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Fayetteville, Arkansas


Mith242

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WMR, A good way to see the point I'm making is to look at the Sterling Frisco photos I posted earlier and imagine storefronts along the entire length of the building. It would create a huge amount of commercial space that there isn't a clear need for. The square, like the heart of the entertainment district, is a destination in itself. Just building storefronts will not make such a complex a destination spot. The danger is creating a area that people want to avoid because of the vacant storefronts. It isn't a perfect comparison but if you go to downtown Springdale and walk Emma Ave.with it's many vacant storefronts it makes one want to avoid the area, especially at night. Not having convenient parking makes business hard to conduct and there isn't enough pedestrian traffic at that spot to sustain that much commercial space . If you go walk Dickson at night the Block Ave. area is not in the mix of heavily travelled pedestrian traffic. If a similar complex were proposed for the WAC lot at Dickson and West it would make more sense but not at Block and Dickson.

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Ok.  I can understand that concern.

 

But I have to view it through the lens of what Dickson Street is now, and how high rents are now compared to ten years ago.

 

There is still some turnover in some of the Dickson area storefronts, but how long has it been since a useable Dickson storefront stayed vacant for more than a month or two?  I can't recall anything in the past several years.  The businesses that close are almost immediately replaced by other ventures, willing to try their hand at making a go on Dickson Street.

 

I see there being some pent-up demand for new storefronts and commercial space along Dickson.  Every building that can be renovated has been renovated.  Some have added on and expanded upstairs.  There isn't any more real estate available for redevelopment.  

 

I would welcome another 15,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space down there, because I think it would be snapped up quickly and add even more options to the street.  The absolute worst case scenario I could see happening with a large influx of new space is that rents overall start to go down, and some of the good businesses who might be only making a marginal profit are able to sustain themselves better.  

 

I think one of the reasons that we see only bars on Dickson is due to the acceleration of rental rates.  There is less emphasis on live music and retail and more emphasis on churning out as many cocktails and beers as quickly as possible to cover the rents down there.  More options for renting space might encourage lower rents overall (although I doubt it, I think Dickson and downtown are really going to keep growing and expanding for at least another decade).  

 

I just don't see a downside.  Dickson is very, very healthy.

Edited by wmr
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I'll say I'd way prefer something like Three Sisters to Sterling Frisco, just because I am already growing a little weary of the uber-modern stuff that has been proposed and is being built.  I'd like to see something grand there to make the corner.  It has the potential to really tie Dickson to the Square in an almost seamless fashion.  That has been the general hope and vision of the Downtown/Dickson partnership for the past two decades.

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I was pleasantly surprised at the wood being used on Sterling Frisco. I do hope for tradition styling to return. I'll wait to see the plans before I denounce anything there. While reviled, a boutique hotel would have been of some benefit just like my pining of the hotel/retail/deck at the flat lot at the WAC. Flat lots are huge wastes of space.

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  • 2 weeks later...

More Kum and Goes!  As they start construction on the E. Huntsville location it appears that they will soon be starting one in a much needed area in West Fayetteville.  This location will be behind Adventure Subaru on the corner of Mt. Comfort Rd and Shiloh drive.  This area is very much in need of a gas station and more neighborhood commercial if you ask me.  I have also heard plans of a new car lot nearby but that is not set in stone yet.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

The library is getting the old city hospital for 2mil. Wash Regional is using it to start construction on a new neurology center be located above the existing emergency room.

I read they are only going to use about half of the property for the expansion. Wonder what the plan is for the rest of it?

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Interesting story from The City Wire - the U of A is the 13th fastest-growing public research university in the country.  Only that other U of A in Tuscaloosa is ahead of it in the SEC (I'd read, I think a Wally Hall column, that Alabama is only accepting kids with a 4.0 GPA out of high school now?!?!)  That's an amazing accomplishment for U of A, and frankly with nearly 815,000 people between the NWA/FSM metro areas right now this area has to have a LOT to do with that.

 

No wonder Fayetteville has so many new buildings.

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Is there any chance the southbound exit for 6th st/mlk will be fixed to keep these people in the morning from blocking all the lanes when they try to go to the end and cut over to turn left? It needs to be 3-5 lanes all the way down from the exit to the light.

Can't tell you the number of times someone about had there rear end taken off because they stop to force there way in instead of going straight and turning around.

Think a cop would sit looking for people obstructing the flow of traffic?

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Here's going to be a sight that will take a little bit of getting used to for some.  The Arkansas & Missouri railroad, with both freight and revenue passenger operations, will be phasing out its current locomotives (from a firm called Alco...there are very few Alco locomotives in American service today) and phasing in these big late-model, wide-cab General Motors locomotives.  When I first saw this pic it reminded me of the train from the 2010 flick "Unstoppable".  These things will shake Dickson Street when they cross there...this is likely one of the very first pics of these (in service currently in Illinois):

 

7837.1378736870.jpg

Edited by KJW
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Speaking of such things, if I had a wish list for infrastructure projects in Fayetteville, this would be near the top.  How cool would it be to have a streetcar link between the U of A and the Square?  I know this is beyond a long shot, but I totally think this would be a great draw for the city, as well as a great way to connect the two areas...  I'm thinking a loop starting at the Harmon Ave. Parking Garage, then going east on Dickson, then south on Block St. to the square, then west on Center St. back to Harmon Ave..  

 

Maybe some of you guys with connections in the city government can do me a solid and make this happen?  ;)

 

large_streetcar08.jpg

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Speaking of such things, if I had a wish list for infrastructure projects in Fayetteville, this would be near the top.  How cool would it be to have a streetcar link between the U of A and the Square?  I know this is beyond a long shot, but I totally think this would be a great draw for the city, as well as a great way to connect the two areas...  I'm thinking a loop starting at the Harmon Ave. Parking Garage, then going east on Dickson, then south on Block St. to the square, then west on Center St. back to Harmon Ave..  

 

Maybe some of you guys with connections in the city government can do me a solid and make this happen?   ;)

 

large_streetcar08.jpg

I always thought something like this was a good idea.  This was brought up several years ago on here.  But unfortunately so far it's remained just an idea.

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  • 4 weeks later...

This was mentioned a few years back with mixed reception. I however think it would be a great idea but it would need to incorporate more residential areas.... So on top of what you mentioned it should go down Garland, and come back up Leverrett.

 

That's called Razorback Transit and an authentic trolley system is a waste of limited resources. Hanna's trolley was nothing but a minibus.

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See, mixed reception. We could get into the statistics and cost vs. ridership and have a strong argument for both sides. Would be nice if the city sold the land needed to a private company so they could build one..... Then it wouldn't matter at that point.

Bit the response that was giving by someone in a position to matter was that such a system might detract, financialy, from a more regional transit approach.

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Subaru is expanding but could be something else. I keep wondering how long the Lewis folk would keep the Ford and Dodge/Jeep dealerships together in soo little an area to display cars in front while it would be fine for a single brand like Ford.

Edited by TRB
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Looks like the Crain group recently bought about 12 acres in the area, according to the county website.  That doesn't mean plans are imminent -- just that they've bought the land...

I've heard they might be moving the Hyundai dealership there from S-dale but that may just be a rumor.  I believe that commercial subdivision is called Springwoods?  Subaru is trying to expand and have more room for parking but I don't know if it has cleared the city council yet.  From what I have heard Subaru is doing very good business...

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