485 replies to this topic

[Hillcrest_LR]

Aporkalypse, on Sep 13 2006, 02:16 PM, said:

I don't know what occupancy at the Wyndham is like but it seems like it would be ripe for addition of a room tower.

During the process for choosing the site of the Clinton Library in the late 90's, the owner of the Wyndham which I believe was still a Hilton, said he would add a tower if the President chose the NLR site. He didn't and the plans fell through.

[theman]

Aporkalypse, on Sep 13 2006, 02:16 PM, said:

LR/NLR have AMPLE hotels rooms for the state basketball tourney.  I would wager there are considerably more in a 2 mile radius than there are in all of the city of Hot Springs.  The hotel requirements for the NCAA tourney sites are actually very stringent and few smaller cities qualify.

The Riverfront Wyndham is nice but I agree, a high rise riverfront hotel near the arena would do well.  Maybe that will eventually happen on some of the land near the ballpark.

I don't know what occupancy at the Wyndham is like but it seems like it would be ripe for addition of a room tower.

To host a NCAA regional a city has to have a certain amount of full service hotels, I believe it is eight, within a certain radius of the arena to house teams and media.

With all of the development going on in downtown NLR I'm suprised that a hotel has not been mention or an expansion of the Wyndham.  It gets counted for its hotel rooms when they talk to groups about holding their conventions in Little Rock.  The growth in the convention business alone should warrant something in downtown NLR.

[Aporkalypse]

Hillcrest_LR, on Sep 13 2006, 06:48 PM, said:

During the process for choosing the site of the Clinton Library in the late 90's, the owner of the Wyndham which I believe was still a Hilton, said he would add a tower if the President chose the NLR site. He didn't and the plans fell through.

I didn't know that.  Frank Fletcher owns that hotel and he has the means to do just about anything he wants if he thinks it will work.  He really lucked out when the arena site was chosen, though.

theman, on Sep 13 2006, 10:57 PM, said:

To host a NCAA regional a city has to have a certain amount of full service hotels, I believe it is eight, within a certain radius of the arena to house teams and media.

With all of the development going on in downtown NLR I'm suprised that a hotel has not been mention or an expansion of the Wyndham.  It gets counted for its hotel rooms when they talk to groups about holding their conventions in Little Rock.  The growth in the convention business alone should warrant something in downtown NLR.

Nine - one for each team and one for the NCAA.  Lack of hotels was the reason LR was passed over on its first bid for the NCAA tourney site but apparently doing very well and handling the SEC Women's Tourney helped.

[skirby]

It would be sorta of hard for Frank Fletcher to build an addition to the Wyndham. He sold the undeveloped property next to the Wyndham to Stephens for the ballpark. I guess he could always tear down part of the existing hotel but I think the cost would be to high to do this.

[Aporkalypse]

skirby, on Sep 14 2006, 09:45 AM, said:

It would be sorta of hard for Frank Fletcher to build an addition to the Wyndham. He sold the undeveloped property next to the Wyndham to Stephens for the ballpark. I guess he could always tear down part of the existing hotel but I think the cost would be to high to do this.

He could close one of the restaurants and build a tower there.  I don't know how well the Riverfront Steakhouse is doing but that would be an option.  You could always reopen on the first floor of the new tower.

[theman]

Aporkalypse, on Sep 14 2006, 09:30 AM, said:

I didn't know that.  Frank Fletcher owns that hotel and he has the means to do just about anything he wants if he thinks it will work.  He really lucked out when the arena site was chosen, though.
Nine - one for each team and one for the NCAA.  Lack of hotels was the reason LR was passed over on its first bid for the NCAA tourney site but apparently doing very well and handling the SEC Women's Tourney helped.

Other things that helped also were the record crowds at the state championship games that Alltel hosted and even the 15,000 that attended the ABA Championship game.  These along with the success of the SEC women's tournament has shown that the area likes its basketball.

The renovation of the Peabody helped in the bid process.

[skirby]

Arkansas Business reorts: "Details are few, but an announcement is imminent about a new planned community in the works for the North Little Rock riverfront."  More details will be released later this fall. They gave an example of Harbor Town on Mud Island in Memphis.

[Aporkalypse]

skirby, on Sep 17 2006, 10:56 PM, said:

Arkansas Business reorts: "Details are few, but an announcement is imminent about a new planned community in the works for the North Little Rock riverfront."  More details will be released later this fall. They gave an example of Harbor Town on Mud Island in Memphis.

Wow, if that's true.  That's a very special development in Memphis.

[Cru Jones]

Anyone want to speculate on where a planned community like this would work on the NLR Riverfront? It seems like the majority of the land immediately west of I-30 is occupied/limited. Maybe on the East side of the bridge across from the Clinton Library?

[arkansas_buff]

If we're talking about comparing this to Harbor Town, that's very exciting.  Here are some Harbor Town images.

[skirby]

Cru Jones, on Sep 18 2006, 12:16 PM, said:

Anyone want to speculate on where a planned community like this would work on the NLR Riverfront? It seems like the majority of the land immediately west of I-30 is occupied/limited. Maybe on the East side of the bridge across from the Clinton Library?

I would say to the West of the Broadway/Pike intersection. North of River Rd.

[itk]

skirby, on Sep 18 2006, 01:16 PM, said:

I would say to the West of the Broadway/Pike intersection. North of River Rd.

I would say you are correct.  Though I don't know the details.

[Aporkalypse]

If they build this I would be very interested in moving into it.  That would take a lot of optimism and a huge investment but it could also end up being very profitable.  I thought building residences on Mud Island was crazy at one time but that sure turned out to be a good idea.

It seems obvious who's probably behind this.  The Belz family developed most of Mud Island including Harbor Town.  This is the same family that owns the Peabody chain (including the one in LR) and is behind the Shoppes at North Hills/Bass Pro Shop.  They are very interested in downtown LR/NLR development.

Harbor Town actually won first prize from the Urban Land Institute.

Edited by Aporkalypse, 18 September 2006 - 06:04 PM.

[Aporkalypse]

More Harbor Town pictures:

[mcheiss]

Gosh those pics are making me think about moving to Little Rock.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I was driving around NLR the other day and ended up driving around Ft. Roots (VA Hospital Campus) and there are some nice old houses up there, some with awesome views across the river to downtown little rock.  

Does the VA own all of these houses?  Does anyone live in them or are they used as offices/storage?  That is an amazing piece of real estate up there, and if the VA isn't using all of it, it would be nice to see some of it put to use as residential.

[skirby]

Spaceman Spiff, on Sep 19 2006, 07:47 AM, said:

I was driving around NLR the other day and ended up driving around Ft. Roots (VA Hospital Campus) and there are some nice old houses up there, some with awesome views across the river to downtown little rock.  

Does the VA own all of these houses?  Does anyone live in them or are they used as offices/storage?  That is an amazing piece of real estate up there, and if the VA isn't using all of it, it would be nice to see some of it put to use as residential.

Ft. Roots is one of the more interesting parts of the LR/NLR area. It is a look back in time around the parade grounds. Next to Ft. Roots is Emerald Park. Emerald Park is 135 acre city park with a 9 hole golf course owned by NLR. I don't know how much the course is used with Burns Park only a few miles away with a 36 hole course.
Also, the old Baptist Hospital of NLR and Pulaski Tech are in the area.

[Aporkalypse]

Spaceman Spiff, on Sep 19 2006, 07:47 AM, said:

I was driving around NLR the other day and ended up driving around Ft. Roots (VA Hospital Campus) and there are some nice old houses up there, some with awesome views across the river to downtown little rock.  

Does the VA own all of these houses?  Does anyone live in them or are they used as offices/storage?  That is an amazing piece of real estate up there, and if the VA isn't using all of it, it would be nice to see some of it put to use as residential.

I think you're talking about the row of houses that face an open field with the river in the distance.  Those are former officer's quarters and all of them were built in the 1880s-1900 or so.  Those houses are available for rental by VA employees but there's a long waiting list.  I have a cousin that's a VA administrator that lives in one of them.

Ft Roots was initially built as a resort in the late 1800s because of that stellar view you're talking about.  Sometime before WWI it was converted to a fort and many of the current buildings including those around the parade ground were built.  After WWII it ceased to serve a military function and was eventually given to the VA.  Most of the buildings serve some sort of administrative function for the VA system save the hospital which is on your right when you enter, which was built sometime in the 1980s.

Ft Roots is beautiful.  If the VA ever were to consolidate operations and move its operations to LR that would make an outstanding opportunity for residential development up there.  That won't be happening for decades, though.

[skirby]

Aporkalypse, on Sep 19 2006, 10:02 AM, said:

I think you're talking about the row of houses that face an open field with the river in the distance.  Those are former officer's quarters and all of them were built in the 1880s-1900 or so.  Those houses are available for rental by VA employees but there's a long waiting list.  I have a cousin that's a VA administrator that lives in one of them.

Ft Roots was initially built as a resort in the late 1800s because of that stellar view you're talking about.  Sometime before WWI it was converted to a fort and many of the current buildings including those around the parade ground were built.  After WWII it ceased to serve a military function and was eventually given to the VA.  Most of the buildings serve some sort of administrative function for the VA system save the hospital which is on your right when you enter, which was built sometime in the 1980s.

Ft Roots is beautiful.  If the VA ever were to consolidate operations and move its operations to LR that would make an outstanding opportunity for residential development up there.  That won't be happening for decades, though.

I always heard that the reason Ft Roots developed was the air. High above the low land of the city. Not only was it cleaner but cooler in the summer.

[LRU1967]

skirby, on Sep 19 2006, 10:32 AM, said:

I always heard that the reason Ft Roots developed was the air. High above the low land of the city. Not only was it cleaner but cooler in the summer.

A Little Rock citizens group acquired the site in 1893 and exchanged it with the Federal government for what is now MacArthur Park. It was named after Logan Roots, a former Union officer who had settled in LR after the war.