John Daly's Steakhouse developers received unanimous approval Monday night for construction of a new building in a move that will require demolition of existing downtown Conway property to house the restaurant.
In addition to the 4,500-square-foot steakhouse named after professional golfer John Daly, at least five second-floor lofts are planned at the site along Front Street, just north of Toad Suck Square.
Conway's historic district commission voted in favor of the new construction element of the project that could reach a total cost of $2 to $2.5 million. Additional approval will be needed for the developers to move forward with razing two existing buildings on site.
Safety was behind the team going against initial plans of remodeling the existing two buildings in favor of new construction, project CEO Sam McFadin told ArkansasOnline on Monday.
The existing buildings formerly housed a shoe store and a Pentecostal church but have sat vacant in recent months.
In 2011, the city granted a reprieve after initially condemning the buildings for cracks and other structural deficiencies found.
"The demolition contract should be executed in the next few days, and demo will begin within the next week or so," said Brandon Ruhl of North Little Rock-based Taggart Architects, the selected architectural firm for the steakhouse and lofts project.
John Daly's Steakhouse and the lofts have a tentative opening scheduled for late spring or early summer. Ten steakhouse locations are planned over the next five years, including one in Fayetteville.
READ MORE
- http://www.arkansas…">Developers seek approval of new building for John Daly-named steakhouse
- http://www.arkansas…">John Daly-named steakhouse to open next year in Conway