue becomes safer and easier to navigate economic development will soon follow. The shopping centers on the west side of University Avenue will be ripe for conversion into mixed use developments that can engage with the surrounding neighborhood and UA Little Rock.

Once University Avenue becomes safer and easier to navigate economic development will soon follow. The shopping centers on the west side of University Avenue will be ripe for conversion into mixed use developments that can engage with the surrounding neighborhood and UA Little Rock.

Sarah Bennings, Brandon Bibby, Heather Davis, Chris East, Mason Ellis, Kyle Marsh, James Meyer, Joe Stanely, Caleb Tyson, Glen Woodruff, Chad Young, Nikki Crane, Brie Gregory, Wes Mitchell, Min Wui. All project volunteers with StudioMain.

LITTLE ROCK ART TRAIL Connecting AMFA to the River Market District.

New Entrance for Riverfront Park – ProposedPlan

�i�le Rock �rt �rail

Connec�ng �M�� and The Riverfront

The Little Rock Art Trail connects the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts with Riverfront Park and the River Market District. It includes a new entrance design for Riverfront Park and creates Whitewater Park at Interstate 30, Cherry Blossom Promenade along Cumberland and Sherman streets and mixed-use development opportunities along Cumberland. Cumberland is reduced to two lanes for cars, with wide sidewalks allowing for outdoor dining, art installations, landscaping and other features from La Harpe Boulevard to Seventh Street, where the trail turns east to Sherman Street, then south to Ninth Street. La Harpe is reduced to two lanes from State to Markham streets, with parallel parking on the north side. The wall along La Harpe is removed, opening it up to Riverfront Park. The new Riverfront Park entry creates a pedestrian plaza on the east side of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce building.

The Li�le Rock �rt Trail connects the �rkansas Museum of �ine � rts with Riverfront Park and the River Market. It includes a new entrance design for Riverfront Park, a Whitewater Park at I-30 Crossing, a Cherry Blossom Promenade along Cumberland and Sherman streets, and Mi�ed-�se �evelopment opportuni�es along Cumberland. Cumberland is reduced to two lanes for cars, with wide sidewalks allowing for outdoor dining, art installa�ons, landscaping, and other features from La Harpe to 7th street, where the trail turns east to Sherman street, then south to 9 th street. La Harpe is reduced to two lanes from State to Markham, with parallel parking on the north side. The wall along La Harpe is removed, opening it up to Riverfront Park. The new Riverfront entry park creates a pedestrian plaza on the east side of the Chamber bldg

New Entrance for Riverfront Park - Exis�ng

New Entrance for Riverfront Park - Proposed

Cumberland Mixed Use Development - Exis�ng

Cumberland Mixed Use Development -Proposed

Proposed �i�le Rock �rt �rail – Overall Plan

Ed Levy, AIA, LEED AP, OSHA 10, principal, architect, Cromwell Architects Engineers

RURAL RENAISSANCE

Trumann project could offer template for Delta towns.

BY MARTIN SMITH

The small East Arkansas town of Trumann (population 7,332 in the last census), which like so many Delta communities has watched its downtown die, is about to be reinvented — and perhaps serve as a guide to other rural areas — thanks to the 140-acre mixed-use development Steel Creek.

A project of Roach Manufacturing with real estate company HaagBrown Commercial, the planned community in the northwest corner of Trumann, just 10 minutes from the Jonesboro Industrial Park near Interstate 555, reimagines a community lifestyle that connects people with regional assets, featuring vibrant commercial and retail development and diverse housing. The first phase of development is estimated to cost $3 million.

Roach Industries, a material handling company with over 70 years of history in Trumann, will anchor the innovative development with a warehouse and distribution center. The core of the development — which aims to reverse outmoded planning systems centered on the automobile — will include a trail system connecting its core market and public events space, which will feature a great lawn, pickleball courts and a park, with homes and businesses.

Though the Delta region has some of the most fertile farmland in the nation, it qualifies as a food desert for its residents, with grocery stores few and far between. A food hub will address that problem, with small farm plots, greenhouses, certified commercial kitchens and co-working spaces for technical assistance and culinary education. The hub should improve community access to healthy

food while also promoting sustainable agriculture.

The overarching design theme was inspired by the region’s ecology, which includes the swamps of the Sunken Lands on the east and rolling hills of Crowley’s Ridge on the west.

The development’s trail system will be named for the Sunken Lands, created along the St. Francis River by the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812. The Sunken Lands Trail will provide a walking/cycling route throughout the community and to the Trumann Sports Complex located just south of the development.

Developers will mitigate stormwater runoff by mimicking the Sunken Lands’ stream channels; the design both pays homage to the local ecology and provides local fill soil for the development.

Eventually, the Sunken Lands Trail should connect to the St. Francis Sunken Lands River Trail, a unique resource for canoeists and kayakers. West of town, the low-traffic roads in the rolling hills of the Crowley’s Ridge area could draw gravel bikers. Both offer an untapped recreational market for the region and could transform the vacant original downtown into an outdoor recreation hub.

Steel Creek may lay the foundation for a rural renaissance in the Arkansas Delta, with its rethinking of town planning focused on community connection, not highways and roads. Construction is expected to begin soon and take two years to complete.

Martin Smith is a founder of the Ecological Design Group Inc., which has offices in Little Rock, Wynne and Rogers.

ECOLOGICAL DESIGN GROUP

THE OVERARCHING DESIGN THEME WAS INSPIRED BY THE REGION’S ECOLOGY, WHICH INCLUDES THE SWAMPS OF THE SUNKEN LANDS ON THE EAST AND ROLLING HILLS OF CROWLEY’S RIDGE ON THE WEST.

Growing with Northwest Arkansas in Historic Downtown Springdale.

100 W. Emma Avenue Suite 201 | Springdale cromwell.com

ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS

ADAPTING AND REUSING

Restaurant owner brings new life to old buildings.

BY PATRICIA BLICK

Restaurateur Daniel Bryant has invested much in rehabilitating several historic properties in recent years, including several in the commercial corridor of the National Register-listed Hillcrest Historic District and elsewhere. His investment has included not only capital, but also time, energy and thought.

Three projects are detailed here: two historic adaptive reuse and rehabilitation projects in the Hillcrest commercial corridor, which is characterized by pedestrian-scaled architecture, historic properties and more recent infill construction, and the Esso Station on West Markham, across from the State Capitol grounds.

HILL STATION

One of the most exciting properties that Bryant developed, in cooperation with his partner Doug Martin, is the restaurant Hill Station.

The site was once the location of the Hillcrest Fire Station, but the station outgrew its space by the 1950s. For a short while it was a Magnolia Gas Station, which in 1957 was made the Helmich Garage, which it remained for decades.

The partners planned to retain the garage and construct an addition that was sensitive to the character of the historic district. They sought the expertise of preservation architect Tommy Jameson to design the new restaurant with a nod to the past, keeping in mind the scale, architectural character and historic fabric of the district. When the removal of a house was required to address a lack of parking, the team recruited local builder Steve Gardner to assess the feasibility of relocating the cottage. The plan was successfully executed: The small cottage was moved and rehabilitated less than a mile from its original location. Not only was the cottage rehabbed, the house adjacent was also rehabilitated, and now they are both beautiful owner-occupied homes.

THE DUKE

The crescent-shaped retail area The Duke — historically the Saul Harris Building, another contributing structure of the Hillcrest Historic District — was constructed in 1930. It was perhaps the first shopping center in Little Rock constructed specifically for the soon-to-arrive automobile culture, with parking and a gas station out front (the gas station is now Leo’s Greek Castle). Though the building had been occupied, it was underused and needed attention. Bryant employed preservation architect Tim Heiple for the rehabilitation of The Duke, named after William Marmaduke Kavanaugh, namesake of the boulevard that runs through the neighborhood. In addition to restoring the front elevation of the building, it once again contains small shops. Bryant hopes the tenant mix will keep Hillcrest “vibrant and interesting.”

It’s important to note that the rehabilitation of The Duke took advantage of state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits, which were necessary to make the project economically viable.

THE ESSO STATION

Bryant acquired this abandoned gas station several years ago and began the rehabilitation just as the COVID pandemic hit. The results are amazing, and given its proximity to the State Capitol, it should be in high demand for office space as well as a venue for receptions.

The project was one of the most challenging and transformative projects that we at the Quapaw Quarter Association have seen recently. As with each project, the use for the building was decided before the work was underway.

This historic Esso Station had been closed for many years, and even though vehicular service had ceased decades ago, the property was still filled with all of the tools, supplies and hazardous materials associated with a gas and service station. As one would anticipate, the site needed complete abatement before rehabilitation could begin. This rehabilitation required extensive restoration of the exterior enamel panels and the substrate that supported them. Bryant employed Jameson to design the project, including investigating appropriate paint colors to match the original building and configuring the space for the new use while respecting the historic layout. This project was awarded state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits and is consistent with federal treatment standards.

The property had been an eyesore for decades, but is now an asset to Little Rock and an excellent example of an adaptive reuse of a historic property.

Patricia M. Blick is the executive director of the Quapaw Quarter Association. Founded in 1968, the Quapaw Quarter Association’s. mission is preservation of Greater Little Rock’s historic places.

The Duke building on Kavanaugh. Esso Station, restored.

BRIAN CHILSON BRIAN CHILSON

VISION TO IMPLEMENTATION

Fayetteville’s Highway 71B corridor transformation.

BY JULIET RICHEY

Britin Bostick, long-range planner and special projects manager for the city of Fayetteville, jokingly titled her presentation on the transformation of the city’s legacy commercial corridor “71 steps to 71B” in a presentation to the Arkansas Chapter of the American Planning Association meeting last October. While perhaps not 71 steps, the name accurately reflects the complexity of the work to transform U.S. Highway 71B. I was privileged to be a member of the team involved with the 71B Corridor Study and its implementation. The process brought together business and property owners along the corridor with a team of planners, market analysts, engineers, landscape architects and environmental scientists.

Best known as College Avenue, 71B’s two southern segments have different names: the newly named Nelson Hackett Boulevard and South School Avenue. Much of the 71B corridor has transferred from the Arkansas Department of Transportation to the city.

U.S. Highway 71 was established in 1956 with the passage of the Federal Highway Act. Prior to the construction of Interstate 49, the corridor served as the primary north-south regional connection between Northwest Arkansas cities and southwest Missouri. The commercial corridor beyond Fayetteville’s downtown core began its current development pattern in the late 1940s with more rapid expansion from 1950s through the 1970s. Today, the corridor serves both regional and local traffic within Fayetteville and the region.

In 2018, the city of Fayetteville initiated a community planning process to rethink the 71B Corridor through a formal study. RDG

Planning and Design led the study and partnered with Garver. A critical goal of the project was to engage the community in order to develop strategies for the corridor’s long-term economic vitality, address traffic congestion, increase access to affordable housing, increase safety and convenience for all modes of travel, encourage active and healthy living, and create an attractive front door to Fayetteville’s downtown and adjacent neighborhoods.

The plan resulting from this study includes a rich tapestry of elements weaving together a dynamic and vibrant city fabric. The plan depicts the relationship between the transportation and development aspects of the corridor while laying the groundwork for public and private investment, quality of place, economic resiliency and environmental responsibility. Martin Shukert, FAICP, principal at RDG Planning and Design and the project leader of the study, devised the term “Corridor Urbanism” to describe his approach to this plan. Shukert’s focus on true implementability in regard to every facet of the plan is inspiring and refreshing. According to the plan, the five broad categories of guiding principles of Corridor Urbanism include:

1. Reality and Respect — respecting and dealing with the realities of the corridor.

2. Resident Population — providing for the needs of the resident population supporting the corridor.

3. Opportunities — capitalizing on opportunities for change.

4. Transportation Function and Choice — ensure transportation modes function well and provide true choice of modes.

This future infill development concept for an existing shopping center site along the corridor anticipates reduced parking demand and increased emphasis on transit-oriented, street-defining mixed-use development.

RDG PLANNING AND DESIGN

5. Urban Environment — providing a rich and dynamic environment for urban growth.

The city of Fayetteville is actively working to implement the plan with a variety of efforts. The projects, listed below, are funded by a $226 million bond issue passed by Fayetteville voters in 2019; the set aside for 71B is $73.9 million.

• Nelson Hackett Boulevard (formerly Archibald Yell Boulevard) safety improvements, projected to be completed by summer.

• Appleby/Plainview/Rolling Hills connection, starting in late 2023.

• College Avenue improvements, from East North Street to East Sycamore Street, projected to start this spring.

The design work for the three projects is ongoing. The value of visioning and planning has been evident to the project engineers. Garver’s Ron Petrie, PE, said, “Most great projects start with a vision, and there is great value in utilizing the planning process to translate the vision to an accessible and comprehensible plan. To be truly successful, the plan must be implementable and functional for those who are currently living, working and running businesses in the corridor today, while still allowing for the realization of the vision through the incremental evolution of the operation and feel of the corridor over time.”

The transformation of the 71B Corridor rests within a broader context of efforts that began over two decades ago with renewed focus on downtown Fayetteville and subsequent planning efforts. Those evolving efforts show a progression of investment, planning and implementation efforts that built the groundwork for the incremental transformation of development form and land use

regulation within the city.

According to Fayetteville Development Director Jonathan Curth, the 71B Corridor Plan factors into the consideration and support of rezoning requests that provide for the expansion of housing opportunity along the corridor. Curth also expressed that “having agency over the College Avenue facility has helped to keep the momentum of the vision and plan moving forward.”

While working through the preliminary plans for corridor improvement last summer, Bostick and I met with a number of property and business owners along the corridor to discuss the proposed improvements and changes. Through this process, the details and the site level functionality of each property supporting its current occupant was examined. Each site had unique needs for deliveries, access, parking and visibility. The dreams and aspirations of each individual business and property owner as well as colorful history about the corridor was uncovered. It was fascinating and grounding to work one-on-one with these individuals who constitute the economic fabric of the city. We worked in collaboration with other city staff and engineers throughout Garver to devise custom solutions to meet the needs of the city, corridor users and individual owners.

Bostick said the process has lent itself to a broader policy change in some respects. “In that process of walking through the design of the envisioned streetscape and access plan, many technical decisions were made that have impacted higher level planning policy decisions,” she said. Because of the work that we went through to resolve corridor access issues, steps were taken to assure that strong policy regarding best practices is in place to address these issues on new sites. “I never expected that getting sunburned standing in a parking lot talking to a local business owner would result in pretty strong backup for policy recommendations citywide. If that’s not what it means to be a planner, then honestly, I don’t know what is,” she said.

The corridor is transforming, and the incremental visions of the past 20 years are coming to fruition. The process requires persistence, empathy, attention to detail, one-on-one conversations with citizens and time. It is complex, challenging and rewarding to work in tandem with others to create better corridors and communities where we are able to live, work and recreate.

Juliet Richey, AICP, is an urban planning leader at Garver.

“I NEVER EXPECTED THAT GETTING SUNBURNED STANDING IN A PARKING LOT TALKING TO A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER WOULD RESULT IN PRETTY STRONG BACKUP FOR POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS CITYWIDE.” —BRITIN BOSTICK

Marty Shukert (RDG) works with stakeholders in Fayetteville on early corridor concepts during a charette for the corridor study.

JULIET RICHEY

THE FABRIC OF COMMUNITY

Bentonville launches Quilt of Parks project.

BY DWAIN HEBDA

Anyone who has visited Bentonville over the past 15 years has no doubt noticed the pristine landscaped spots around town that hug the booming development here. City leaders are predicting a new project soon to launch will add even more amenities to this scenic Northwest Arkansas community.

Bentonville Parks and Recreation’s Quilt of Parks Project will connect the city’s parks with new greenspace, plazas and gardens via a pedestrian-friendly promenade running through the center of town. The new walkway will be closed to vehicular traffic and lined with garden nooks, cafe seating, play areas and food trucks.

David Wright, Bentonville parks and recreation director, said the finished corridor will serve several purposes, not the least of which is helping the city manage its many community events more efficiently.

“Downtown Bentonville has really become the epicenter for public events in Northwest Arkansas,” he said. “You have the Bentonville Film Festival, all these cycling festivals and races, the Bentonville Half Marathon, first Fridays and the farmers market events. All these events were taking place on the square, which is the center of trade in our community, the epicenter of our town and the personality of Bentonville.

“But that also meant we were taking events that attract 10,000 people and we were cramming them into a quarter of an acre. We started thinking about how nice it would be to, instead of having five

public spaces in downtown Bentonville, to have one solid space that weaves together like a quilt, where you’re just moving from one part of downtown to another.”

From these initial conversations in 2017, a plan was ultimately passed by the Bentonville city council in 2020 to convert NE A and SE A streets from vehicular traffic to pedestrian-only, directly connecting three city parks and running within a block or less of two more along the route. The A Street Promenade also features Bentonville landmarks, including Compton Gardens, the Razorback Greenway, Lawrence Plaza, 21C Museum and Hotel, the Benton County Courthouse, Dave Peel Park and the Bentonville Square.

Wright said the new plan was heartily received by residents as a bold and innovative feature that will greatly enhance the livability of the community.

“I will tell you that locally our citizens are very excited,” he said. “In my 15 years here, I’ve been invited to come talk to different groups about park openings and that kind of stuff, but I’ve never seen the excitement that I have with this project. People are excited about what it’s going to do for our events, about the new events that it can bring to our downtown, but also just the experience in downtown on, like, a random Tuesday night.”

The business community has been equally enthusiastic about the new plan. Two hotels will open right into the promenade space, and there’s been other interest from entrepreneurs and developers

The A Street Promenade plan will either expand Dave Peel Park at its current location or move it to what is now the Second Street parking lot to make room for an event space.

looking to place shops and restaurant downtown.

“While the Parks and Rec Department is managing this project and it certainly is going to give you a park-like feel when it’s all done, this is really an economic development project,” Wright said. “I’m already hearing rumors of some of the stuff that’s going on at the south end and it’s exciting to hear about the investment that will really turn this into one of the premier promenades in the country.”

Project leadership hopes to break ground on the ambitious project, to be built in stages, in mid- to late summer with an eye on completion in early 2025. Total cost for the improvements, which will include extensive renovations to two of the city parks along the route, is expected to be $20 million.

“When you look at the ROI from our investment in our public spaces downtown, it’s really easy to see the return,” Wright said. “We’re investing in spaces for people because we know that businesses will come in behind it. Our body of work proves that; we’ve seen it happen in downtown already.

“We know people are moving here for our bike trails. We know people are moving here because of our investments in public recreation; that has been a really good model for us. Our approach to economic development is to attract new residents because with that comes jobs and businesses and everything else. I think this project really leans into that.”

Read more about the new promenade at quiltofparks.com.

‘I WILL TELL YOU THAT LOCALLY OUR RESIDENTS ARE VERY EXCITED.’

The new event space would include quiet garden rooms off the main event lawn.

RIVERSIDE REVIVAL

A vision for North Little Rock’s Second Street Promenade District.

BY GREG NABHOLZ

North Little Rock’s Second Street Promenade district — the area along the Arkansas River south of Broadway between the Broadway bridge and Interstate 30 — could provide a massive economic development opportunity for Central Arkansas. The ideas are there; what’s needed is a concerted commitment by public and private investors to bring them to fruition.

Downtown North Little Rock already attracts over 2.3 million visitors annually, 65% of them from outside the immediate North Little Rock/Little Rock area. About 40% of those visitors come from more than 50 miles away. Boosting development in the Second Street corridor; increasing programming at all venues and public spaces, such as festivals; and adding attractions will dramatically increase the number of visitors and the fiscal benefits they afford.

Major cities have seen huge increases in tax revenue, private investment, tourism, jobs and population growth. The leadership of both Oklahoma City and Tulsa made a huge commitment to develop similar areas of their downtowns several years ago and the results have exceeded the expectations of most everyone. North Little Rock already has been seeing investment in its downtown and the Second

Street corridor, but much more can be done.

The Second Street Promenade is the primary east-west pedestrian-friendly route between Dickey-Stephens Park on the west and Simmons Bank Arena on the east. With access to three pedestrian-friendly bridges and the Main Street Bridge, the area is also a connector to downtown Little Rock.

The district was envisioned in master planning studies completed in 2004, 2006 and 2010. All addressed the challenges of linking the riverfront to the downtown core across the gap caused by Riverfront Drive and the flood wall, and all called for a major new catalytic waterfront attraction to complement the existing anchors.

The 2004 plan, by MRA International, concentrated on a waterfront development strategy. This initial Second Street Promenade plan envisioned a major project between Simmons Bank Arena and the river to be called Arena Square and City Landing. The proposal linked the arena directly to the river by a reimagining of Riverfront Drive and elevated walkways over the flood wall. It also envisioned a City Marina and Waterfront Village near the Baring Cross Bridge.

Two years later, Gorman Design Inc. updated MRA International’s work incorporating Dickey-Stephens Park and the new Arkansas

Six Bridges corridor showing transportation links between downtown North Little Rock and Little Rock.

GREG NABHOLZ

Sports Hall of Fame facility in the arena and integrating the proposed City Landing with the Inland Maritime Museum.

Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh & Associates completed the most recent plan. This plan first identified the boundaries of the district known as the Second Street corridor and called for a road diet for Riverfront Drive to make it more pedestrian-friendly and to provide better access to the Arkansas River. The plan also included an upgrade to the landing for the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge and parts of North Shore Park east of Interstate 30.

COMPLETED AND PLANNED DEVELOPMENTS

Developments first proposed in the plans include DickeyStephens Park, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum and landings at the Clinton and Junction bridges. Just outside the district, but envisioned in the MRA plan, is Rockwater Village and Marina. Renovation of One Riverfront Plaza; construction of The Vue, a multifamily project adjacent to Dickey-

Stephens Park on the west and on the Arkansas River; and the new Broadway Bridge, which includes a separate bike and pedestrian path, have also been completed.

Projects in the planning stages include a mixed-use development at 200 Broadway St. adjacent to Simmons Bank Arena; a city conference center; expansion of the Inland Maritime Museum; a trail leading from the riverfront west of the Simmons Bank Arena and crossing Broadway to Magnolia Street; and improvements to the Rock Region METRO streetcar stop on Main Street.

FUTURE ATTRACTIONS

Ideas for new destination attractions:

A multipurpose sports complex on top of the parking lot south of Simmons Bank Arena. The complex could house an ice rink, sports courts and indoor soccer facility. It could be configured to have movable seating to accommodate 3,500 to 4,000 people to house newly recruited sports teams, such as minor league hockey,

Second Street Promenade District showing major anchors in both downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock.

BOOSTING DEVELOPMENT IN THE SECOND STREET CORRIDOR; INCREASING PROGRAMMING AT ALL VENUES AND PUBLIC SPACES, SUCH AS FESTIVALS; AND ADDING ATTRACTIONS WILL DRAMATICALLY INCREASE THE NUMBER OF VISITORS AND THE FISCAL BENEFITS THEY AFFORD.

GREG NABHOLZ

arena football and basketball teams. The complex would cantilever over Riverfront Drive into North Shore Park and would add arena parking.

An Arkansas River Center. The facility, which could be built over Riverfront Drive, could accommodate the expanded Inland Maritime Museum, a hotel and even an aquarium. It could be connected to the planned conference center to the north across Washington Street.

A flexible venue hosting a variety of uses, including e-sports in the space adjacent to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.

In addition to attractions, the plan should include the new restaurant, retail, office and residential development.

NEXT STEPS FOR DEVELOPING THE SECOND STREET PROMENADE

It will take a partnership of city, county and state agencies; nonprofit groups; and the private sector to maximize the potential of the corridor. Partners — all existing organizations, businesses and property owners that fall within the district — must look at

existing incentives, grants and other funding available for either the infrastructure or the individual projects and create new local incentives to attract private capital.

The development plan must strategically integrate all the anchors to existing and future transportation connections within the Second Street Promenade to the rest of downtown Little Rock/ North Little Rock. Overcoming existing barriers to riverfront access and a parking management plan are key parts.

If this public-private partnership can become a reality, a development action plan could easily be developed by the end of this year. By the end of 2024, some of the planned developments should be completed, and by the end of 2029 a fully developed Second Street Corridor as envisioned by previous master plans can be a reality.

Current anchors and potential future developments connected by transportation corridors.

Greg Nabholz is CEO of Nabholz Properties in Conway and a placemaking economic development consultant who has been a resident of Argenta since 2007.

GREG NABHOLZ

If you can tile it, why not brick it?

Before renovation, this was a standard retail space. And look at it now!

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