Fayetteville, Arkansas

[TRB]

 

 

If they have problem with something like this on the lowest part of Dickson that would obstruct hardly anyone's view, they can't be helped and are just Miserables.

[Mith242]

 

 

If they have problem with something like this on the lowest part of Dickson that would obstruct hardly anyone's view, they can't be helped and are just Miserables.

But the sad thing is you know there will be a certain group of people in Fayetteville who would have problems with something like that.  

[TRB]

Well, did ya'll see the article that Mims is looking into the ill-fated Divinity site across from the USPO on Dickson was. He's approached some of the owners feeling them out on whether they'll sell. Of Course, one isn't interested. Apts with some street level mixed use may be the goal. He's also inquired about the old City Hospital site.

Edited July 2, 2013 by TRB

[zman9810]

Photobucket  has changed something!

Edited July 7, 2013 by zman9810

[zman9810]

Two views of Sterling Frisco- the student housing apartment complex being built just off campus in Fayetteville. The first is looking east along Maple Ave. and the second looking south along West Ave. This is the complex being built by Specialized Real Estate Group and designed by Modus Studio. It has a concrete parking garage enclosed by a stick-built structure with a partial brick veneer. This is in contrast to the student housing structures built by the University of Arkansas on campus that are built with steel and concrete and brick veneer. This the first of several posts concerning development projects in central Fayetteville. of Arkansas 

[TRB]

An interesting detail about that build is that the entrance to the garage is lined up with the light and controlled by it.

[zman9810]

I don't know why I'm having so much trouble posting pics from Photobucket but I have one of the south building of Sterling Frisco showing the pool area. That was something I wasn't aware of- there is a north building enclosing the parking garage and a separate south building. Whether one describes this complex as massive or large you can get a feel for it's size by walking the perimeter of the property. It is almost .4 mile around and very impressive.

[Mith242]

I don't know why I'm having so much trouble posting pics from Photobucket but I have one of the south building of Sterling Frisco showing the pool area. That was something I wasn't aware of- there is a north building enclosing the parking garage and a separate south building. Whether one describes this complex as massive or large you can get a feel for it's size by walking the perimeter of the property. It is almost .4 mile around and very impressive.

I knew there were two separate buildings, but I guess I haven't seen the poll area you mentioned.

[zman9810]

Here's a link to the gallery off their site. One of the thumbs shows the pool area. http://www.sterlinghousing.com/Arkansas/Fayetteville/Sterling-Frisco/property-overview/gallery/

Edited July 11, 2013 by zman9810

[TRB]

Well, the flyer has a story on how the OPO will be the flagship brick and mortar store for Country Outfitters and West and Maple. Wonder if some type of eatery is still a possibility?

[comreguy]

Well, the flyer has a story on how the OPO will be the flagship brick and mortar store for Country Outfitters and West and Maple. Wonder if some type of eatery is still a possibility?

I assume with the owners working with the city to maintain the right to use the patio area, that a restaurant/bar are still options in play for the space. The two retail stores will likely only makeup 15-20% of the available rentable space.

[UrbanArkie]

It is nice to see a retail entity go from online to brick and mortar. I don't know how wise of a choice that is. Hopefully it is nothing like walmart and you CAN get the online prices in the physical store. Otherwise it will be just like the Amazon showroom (Best Buy).

[Mith242]

Considering how restaurants haven't fared very well at the OPO, I'm curious to see if some retail shops will have better luck.  

[Mith242]

Looks like Fayetteville will be getting a Hilton Garden Inn & Conference Center.  Bentonville has the only other NWA location.  Sounds like groundbreaking will take place on July 23rd near the Holiday Inn Express on Shiloh Dr.  Guess it's either going in that space north or to the southwest of the Holiday Inn Express.

[strmchsr77]

Looks like Fayetteville will be getting a Hilton Garden Inn & Conference Center.  Bentonville has the only other NWA location.  Sounds like groundbreaking will take place on July 23rd near the Holiday Inn Express on Shiloh Dr.  Guess it's either going in that space north or to the southwest of the Holiday Inn Express.

They are already clearing land just to the north of the Holiday Inn Express so that's my guess.  It will have 8500 sq ft of meeting space as well as a restaurant and a bar.  No word on how many stories it will be but I would guess 3-5.

[jdevers]

Dirt work on the area to the north of the Holiday Inn Express started about 10-15 days ago, so if that is the spot then their ground breaking is ceremonial only.

[aerotive]

Dunno if it's been mentioned here but there's another Walgreens going in at Wedington & Rupple.

[strmchsr77]

Dunno if it's been mentioned here but there's another Walgreens going in at Wedington & Rupple.

That will be the 6th Walgreens location in Fayetteville. Also CVS will be adding a location to the city on the NE corner of College and Township.  I'm not sure how that will work with the Days Inn there and the Walgreens across the street.

[comreguy]

That will be the 6th Walgreens location in Fayetteville. Also CVS will be adding a location to the city on the NE corner of College and Township.  I'm not sure how that will work with the Days Inn there and the Walgreens across the street.

Tearing down half the Days Inn. Front half.

[thewizard16]

Tearing down half the Days Inn. Front half.

 

As much as I don't care for that hotel, adding a CVS there is going to make it an even bigger traffic cluster. Interesting to see CVS moving into the NWA territory though. I wouldn't mind seeing them down here in Little Rock after Walgreens gutted USA Drug and left a lot of empty stores sitting around, there's definitely market space.

[TRB]

The clusters is that Fayetteville has continued to go without a centrally located east/west corridor that's more than two lanes. Sometimes you have to piss people off and build what was needed a decade ago.

[zman9810]

The clusters is that Fayetteville has continued to go without a centrally located east/west corridor that's more than two lanes. Sometimes you have to piss people off and build what was needed a decade ago.

I agree about the east/west corridor but where would it go? The obvious choice is Mission/Hwy45 west until it intersects with North Ave. There just isn't a good path to N College from there. Following North or Mission would be very destructive to the neighborhoods and using North would require some engineering brilliance and a lot of cash. Going through the Historic District onto Lafayette would be fought tooth and nail. Using Township would be fought also and extending it to Hwy 45 has already been shutdown. The hills in the middle of town make it hard to see a solution.

[zman9810]

There have been conversations about the possibility of the former Divinity site at Dickson and Block/Church becoming a Specialized Real Estate Group apartment complex. This is the same group that has been building student housing complexes including the Sterling Frisco complex on Maple and West in town. While there is a clear need to increase the residential housing density in downtown Fayetteville it is not clear that this specific location is the right place to do so with one of their designs.

 

This site is very important to the desire to tie the Dickson Street Entertainment District and Downtown Fayetteville together. Building a huge residential complex comparable to Sterling Frisco at this location will likely put a barrier between the two instead of tying them together. It is said that the plan will be to build retail space along the ground floor facing the streets. This sounds good until you look at what it would actually mean. Building generic storefronts along Dickson and Block would create a huge amount of commercial space that there isn't a clear need for in that area. The Dickson Street area used to be a retail center for the city but that ended many years ago when retailers moved to the north end of the city. While there are a few stalwarts like Underwood's Jewelry and Dickson Street Book Shop, for the most part true retail shops selling goods and services have had a very difficult time being successful on Dickson. The area has become an entertainment district depending on nightclubs and restaurants to be successful.

 

Building a huge apartment complex comparable to the size of Sterling Frisco with generic storefronts on Dickson and Block would be a mistake. The storefronts would be essentially building a huge strip mall without the convenient parking that strip malls depend on to be successful. We aren't talking about building commercial space in a heavily pedestrian area such as a New York City neighborhood where customer traffic is a given. There isn't the incentive for customers to frequent this space when there are others options much more accessible. Even if the argument is that there will be such a right mix of commercial space available that it will be successful it is well known there is no guarantee that a specific business will succeed. The space is actually some distance from the heart of the entertainment district so clubs and restaurants would not be in the normal walking circuit for those customers. The population of the complex itself could not support that amount of commercial space. The end result could be a large amount of vacant storefronts that deter pedestrian traffic and as said before, build a barrier between downtown and Dickson. There is a higher use for this property and the City should help see that use come to fruition.

[wmr]

I don't follow your logic, zman.

 

I can see why some wouldn't want a big Modus-style apartment building at that location for aesthetic reasons.  I personally would much prefer something that blended with the older buildings.

 

But to say that building retail storefronts there would be a mistake is, in my opinion, a flawed view.

 

Block Avenue has filled up with some nice retail tenants.  The Square has seen a revival of retail unlike at any time since the construction of the NWA Mall stole most of its larger tenants.  Very few of these successful retailers have upfront parking in abundance.  And there is streetside parking along Block Avenue that a lot of this proposed building would benefit from.  Virtually all of Dickson Street relies on patrons parking someplace other than right out front and walking in order to do business.  This intersection is well located to access parking both along Block Street, the downtown municipal lots, and the new parking garage at School Street, just a couple blocks west.  

 

Storefronts don't necessarily mean "retail-only", either.  Restaurants and bars could just as easily fill storefronts in a mixed use building at that intersection, like they do the lower floor of the Dickson and Legacy, and Three Sisters.   And I also disagree that its "too far" from the typical bar areas.  Its literally a hundred feet from other bars/restaurants.  And more people walk from Block to Dickson and vice versa these days than used to, because Block Ave has become a lot more unique and hipper than some of the more generic Dickson places.

 

I personally can't think of a higher and better use for that corner than a mixed-use building with new commercial space and new living space above.  In a perfect world I suppose there'd be a manicured, well-funded and maintained park every block and a half.  But this piece of property is far too valuable for the city to purchase for green-space, IMO.

 

I wish whoever is able to build at that intersection well.  I just hope the design of the building is something I personally like looking at.

Edited July 28, 2013 by wmr

[wmr]

The clusters is that Fayetteville has continued to go without a centrally located east/west corridor that's more than two lanes. Sometimes you have to piss people off and build what was needed a decade ago.

I don't think there's a large segment of the population who really wants this to happen.

 

Nobody moves to the east side or Goshen because they want convenient access to I-540.  They move there because its isolated and in the hills.  I don't really understand what activities might draw west side people east of College Ave with such regularity that it would create traffic headaches.

 

The flyover will make Township more useful for people heading to I-540 in the mornings, being able to catch it by turning north onto College.  Same with Rolling Hills.