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Hotel and Apartment Projects in the Downtown LR Area


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I think hotel developers are scared of this part of town all together.  If the Hilton couldn't have made it, then maybe it's not meant to be.  Hilton is an awfully good brand not to have made money.  But then again, maybe it was the ownership there.  I know that hotel developers have looked at Midtown and didn't pull the trigger.  

Strode (Park Avenue Developer) sold the land where the apartments went in to a third party with the agreement that the first floor would be condo back to them.  The land was too expensive for several of the hotel developers who came to Park Avenue looking for a site.  The spot in NW corner where they built a third set of apartments was originally scheduled to be a hotel but they sold it to the apartment developers when they couldn't find anyone to take the lot.  It's been hard to lease out everything because of the price.  Why the allowed a Newks and Potbelly to go in the same building (much less the same center) as Panera, I will never understand or agree with.    

I don't get why hotel developers would shy away from midtown. With UALR, UAMS, St. Vincent, the shopping centers, there are plenty of things that you would think that would draw hotel guests. As far as Strode is concerned it seems that they placed a high value on the property and they may have needed to do that to recoup their investment but at what cost when you have to have 3 sandwich shops in your center because no one else would sign a lease and you have to scap the hotel component. How many hotels are up by Shackleford Crossing now, 4, and one can't get built at Park Avenue or in midtown in general.

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I think hotel developers are scared of this part of town all together.  If the Hilton couldn't have made it, then maybe it's not meant to be.  Hilton is an awfully good brand not to have made money.  But then again, maybe it was the ownership there.  I know that hotel developers have looked at Midtown and didn't pull the trigger.  

The Hilton didn't succeed because it was 40 years old and had virtually no reinvestment.  It was also arguably on the wrong side of the freeway/I-630.  It is regrettable that Strode priced the property too high to make it not viable for a hotel development.

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The Hilton didn't succeed because it was 40 years old and had virtually no reinvestment.  It was also arguably on the wrong side of the freeway/I-630.  It is regrettable that Strode priced the property too high to make it not viable for a hotel development.

So is this new Staybridge Suites located on the old Brandon House location going to succeed?  

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The Belz Family tried to tear down the existing building where the Hilton was and build a 12 story building but local opposition (as I remember) forced them to remodel the existing building into the Hilton instead.  I don't recall when this was.  Maybe 2004 I think but perhaps someone else on here remembers better.  

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http://m.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/sep/02/deal-called-near-mm-cohn-site/

This was in today's Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Interesting read. 

Looks like Chi is intent on developing the aloft. There is too much happening on Main for it not to be successful. If all things work out according to plans the Tech Park should start work right after the first of the year.

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It looks like they are getting the MMCohn Building ready to sell.  I saw several people walking in and out of the front door yesterday while on Main Street yesterday.  I also saw Scott Reed walking around the block in construction garb.  So perhaps this is a good sign that some work will get done on this part of Main.  I also hear that the Bruno family is going to be doing a deli type concept next door to Bruno's next to the Mann Building.  There's also talk that there's a new restaurant going into the vacant building at 319 2nd Street across from the county courthouse.  

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It looks like they are getting the MMCohn Building ready to sell.  I saw several people walking in and out of the front door yesterday while on Main Street yesterday.  I also saw Scott Reed walking around the block in construction garb.  So perhaps this is a good sign that some work will get done on this part of Main.  I also hear that the Bruno family is going to be doing a deli type concept next door to Bruno's next to the Mann Building.  There's also talk that there's a new restaurant going into the vacant building at 319 2nd Street across from the county courthouse.  

The deli project from Bruno's has been reported in various accounts earlier this summer, but I hadn't heard or read of plans for the restaurant on West 2nd Street.

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I love hearing all this great news!!!  It looks like Little Rock is well on it's way to becoming a destination city, wouldn't you agree? 

Agree!  I am looking forward to the day when all or most of the empty street fronts are filled, surface lots built upon, and being able to walk down any street downtown and see vibrancy, like a real city!  I hate hearing randomly at least once a month "this town is dead" and "where are all the people" when I am downtown. 

Edited by bigbank10x
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  • 4 weeks later...

Arkansas Business is reporting that an future hotel site has been purchased in downtown LR. The site is made up of two properties which are now parking lots. The properties are located at 6th and Cumberland and on the east side of Scott between 6th and 7th. This property is located a block east of the REP on Main Street and one block from the LR Tech Park.

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Arkansas Business is reporting that an future hotel site has been purchased in downtown LR. The site is made up of two properties which are now parking lots. The properties are located at 6th and Cumberland and on the east side of Scott between 6th and 7th. This property is located a block east of the REP on Main Street and one block from the LR Tech Park.

So, that works out as the north and west sides of Buffington Towers, or east and south of Mitchell & Company.

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A plumbing permit has been issued for the Residences @ 2nd and Center, which is the Pyramid Place building. This building is ten floors and when it was built in 1907 it was called the first skyscraper in Arkansas. Floors 8 thru 10 will be converted into apartments.

Edited by skirby
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A plumbing permit has been issued for the Residences @ 2nd and Center, which is the Pyramid Place building. This building is ten floors ant when it was built in 1907 it was called the first skyscraper in Arkansas. Floors 8 thru 10 will be converted into apartments.

Wow!  Cool...I had not heard of that project!

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  • 3 weeks later...

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