The floods along the Arkansas River in late May and early June are a memory, and the crowds have returned to both sides of the river in central Arkansas. There are bikers, joggers, walkers and sports teams battling the September heat.
One of the top quality-of-life amenities in central Arkansas is the string of Little Rock, North Little Rock and Pulaski County parks, which are connected by a series of pedestrian bridges and the Arkansas River Trail. Economic developers and even transportation planners are beginning to appreciate what those amenities mean.
Last Sunday, I wrote about Metroplan, the association of local governments for five counties in central Arkansas. It's the designated metropolitan planning organization for the area. Tab Townsell, who served 18 years as Conway's mayor, has headed Metroplan for almost three years and has focused on the importance of such amenities to the future of the region.
Twice a year, Metroplan publishes a report known as Metrotrends. The most recent issue makes it clear how important it was when Little Rock and North Little Rock stopped turning their backs to the river.
Take, for example, the cycling event known as the Big Dam Bridge 100. In 2018, there were 3,436 bikers who competed. They came from as far away as California and Rhode Island. With representatives from 33 states, it's estimated that the ride generated business sales of $882,360. The North Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates that the event produced 1,093 room nights for hotels and sales-tax revenue of more than $11,000. That's one of many examples that could be given.
Developers are noticing the growing attraction of the riverbanks and taking advantage of that. This issue of Metrotrends tells the story of my friends Lisa Ferrell and Jim Jackson, who began acquiring land along the river in 2005. The result of their efforts in North Little Rock is the neighborhood now known as Rockwater Village.
"It was a dream, not idle land speculation," the story notes. "In the past 14 years, the dream has morphed into a practical reality. A declining neighborhood once known for police calls and emergency room visits has turned into a walkable, livable area on the 16-mile Arkansas River Trail bike/pedestrian loop with a mix of apartments and high- and middle-end single-family homes. More is coming, which (like before) will hit several price points, not just the high end. Its in-city location allowed Rockwater to bypass the costs for sewer and water line extensions. This could explain--at least in part--why even high-end homes in Rockwater sell for no more than nice new homes in other nearby central Arkansas locations.
"Despite the neighborhood's obvious advantages and enormous potential, Lisa admits that creating New Urbanist infill development is 'an uphill lift' without the kind of strong cooperation Rockwater got from local governments. In most U.S. cities, zoning requires a lengthy setback from the street, putting the kibosh on front porches. Instead, the city of North Little Rock has flexed its zoning laws to help. Rockwater then uses property-based bills of assurance to guarantee that each property meets design and landscape requirements. Rockwater requires front porches at least eight feet deep, spacious enough for chairs, tables and friendly chats with passersby. The design reduces barriers to neighborly interaction, and it works."
Ferrell says the trail system has helped produce more than $50 million in new land value in this part of North Little Rock.
According to the story: "The neighborhood, Jim points out, used to be a drain on city coffers but now yields respectable property tax revenues. Lisa and Jim cite anecdotes of residents who have been lured in by the trails. In one case, a biker was riding the River Trail, saw the signs for Rockwater and placed a call. Before the day was out, he had purchased a lot. A surprising portion of today's Rockwater homeowners came from outside the Little Rock region. Some of the bike riders you see on the trail are business and training visitors from as far away as Chicago and San Francisco, in extended-stay hotels and biking for recreation."
Metrotrends also notes plans for The Vue, a 244-unit upscale apartment complex along the river in North Little Rock. The $35.6-million project will feature buildings that are three and four stories in height with high-end amenities. It marks the first venture into downtown North Little Rock for Newmark Moses Tucker Partners, which has done so much work in downtown Little Rock through the years.
Meanwhile, two landmarks near the river are getting improvements. Verizon Arena is changing its name to Simmons Bank Arena this fall, and with the name change has come a freshening up of the exterior of the arena (which remains one of the best venues of its size in the country thanks to the work of Michael Marion and his staff).
At Dickey-Stephens Park, the city of North Little Rock has hired a nationally known engineering firm to address the problem of sinkholes in the outfield. Despite those problems, Dickey-Stephens continues to be recognized as one of the nicest minor-league ballparks in America.
On the Little Rock side of the river, developer John Burkhalter continues work on his $60 million marina development known as the Rock City Yacht Club. Burkhalter hopes to eventually have more than 250 boat slips, a public-access boat ramp, a fueling station, restrooms, a dock store, luxury apartments and a restaurant.
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Senior Editor Rex Nelson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He's also the author of the Southern Fried blog at rexnelsonsouthernfried.com.
Editorial on 09/21/2019