Connection Quarterly - Fall 2020

QUARTERLY FALL 2020

SAVING GREEN AS WE GROW

A NEW NATURE PRESERVE IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

TIMELESS WORDS SPARK A BRIGHT NEW MURAL

HIT THE TRAIL

ESCAPE TO A NEW NATURE TRAIL OPENING THIS FALL

A NEWSLETTER FOR MEMBERS OF SPECIALIZED REAL ESTATE GROUP COMMUNITIES

MOVING FORWARD

SAVING GREEN AND SHARING LOVE IN AN UNCERTAIN TIME

This is such an intense time, more challenging than our generation has ever known, and in the midst of it all, we continue to strive to meet the needs of the people who have trusted us to provide homes for their families and businesses. As the population of Northwest Arkansas continues to grow, we are working to address the need for housing and services in a way that protects the environment and the character of our community.

Our plan for a 144 acre property on Markham Hill in Fayetteville does just that. New homes and an expanded inn are balanced with a generous plan to preserve half the property as protected forest and open spaces. This issue of CQ takes a deep dive into the new nature preserve on Markham Hill and the partnership that will protect it long past our lifetimes. We also welcome you to see the nature preserve for yourself along a new trail — the perfect escape for a fall day.

Elsewhere in Fayetteville at the intersection of South School and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., sitework has just begun on apartments at South Yard. In the turmoil of 2020, we wanted to share a bold reminder of what’s really important so we commissioned Olivia Trimble to create a two-story mural on the old Farm Service Cooperative buildings that will soon house shops and restaurants. To celebrate the message, we turned it into a tee shirt. We hope you’ll share the love by purchasing a shirt to benefit a non-profit that feeds people in South Fayetteville — details on page 7.

Find time to get out and get moving with the folks in your quarantine pod this fall.

Autumn in the Ozarks has not been cancelled — soak it in!

Be well!

— Specialized Real Estate Group

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ON THE COVER: Hikers on the newly opened Markham Hill Trails

DID YOU KNOW? There are three miles of trails now open on our Markham Hill property in Fayetteville, including a new 1.6 mile loop that traverses the Markham Hill nature preserve. A great little hike for all ages, the trail takes visitors near giant moss-covered boulders and through a forest of towering trees. Walkers will encounter woodpeckers, box turtles, deer, and other furry friends in this woodsy refuge in the city. Check out the trail map on page 6 and hit the trail!

Lee and Callie explore the Pine Loop, part of the Markham Hill Trails first established as horseback riding trails for a summer camp that operated on the hill in the 1920s. Photo by Meredith Mashburn.

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A CONSERVATION EASEMENT WILL CREATE A NEW NATURE PRESERVE FOR FAYETTEVILLE Story by Sarah King • Photos by Zac Trout

This summer, we signed a letter of intent with the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust agreeing to pursue a conservation easement of more than 50 acres on Markham Hill between I-49 and the University of Arkansas. The land wraps the north, west, and south sides of the hill and contains stands of tall trees including a variety of oak, hickory, maple and ash along with traces of century-old logging roads and handbuilt native stone walls and culverts. As recommended by the Northwest Arkansas Open Space Plan, these hillsides, rock

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outcroppings, springs, and mature forests will be permanently protected and carefully maintained.

The conservation easement is adjacent to approximately 62 acres of forested land recently acquired by the City of Fayetteville, amplifying the value of the land for wildlife and watershed protection. The conservation easement on Markham Hill is made possible by the adjacent development of a neighborhood of new homes and the expansion of Pratt

PROTECTED FOREVER A conservation easement not only sets land aside permanently, it also provides for careful Place Inn, a development that will take place in phases over the next decade.

management to improve habitat quality and

“As the population of Northwest Arkansas grows, we cannot consume land at the rate as we have in the past,” says SREG CEO Jeremy Hudson. If each household continues to consume a quarter acre of land or more, this place that we love will soon disappear. Our land-use plan for this property provides new housing and services to meet the needs of our growing region while preserving a beautiful natural area.

In partnership with the land trust, we aim to create a new neighborhood with healthy habitat for people and nature alike.”

According to Northwest Arkansas Land

In addition to conserving important ecological services, the easement will also preserve a wooded hillside view that welcomes visitors to Fayetteville on Interstate 49. The land management plan for the new preserve will focus on restoring native habitat, removing invasive species, and offering lowimpact public access. We have begun documenting the local ecology with a baseline botanical inventory and a study of Three-Toed Box Turtles in partnership with University of Arkansas biologists.

balance public access with habitat protection.

Trust, a conservation easement is a legal agreement between the landowner and the land trust that places certain agreed-upon restrictions on uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values. For example, a conservation easement protects the land from being subdivided and developed. The terms of the conservation easement stay with the property deed and are upheld by the land trust in perpetuity — forever.

See the new conservation easement for yourself — explore the new Markham Hill Nature Trail on page 6!

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HIT THE TRAIL! A new 1.6 mile loop joins the established Oak Loop and Pine Loop on Markham Hill, and you are invited to explore them all! Markham Hill is located between I-49 and Razorback Stadium, and the trailhead is located near Pratt Place Inn. Since the land is under private ownership, we ask that users register before heading out.

Visit markhamhill.com to register, then enjoy your time on the trail!

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Illustrated by Zac Trout

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR, FEED YOUR NEIGHBOR

The newest mural at South Yard is a bold call to Love Your Neighbor. What’s even better that visiting the mural? Wearing it. For every shirt purchased at southyard.com, Specialized Real Estate Group will donate $10 to Second Helping NWA, a non-profit feeding neighbors fresh, homestyle meals. Learn more about Second Helping NWA at secondhelpingnwa.

Fayetteville Artist Olivia Trimble and Nate Walls, founder of Second Helping NWA, visit Olivia’s new mural. See Love Your Neighbor and the other murals at 417 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Fayetteville and at southyard.com. Photo by Caitlin Trickett.

Building healthy places and connecting neighbors means that we consider not just the qualities of buildings, but the connectedness of the neighborhood surrounding them. A walkable neighborhood with a unique sense of place just feels better. It’s this feeling that we aim to capture in each of our projects.

BUILDING BETTER

EMBRACING NATURE

MOVING TOGETHER

SHARING FOOD

We consider efficiency, beauty and health in every decision we make.

We build and conserve places that connect people with nature.

We create opportunities to move—through design, events and service.

We see growing and sharing food as a vital part of every community we build.

A publication of Specialized Real Estate Group, Inc.

CONNECTION QUARTERLY • FALL 2020 • 7

15 NORTH CHURCH AVENUE, SUITE 103 FAYETTEVILLE, AR 72701

ECO MODERN FLATS @ecomodernflats

SOUTH YARD @grizzmgrazzm

BRICK AVENUE LOFTS @madisontayloredwards

HEALTHY PLACES & SMILING FACES. SHARE YOUR STORY ÉLXR YOGA LOUNGE @elxryogalounge

MARKHAM HILL @zactrout

#sregcq