LR zoning district decision challenged
Two groups have challenged the Capitol Zoning District Commission's approval of a mixed-use development at the site of a closed laundromat on Main Street near downtown Little Rock.
Last month, the commission approved construction of a two-story brick building with five glass-and-metal retail storefronts on the ground level at 1424 Main St. It also will feature 16 apartments and a shared balcony on the second floor.
The Quapaw Quarter Association and a group of residents led by Dan Cook appealed the commission's decision to Stacy Hurst, the executive director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.
The association, which promotes historic preservation in the greater Little Rock area, said the applicant didn't establish that the project was "substantially consistent" with district's design criteria.
Cook said the commission's approval allowing the "developers to escape the design standards for new construction fundamentally undermines the mandates of the standards, the historic character of Main Street and the integrity of the district as a whole."
-- Noel Oman
Pork farmers stress China's importance
A recent open letter from the Arkansas Pork Producers Association stressed the importance of the Chinese market and said farmers remain hopeful that China will back away from a new tariff on U.S. pork.
China reacted to proposed tariffs on imported Chinese steel and aluminum by adding an additional 25 percent tariff on some U.S. products such as fruit, soybeans and pork.
About one out of every four hogs produced in the U.S. is sold for export, industry sources said. According to the National Pork Producers Council, U.S. pork shipments to China last year topped $1 billion, making it the third largest market.
More than 1.8 million pigs are produced in Arkansas annually valued at more than $80 million per year, according to the Arkansas Farm Bureau.
"We are hopeful that the 25 percent tariffs on U.S. pork will be short lived," the letter said.
-- Nathan Owens
State index climbs 8.38, closes 403.10
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, climbed 8.38 to 403.10 on Monday.
"U.S. stocks rallied as some of the biggest U.S. companies reported strong quarterly results," said Chris Harkins, managing director with Raymond James & Associates in Little Rock.
Total volume for the index was 19.4 million shares.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 04/17/2018