Little Rock's 300 3rd Tower

[skirby]

300 Third officially opened, today, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. According to channel 4, the building is now 88% sold, which is substantially greater than the 75% that Jimmy Moses expected by the end of 2007. Now, he predicts that all units will be sold by the end of the year. Channel 4

[Mith242]

There was an interesting article about some of the people moving into the Tower in the Arkansas DG. There was one couple from Beebe and a family from Cabot in the mix.

[skirby]

Today is opening day... Anyone want to give a report?

[Architect]

Figures, all the times the Arkansas Democrat Gazette puts Little Rock news in the northwest edition of the paper. The time I'd really like to see this particular article they don't put it in.

[skirby]

You can read either addition online...I'm a subscriber though, so I'm unsure of the limitations otherwise.

As an aside, I'm guessing that most of the LR articles never cover the niceties and interesting stuff, like new developments, growth, etc.

[Architect]

Having intended to do this for quite some time, I finally went to the "Open House" at 300 Third today. Boy, was I impressed. The whole setup is first rate - top notch service, style and execution. The architecture is very sophisticated, and upscale...a welcome addition to the normal "blah" of what often gets built in Little Rock.

The open house was cool. You just sign in, and after they show you the general amenities and public spaces, they give you a list of open condos, and you're off on your own! Here are my impressions:

Public spaces:

The entire lobby - walls and ceiling are lined entirely of copper - very upscale/chic -something you would expect to find in Chicago or NY. The amenities are quite nice - got to tour the fitness center, pool and 18th floor penthouse party room and roof deck, which can be reserved (I assume there is no fee) - and if not reserved - you can just use it at any time. Its open from 7:00 a.m. to midnight daily. Awesome views, kitchen, fireplace, large screen plasma HD monitor, etc. Very cool. Did I mention the views? The exterior sun deck does not extend to the perimeter, and is in fact lined by a glass wall (for wind mitigation Rett Tucker explained) - this was mildly disappointing. I was not able (or didn't) take time to tour the Copper Grill and grocery, but it had a great review recently in one of the local publications. I'm anxious to try it out. Both the restaurant and grocery deliver to the units.

Condos:

What can I say...very upscale and modern. Think Ikea. The views are incredible, especially to the west (personally, I wouldn't spend that kind of money and NOT have a view of the skyline). They have units that range in size, but only 1 and 2 bedrooms were left, which sort of rules it out for us (but frankly, I'm not sure I could afford a 3 bedroom or larger). The units on the north side have a balcony, but they're only accessible from a bedroom. The units on the south seem to have a better floor plan (to me) since the living/dining is better defined, and the balconies are (larger?) accessible from the dining room. The 2 bedrooms in the 1,200 sf range were too small in my opinion (for me personally). The 2 bedroom units in the 1,900 sf range were much more ample/comfortable. The cost/sf for these were basically $250 or higher, and I can only imagine that the originaly high-end units were north of that.

Overall? Incredible....I got to speak to both Jimmy Moses and Rett Tucker, and they were down there working hard on Sunday with the same enthusiasm I imagine as they've had from day one. They stated that 80% of the units had been sold (about 20 were left). And of course, there is a large amount of work going in one block over on their new 20-story River Market Tower. I get the impression that it won't be as upscale as 300 Third, and thats understandable as its larger and needs to appeal to a broader market. I left regretting that I hadn't looking into this sooner - though I'm not positive the 3 bedroom would fit our budget.

In closing, I'm not sure how many people realize how fundamentally significant this is to the urban lifestyle and fabric in Little Rock. It is a big deal, and will only set into motion - I feel - a new era in the sophistication of our growing city. And more towers are coming.

[theman]

Thanks for the review.