Architect

True...I was referencing a historical number. The point stands either way; Des Moines' downtown is, surprisingly, quite a bit more robust and populated than Little Rock's, even though it is technically a smaller metro area. This is partly due to the demographic of the type of people who settled Iowa vs. Arkansas. The mindset is very different (one anecdotal example: Iowa is the most literate state in the country).

I agree, but given the prerogative/preferences of the bank's management, this was never a realistic scenario - even though, as I understand it, some downtown proponents approached them about this possibility. It is very unfortunate, as a development of this scope would have the potential to radically impact and accelerate investment downtown. Whereas its planned location will have zero impact short of adding traffic to an already bad arterial road. p.s. Bank of the Ozarks total assets exceed that of Devon Energy, which built a 50 story HQ in downtown OKC. Of course, their market is growing and demand of office space is robust, given that there's a second, smaller (27 story) tower nearing construction next door to consolidate offices of Bank of Oklahoma (or is it OG&E...I can't remember).

Interesting...I'm anxious to look into that. That being said, I have some background with Iowa, and Des Moines specifically. While it is similar in size (technically smaller), it is one of the most urban small cities in the country. For example, while downtown Little Rock has historically housed about 40,000 workers on a daily basis, Des Moines is 50% larger at over 60,000. Also, for whatever reason, Des Moines rate of growth has exploded this decade, while Little Rock's (following the national trend) is lower than the 2000's. Des Moines also benefits from a positive reputation in Iowa and the mid-west for its low crime and excellent educational system. It's definitely operating with a lot of momentum. p.s. I should add that Little Rock added several 20 story buildings (condos) in the past ten years, so we're not without some skyline change! And for the record, a 25 story high-rise concept was in the works about 5-6 years ago in downtown Little Rock that never materialized.

Huh? So Centennial owns the property on Main planned for the Plaza and now they've opted NOT to sell? Yikes...this needs to go on Main, NOT by the Arena...there is not urban fabric around the arena.

If that's true (and that seems more likely than slow sales), what a tragic position the owner/developer took...surely it's not worth losing a tenant as significant was Wal-Mart! If WM wouldn't pay, who in the world do they think would?

Pretty shocking actually...I mean, it's a big store (SF) but seemed relatively well trafficked. I suppose retail is taking a beating everywhere, but this means basically ZERO Wal-Mart retail/grocer anywhere but the periphery of the metro. Disappointing. That being said, I understand several developers have been pushing Riverdale as a potential second location for Whole Foods or Fresh Market (or Trader Joe's?)...though this box still seems too big. Sometimes with a cull, something better comes of it...we'll see.

Also, the new Baker-Willis Parkway interchange at I-40 on the south side of town is now open (effectively putting "Conway" several miles closer to Little Rock).

He was also quoted as saying that the final product won't depart far from what was originally envisioned. I hope that means that Aloft is still involved, but I'd be very surprised at this point, given the delays, etc.

The prior posts were restored and moved to the UALR thread (which has been un-archived). ALL: As a reminder, this thread is for the "Midtowne" shopping center proper, its tenants, future development, etc. It is NOT a thread about the general area of town referred to as mid-town. Please keep this in mind for future posts (and perhaps we need to start a thread for "midtown" in general). Thanks.

Yes, I didn't realize it was closed (archived) when I tried to move it. The consensus was that this was the problem! I'm the moderator; and I didn't even realize some of our prior threads were closed/archived. My apology! Hopefully resolved soon.

Forum Members: Several of you commented on this thread several days ago about potential new offerings on campus at UALR. Because this thread is technically for the Midtowne Shopping Center (and NOT the midtown area of town in general), I attempted to "move" those three posts to the UALR thread. However, some type of forum software error occurred, and the posts were removed from this thread, but did NOT relocate to the UALR thread. So as of now, those posts have unfortunately gone AWOL! I have the Urbanplanet "global" moderator looking into this issue with the forum software provider. My apology for the mishap. Hopefully we can resurrect these lost posts. Thanks for your patience in the interim.

Yes, that's what I said. "Leaving" it there.

Looks very nice...

^^^ Excellent.

I LOVE Cane's...thanks for requesting this! I think they have the best chicken (and sauce) by far of all the competitors (Zaxby's, Slim's, etc.). I also LOVE Panda Express, and can't believe we don't have one in Little Rock. There is on in Hot Springs, and shockingly, on campus at Harding University in Searcy.