265 replies to this topic

[arkansas_buff]

That condo project sounds very exciting.  Keep us posted.

[LIT uPP]

Aporkalypse, on Sep 12 2006, 02:51 AM, said:

Is Schickel developing this as well?

The developer listed on the agenda is "The Group LLC," based in Maumelle.  I don't know if Mr. Schickel is associated with them, or not.

It sounds as though the developers are considering the extensive dedicated green space with lighted walking trails as the big draw for this development.  I neglected to mention, yesterday, that this will be a gated community, which some potential residents will find attractive.

[theman]

I wonder since Dillard's is no longer part of the RED development if they are going to look at Shackleford Crossing as a place to put Little Rock's second store.

[Aporkalypse]

theman, on Sep 12 2006, 11:18 PM, said:

I wonder since Dillard's is no longer part of the RED development if they are going to look at Shackleford Crossing as a place to put Little Rock's second store.

This question was answered I guess by the recent announcement regarding Gateway.


I was out and about this weekend and had a couple of thoughts:

I noticed they are building a large assisted living facility on top of the hill before Chenal begins descending and becomes two lanes, just after the Bear Den Mountain golf course.  It really looked impressive in the drawing, at first I thought it was a big mixed use development or something.

Excavation work for the Rahling Road extension is well underway and hopefully they can begin the paving process soon, though I saw no evidence of this.  I don't know how the Gateway development will influence this but the most recent timetable makes more sense - you can't really start work on the shopping center until Rahling is finished.

I went out on Northridge area of Chenal near Cantrell/Hwy 10 behind Robinson HS.  I had no idea things were growing like that out there and there were a number of new subdivisions.  The hillside views were awesome, like West Fork or Mountainburg or something.  I also thought the use of traffic circles was interesting.

[Aporkalypse]

Well, I guess maybe Promenade at Chenal isn't dead after all...


Deltic Timber closed on their sale of the land to RED Development today.


The amount was undisclosed.  Deltic also owns an additional 135 acres adjacent to the site it plans on developing in the future.

[tim2462]

Bank of the Ozarks is relocating their headquarters out there to the intersection of Rahling and Chenal, right next to the Promenade at Chenal site.  This really baffles me...why are they moving just a few miles down the road?  They have a huge building with underground parking garage...I just don't see why they feel the need to move such a short distance away, for no apparent reason.

[LIT uPP]

tim2462, on Sep 28 2006, 08:27 PM, said:

I just don't see why they feel the need to move such a short distance away, for no apparent reason.

I read that they have outgrown the space in their current headquarters and need a new building.  While their HQ will move, I understand that they plan to utilize the current building, as well.

Back around 2001-2002, Bank of the Ozarks purchased the half block in downtown that is bordered by 3rd and 4th streets on the north and south, and by Broadway on the west – currently a surface parking lot.  They said the property was to be held for possible future development.  At the time, I had visions of BotO unveiling a new HQ tower, someday, in that highly-visible location, but with the announcement of their move further west, any chance for my vision becoming reality has been dashed.  I think they still own the downtown property, but it may be for investment purposes only.

[Aporkalypse]

LIT uPP, on Sep 28 2006, 09:00 PM, said:

I read that they have outgrown the space in their current headquarters and need a new building.  While their HQ will move, I understand that they plan to utilize the current building, as well.

Back around 2001-2002, Bank of the Ozarks purchased the half block in downtown that is bordered by 3rd and 4th streets on the north and south, and by Broadway on the west – currently a surface parking lot.  They said the property was to be held for possible future development.  At the time, I had visions of BotO unveiling a new HQ tower, someday, in that highly-visible location, but with the announcement of their move further west, any chance for my vision becoming reality has been dashed.  I think they still own the downtown property, but it may be for investment purposes only.

Bank of the Ozarks has a presence in the DFW market, especially in Frisco and the newer, wealthy parts of Collin County.  It's doing very well.  I'd heard the same thing - they outgrew their space and could use both buildings.  Perhaps the older one could hold the mortgage division.

[hartford]

Bank of the Ozarks must be doing really well.  I heard that the CEO Gleason is buiding a 35,000 sq foot home out near chenal mt.

[Architect]

hartford, on Sep 28 2006, 08:34 PM, said:

Bank of the Ozarks must be doing really well.  I heard that the CEO Gleason is buiding a 35,000 sq foot home out near chenal mt.

He is.  I'm not sure if those are the exact numbers, but it is insane....borderline excessive (unethical?) in my opinion.

Edited by Architect, 28 September 2006 - 09:34 PM.

[theman]

LIT uPP, on Sep 28 2006, 09:00 PM, said:

I read that they have outgrown the space in their current headquarters and need a new building.  While their HQ will move, I understand that they plan to utilize the current building, as well.

Back around 2001-2002, Bank of the Ozarks purchased the half block in downtown that is bordered by 3rd and 4th streets on the north and south, and by Broadway on the west – currently a surface parking lot.  They said the property was to be held for possible future development.  At the time, I had visions of BotO unveiling a new HQ tower, someday, in that highly-visible location, but with the announcement of their move further west, any chance for my vision becoming reality has been dashed.  I think they still own the downtown property, but it may be for investment purposes only.

With its growth, I'm suprised that BofO isn't planning on building a tower downtown.  First Security moved into the Little Rock market in a big way by putting its name on First Security Center and Metropolitan moving into the former TCBY Tower.  Most of the large financial institutions have a large presence downtown.  You would think BofO would want one also.

[tim2462]

I may be a geek for even thinking about things like this, but...
I never understood why the Bank of the Ozarks is headquartered in Little Rock, until someone expalined that it was once in Mulberry, but moved to Little Rock.  I think it's weird that the headquarters for the Bank of the Ozarks is in the eastern edge of the Ouachitas, nowhere near the Ozarks.

Edited by tim2462, 29 September 2006 - 05:01 PM.

[Aporkalypse]

tim2462, on Sep 29 2006, 05:59 PM, said:

I may be a geek for even thinking about things like this, but...
I never understood why the Bank of the Ozarks is headquartered in Little Rock, until someone expalined that it was once in Mulberry, but moved to Little Rock.  I think it's weird that the headquarters for the Bank of the Ozarks is in the eastern edge of the Ouachitas, nowhere near the Ozarks.

You know what's weirder?  Ozarka water is far and away Texas' most popular bottled water yet it's entirely producted in Texas springs, most of them down around San Antonio.

Regions Bank really just covers one region.

[tim2462]

LOL yeah, I remember wondering about the ozarka water thing a while back.

Another thing that bothers me is...

Mount Magazine is in the Ouachita Mountains.  However, it is located in the Ozark National Forest.
Looking at a map, you notice that it's right near the Ouachita National Forest, in the Ouachita Mountains.
The Ozark National Forest and the Ozark Mountains are quite far from there.  Why in the world is a Ouachita Mountain in the Ozark National Forest???

[Aporkalypse]

tim2462, on Oct 2 2006, 06:12 PM, said:

LOL yeah, I remember wondering about the ozarka water thing a while back.

Another thing that bothers me is...

Mount Magazine is in the Ouachita Mountains.  However, it is located in the Ozark National Forest.
Looking at a map, you notice that it's right near the Ouachita National Forest, in the Ouachita Mountains.
The Ozark National Forest and the Ozark Mountains are quite far from there.  Why in the world is a Ouachita Mountain in the Ozark National Forest???

I never have been able to keep the whole Quachita/Ozark thing straight.  I wish it was as simple as whether you're North or South of the River but I'm told you can still be in the Ozarks south of the River.

[tim2462]

Actually, the Ozarks never go south of the river. However, the Ouachitas do go north of the river. While the dept. of tourism has a region classified as the river valley, in reality, there is no physiographic river valley region in Arkansas.  The entire region that the dept. of tourism calls the river valley, is actually all in the Ouachita Mountains.  The easiest way to differentiate is...The Ouachita Mountains go east to west, the Ozarks go north to south.  You will notice that all of the mountains in the "river valley" go east to west.  I've included a map that shows the physiographic regions.

Attached Thumbnails

• 

Edited by tim2462, 03 October 2006 - 08:59 PM.

[Spaceman Spiff]

tim2462, on Oct 3 2006, 08:54 PM, said:

Actually, the Ozarks never go south of the river. However, the Ouachitas do go north of the river. While the dept. of tourism has a region classified as the river valley, in reality, there is no physiographic river valley region in Arkansas.  The entire region that the dept. of tourism calls the river valley, is actually all in the Ouachita Mountains.  The easiest way to differentiate is...The Ouachita Mountains go east to west, the Ozarks go north to south.  You will notice that all of the mountains in the "river valley" go east to west.  I've included a map that shows the physiographic regions.

I've always thought it was interesting that Little Rock is situated more or less at the exact intersection of the ouachita mountain, delta, and west gulf costal plain regions.

[Aporkalypse]

Spaceman Spiff, on Oct 4 2006, 09:41 AM, said:

I've always thought it was interesting that Little Rock is situated more or less at the exact intersection of the ouachita mountain, delta, and west gulf costal plain regions.

That's one of the things I like best about Arkansas.  If you drive over to Scott and eat at Cotham's, fish on an oxbow lake and visit one of the plantations you would think you were deep in the Delta yet you're only 10 min East of downtown LR.  10 min West of downtown LR in west LR you have hills and mountains as impressive as most of what you'll find in the heart of the Ozarks.  The topography really is unique.

[Aporkalypse]

It sounds like the Promenade at Chenal is likely to go as planned.  The developers spoke with the Ark Times yesterday as well, not saying much except that there won't be a Dillard's, which we knew.

This is excerpted from the ADG today:

Promenade at Chenal to seek ‘boutique feel’
  
A spokesman for RED Development said Thursday that plans for the new Promenade at Chenal call for a lifestyle center with a “boutique feel.” Targeted retailers are high-end, and the developers also plan to include upscale dining.
   RED Development expects construction of the Little Rock shopping center to start soon and end within the next 12 to 18 months. It’s too soon to name any retailers, said Kevan Gibbs with public-relations company Prairie360.
   The Little Rock Planning Commission in September approved RED Development’s plans to build a 338,948-squarefoot retail center on the 48-acre site along Chenal Parkway. The center was announced in April 2004.
   RED Development has offices in Kansas City, Mo., and Scottsdale, Ariz.

[Cru Jones]

Aporkalypse, on Oct 20 2006, 08:20 AM, said:

It sounds like the Promenade at Chenal is likely to go as planned.  The developers spoke with the Ark Times yesterday as well, not saying much except that there won't be a Dillard's, which we knew.

This is excerpted from the ADG today:

Promenade at Chenal to seek ‘boutique feel’
  
A spokesman for RED Development said Thursday that plans for the new Promenade at Chenal call for a lifestyle center with a “boutique feel.” Targeted retailers are high-end, and the developers also plan to include upscale dining.
   RED Development expects construction of the Little Rock shopping center to start soon and end within the next 12 to 18 months. It’s too soon to name any retailers, said Kevan Gibbs with public-relations company Prairie360.
   The Little Rock Planning Commission in September approved RED Development’s plans to build a 338,948-squarefoot retail center on the 48-acre site along Chenal Parkway. The center was announced in April 2004.
   RED Development has offices in Kansas City, Mo., and Scottsdale, Ariz.

So, do you feel confident that this project is going to happen now? At least more confident than in the past.