What Direction Will Northwest Arkansas Go?

[Mith242]

This was discussed a little in another topic. Matt thought this might be a good topic, so here we are. Oringinally meant in terms of which direction will the northwest Arkansas metro grow towards. But I wanted to leave it open in terms of which direction economically we could grow also. But anyway I have wondered which way northwest Arkansas will grow out towards. West to Siloam Springs, north to Missouri and the developments popping up across the border, or perhaps toward the northeast where Beaver Lake and Eureka Springs lie. I think a direction to Missouri is most likely. Most of our growth has always been on a north-south axis because of Hwy 71 and now I-540. There's also a lot of growth going on in southwest Missouri also. Possibly growing towards a larger Joplin metro too. I wouldn't mind seeing growth going towards Siloam Springs either. It would help make them seem a little more a part of the metro. Although I wonder what effects a lot of development would have towarss the northeast I could also see that happening. Beaver Lake and Eureka Springs are both big draws in the area. I'll even pose another question. If growth starts going towards Eureka Springs, what effect will that have on the city? it's mainly just a tourist town and as far as I know there isn't much growth going on there. Can anyone imagine having a development and growth taking place around the edges of the old historical core of the city?

[mcheiss]

I knew you'd start it

I guess I didn't see it from the perspective about Siloam Springs. Growth out to that area would be great, especially with projects like 412 Bypass. It already looks like growth will move out to XNA in the future. Right now, it seems like growth is pushing towards the Missouri Border especially with a Ford Dealership opening up near Jane soon, along with pizza hut, mc Donald's, and a few others. I think the new Supercenter is the main reason.

In Eureka Springs, I think that if growth went out there, a lot of the Ozark National Forest would be destroyed for one. I personally would hate to see something like a Wal-Mart Supercenter right next to the downtown Eureka Springs area. I'm not sure if growth will ever happen out there like that, but it wouldn't be nice if suburbia sprawl came over there. Eureka Springs has so much history that it should be preserved as much as possible.

Come on NWA Forumers, we need your advice!!!!

[Mith242]

I knew you'd start it

I guess I didn't see it from the perspective about Siloam Springs. Growth out to that area would be great, especially with projects like 412 Bypass. It already looks like growth will move out to XNA in the future. Right now, it seems like growth is pushing towards the Missouri Border especially with a Ford Dealership opening up near Jane soon, along with pizza hut, mc Donald's, and a few others. I think the new Supercenter is the main reason.

In Eureka Springs, I think that if growth went out there, a lot of the Ozark National Forest would be destroyed for one. I personally would hate to see something like a Wal-Mart Supercenter right next to the downtown Eureka Springs area. I'm not sure if growth will ever happen out there like that, but it wouldn't be nice if suburbia sprawl came over there. Eureka Springs has so much history that it should be preserved as much as possible.

Come on NWA Forumers, we need your advice!!!!

With much of Eureka Springs being a part of a historical district I don't think you could have much development close to the core of the city. I also wonder when Caroll County might become a part of the metro area. Madison County is now a part of the metro even though very little growth has occured there. I think it has more to do with the fact that there isn't many jobs for people there so most of the people that live in Madison County work in Washington County. The Ozark National Forest doesn't quite extend up that far north. But there is a bit of state land that could be involved. There future expanded Hobbs-Beaver Lake State Park area. But there is a section of the Ozark National Forest that lies between Springdale and Siloam Springs. It could help hinder some development there, although I'm pretty sure that it is mainly to the south of Hwy 412.

[mcheiss]

With much of Eureka Springs being a part of a historical district I don't think you could have much development close to the core of the city. I also wonder when Caroll County might become a part of the metro area. Madison County is now a part of the metro even though very little growth has occured there. I think it has more to do with the fact that there isn't many jobs for people there so most of the people that live in Madison County work in Washington County. The Ozark National Forest doesn't quite extend up that far north. But there is a bit of state land that could be involved. There future expanded Hobbs-Beaver Lake State Park area. But there is a section of the Ozark National Forest that lies between Springdale and Siloam Springs. It could help hinder some development there, although I'm pretty sure that it is mainly to the south of Hwy 412.

Well, I guess I could see something like Condos or something in Eureka Springs. That might fit in well with the historic District.

[Mith242]

Well, I guess I could see something like Condos or something in Eureka Springs. That might fit in well with the historic District.

I wonder if there was more population there if there would also be more shops and restaurants developments. Obviously though much of what they have caters to tourists because there isn't enough population to support what they have.

[lefty]

You know, this is a good question. Obviously because of XNA, there's going to be growth towards the west. But I also notice, at least in Springdale, a lot of growth to the East.

However, the northern part of the area is really taking off, so I think expansion will follow there for the time being.

[Mith242]

You know, this is a good question. Obviously because of XNA, there's going to be growth towards the west. But I also notice, at least in Springdale, a lot of growth to the East.

However, the northern part of the area is really taking off, so I think expansion will follow there for the time being.

Yeah now that you mention it Springdale does seem to be growing to the east quite a bit. For a long time that was the way Fayetteville was growing. But I'd say in the last five years Fayetteville has grown a lot more to the west. Although it's also probably because there's more flat land that direction which makes it easier to develop.

[Mith242]

Here's some interesting info on current and projects density for the NWA area. Looks like more development going east and west and look at that projected density around Bentonville and XNA.

[tim2462]

Not really too much growth can happen in and around Eureka because of the landscape. The hotels and other businesses are all crammed on a narrow ridge and the dowtown is at the bottom of that ridge. Most of the commercial growth is going on a few miles to the east in Berryville. They have a wal-mart supercenter and that has spurred a lot of development there. The land in and around Berryville is more condusive to development. Their population is growing as well. I think for the most part, Eureka will stay as is.

[mcheiss]

Wow, West Bentonville is primed to be the location of NWA. Rogers and Springdale look good for high amounts of residential growth as well.

[Mith242]

Wow, West Bentonville is primed to be the location of NWA. Rogers and Springdale look good for high amounts of residential growth as well.

Yeah I was surprised by the density predicted around Bentonville and the lack of density predicted for Fayetteville.

[mcheiss]

Rogers looks extemly dense as well.

I noticed Fayetteville as well, I always thought they were planning rich density in the city instead of sprawl.

[Mith242]

Rogers looks extemly dense as well.

I noticed Fayetteville as well, I always thought they were planning rich density in the city instead of sprawl.

Well I don't see much sprawl either for Fayetteville on the map. I don't know if this is supposed to represent a better job of spreading the growth around the city or what. The only other option I could see is that they are predicting that the city won't be growing much, but I find that unlikely.

[masons_dad1]

Not really too much growth can happen in and around Eureka because of the landscape. The hotels and other businesses are all crammed on a narrow ridge and the dowtown is at the bottom of that ridge. Most of the commercial growth is going on a few miles to the east in Berryville. They have a wal-mart supercenter and that has spurred a lot of development there. The land in and around Berryville is more condusive to development. Their population is growing as well. I think for the most part, Eureka will stay as is.

I sure hope Eureka Springs stays just as it is... I love that town!

[masons_dad1]

Wow, West Bentonville is primed to be the location of NWA. Rogers and Springdale look good for high amounts of residential growth as well.

Yeah I was surprised by the density predicted around Bentonville and the lack of density predicted for Fayetteville.

IMHO these predictions are based on current trends and I wouldn't put much faith into the predicted growth patterns. Predictions for the next 5 years would be more accurate but a lot is changing every year in Northwest Arkansas and it's just too soon to tell what will happen by 2050. It would be nice to see an animated map showing growth patterns over the last 25-30 years.

[KJW]

Ya'll,

I'd think geography might (MIGHT) be against this but...I wonder how the Gravette-Sulphur Springs-Grove, OK corridor may develop?

Drive west of Bentonville to Hiwasse and Gravette and there's a lot going up there. Gravette's building a big new high school...and supposedly a few hundred homes are coming to that town. (Many of them going up behind the high school.)

We've talked about the high-end log cabin homes going in WEST(!) of Sulphur Springs, which is north of Gravette.

There are apparently folks who commute from fast-growing Grove, OK (only one county east in Delaware county, which is also where West Siloam Springs, OK is) to B'ville.

Dunno...if we see Southwest City and Noel, MO get sprawl, that would be amazing...

[itk]

I see an asterisk next to the '2050 Population Density Per Square Mile'. According to who? I wouldn't put too much stock into those predictions. Did that come out of the Ozark Tales extra? Those look like Census blocks. Just look at those blocks around Bentonville-- their big because most likely at the time there was hardly any population out there. All that red in Bentonville looks misleading (esp compared to Fayetteville). But 45 years out in the future, hey who knows.

[Mith242]

I see an asterisk next to the '2050 Population Density Per Square Mile'. According to who? I wouldn't put too much stock into those predictions. Did that come out of the Ozark Tales extra? Those look like Census blocks. Just look at those blocks around Bentonville-- their big because most likely at the time there was hardly any population out there. All that red in Bentonville looks misleading (esp compared to Fayetteville). But 45 years out in the future, hey who knows.

Yeah that was part of the Ozark Tales, today's was the last one. And of course as everyone has said it is a long time away and many things can change. But I guess I was still surprised that someone has predicted this.

Ya'll,

I'd think geography might (MIGHT) be against this but...I wonder how the Gravette-Sulphur Springs-Grove, OK corridor may develop?

Drive west of Bentonville to Hiwasse and Gravette and there's a lot going up there. Gravette's building a big new high school...and supposedly a few hundred homes are coming to that town. (Many of them going up behind the high school.)

We've talked about the high-end log cabin homes going in WEST(!) of Sulphur Springs, which is north of Gravette.

There are apparently folks who commute from fast-growing Grove, OK (only one county east in Delaware county, which is also where West Siloam Springs, OK is) to B'ville.

Dunno...if we see Southwest City and Noel, MO get sprawl, that would be amazing...

You very well could be on to something with the western growth. I think if they do end up making a western bypass at some point in the future it will certainly fuel growth in those areas between the current core of the metro and the Oklahoma border.

[johnnydr87]

Fayetteville needs a Wal-mart, Tyson, or JB Hunt.

[tim2462]

Fayetteville needs a Wal-mart, Tyson, or JB Hunt.

Fayetteville has the UofA and wal-mart vendors. Also, the technology park is coming in.

Fayetteville is also and will continue to be the largest city up there as long as the city doesn't

get too crazy with zoning restrictions.

[masons_dad1]

Fayetteville needs a Wal-mart, Tyson, or JB Hunt.

It does seem odd that of all the cities in Northwest Arkansas with corporate headquarters of Fortune 500 companies, Fayetteville doesn't even have a Fortune 1000 company. Fayetteville has a public university which is great. Fayetteville also has a lot of light industrial plants like the Tyson Freezer Plant (?) which is great too. There are lots of small businesses in Fayetteville also which, again, is great. But mostly, people just live in Fayetteville and work somewhere else.

The problem is Fayetteville has been relying too much on the prosperity of it's sister cities for some time now. Before XNA was built everyone flew into Fayetteville to get to Northwest Arkansas. Now Fayetteville has become nothing more than a university town instead of the flasgship it once was. The University of Arkansas draws a lot of great people to live in Fayetteville, even if they work in Bentonville. That almost sounds like a bedroom community which we all know Fayettevile is not. Much of the university's funding comes from the generosity of it's sister city's large corporations.

What Fayetteville needs is a Fortune 500 company or even a Fortune 1000 company to return it to flagship status. We know they won't get anything like a Wal-Mart. The strength of Fayetteville lies in it's opportunnities for technology research and development. The University of Arkansas is the only comprehensive research university in the State of Arkansas. The startups at the Arkansas Technology & Research Park are producing some of the most advanced technologies in the world. It's not an exaggeration. The city of Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas, the GENESIS Technology Incubator, and the Arkansas Research & Technology Park makes Fayetteville a uniquely attractive destination for emerging technology companies.

The University of Arkansas RFID Research Center is one of only a few university research centers in the nation exclusively dedicated to RFID. This demand for RFID development will bring billions of dollars into Northwest Arkansas in coming years. Companies in the Fayetteville area alone are expected to spend more than $3 billion in the next three years on RFID tags and computer systems related to RFID.

Located at the Arkansas Research & Technology Park, the University of Arkansas' High Density Electronics Center (HiDEC) is the only working laboratory of its kind in the United States. It has an international reputation in designing state-of-the-art prototypes in multi-chip module (MCM) technology, optical interconnects integrated passives (?), high temperature superconductor and thermal management.

Fayetteville's Science and Engineering Center for Nano and Micro Systems and the Manufacturing Research Laboratories are both engaged in groundbreaking research in MEMS and microelectronic packaging and integration, nanomanufacturing, and surface engineering for advanced machining.

The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville is at the forefront of biotechnology through the following research centers, such as the Center for Protein Structure and Function, Center for Sensing Technology Research and the Institute of Food Science and Engineering. These pioneering institutions of biotechnology research provide unlimited opportunity for industry partnerships in such fields as biomedical research, bio-sensor technology, and bio-foods. These centers underpin the University of Arkansas's research into biotechnology and they encourage industry partnerships to create synergies to further all areas of biotechnology.

Not finished yet...

The Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) is dedicated to leading edge research and applications in geospatial analysis and modeling, enterprise spatial databases, remote sensing, digital photogrammetry and geospatial interoperability. The Center has been selected as a Center of Excellence by over 10 companies including Intergraph Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Trimble Navigation Ltd., and Sun Microsystems.

Fayetteville through the University of Arkansas has a long-standing tradition in the logistics area through advanced research activities and educational programs. Millions of dollars of industry-funded research sponsorships have led to breakthroughs by the university in material handling and logistics, leading-edge methodologies in supply-chain management, shop floor logistics, and vehicle dispatching.

The University of Arkansas is known as a leader in animal science and technology. In 2004, the university's combined Animal/Poultry departments were ranked third in the nation by Meat & Poultry magazine and consistently rank in the top five departments in the country every year. The John W. Tyson Center of Excellence for Poultry Science is the largest teaching and research facility on the University of Arkansas campus. The center is the most prestigious of its kind in the nation.

Microsoft, Intel, Texas Instruments... In the near future Fayetteville may be home to the biggest technology corporation in the United States. All it takes is a spark to ignite this possibility and the sparks are flying in Fayetteville... when it does ignite "anybody not wearing 2 million sunblock is gonna have a real bad day."

[Mith242]

Hey, that's some post there Masons_dad1. Fayetteville can certainly do more and use some of it's potential. But I really think they city is more worried about quality of life than trying to maintain being the 'flagship' of the metro. I think the city could have been more progressive and grown and developed a lot more than what they have. But the city wants to have more controlled growth. It's a bit odd to see the other cities 'grow up' and Fayetteville not to be the only destination in NWA. But I do think Fayetteville's method of growth is probably best and I also think it's good for the other cities. But Fayetteville does also need to diversify it's economy. Although the city has less to worry about because the university isn't going to go away like a company could. But a nice company could obviously provide more jobs and bring in more money for the school system and so on.

[itk]

It does seem odd that of all the cities in Northwest Arkansas with corporate headquarters of Fortune 500 companies, Fayetteville doesn't even have a Fortune 1000 company. Fayetteville has a public university which is great. Fayetteville also has a lot of light industrial plants like the Tyson Freezer Plant (?) which is great too. There are lots of small businesses in Fayetteville also which, again, is great. But mostly, people just live in Fayetteville and work somewhere else.

The problem is Fayetteville has been relying too much on the prosperity of it's sister cities for some time now. Before XNA was built everyone flew into Fayetteville to get to Northwest Arkansas. Now Fayetteville has become nothing more than a university town instead of the flasgship it once was. The University of Arkansas draws a lot of great people to live in Fayetteville, even if they work in Bentonville. That almost sounds like a bedroom community which we all know Fayettevile is not. Much of the university's funding comes from the generosity of it's sister city's large corporations.

What Fayetteville needs is a Fortune 500 company or even a Fortune 1000 company to return it to flagship status. We know they won't get anything like a Wal-Mart. The strength of Fayetteville lies in it's opportunnities for technology research and development. The University of Arkansas is the only comprehensive research university in the State of Arkansas. The startups at the Arkansas Technology & Research Park are producing some of the most advanced technologies in the world. It's not an exaggeration. The city of Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas, the GENESIS Technology Incubator, and the Arkansas Research & Technology Park makes Fayetteville a uniquely attractive destination for emerging technology companies.

The University of Arkansas RFID Research Center is one of only a few university research centers in the nation exclusively dedicated to RFID. This demand for RFID development will bring billions of dollars into Northwest Arkansas in coming years. Companies in the Fayetteville area alone are expected to spend more than $3 billion in the next three years on RFID tags and computer systems related to RFID.

Located at the Arkansas Research & Technology Park, the University of Arkansas' High Density Electronics Center (HiDEC) is the only working laboratory of its kind in the United States. It has an international reputation in designing state-of-the-art prototypes in multi-chip module (MCM) technology, optical interconnects integrated passives (?), high temperature superconductor and thermal management.

Fayetteville's Science and Engineering Center for Nano and Micro Systems and the Manufacturing Research Laboratories are both engaged in groundbreaking research in MEMS and microelectronic packaging and integration, nanomanufacturing, and surface engineering for advanced machining.

The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville is at the forefront of biotechnology through the following research centers, such as the Center for Protein Structure and Function, Center for Sensing Technology Research and the Institute of Food Science and Engineering. These pioneering institutions of biotechnology research provide unlimited opportunity for industry partnerships in such fields as biomedical research, bio-sensor technology, and bio-foods. These centers underpin the University of Arkansas's research into biotechnology and they encourage industry partnerships to create synergies to further all areas of biotechnology.

Not finished yet...

The Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) is dedicated to leading edge research and applications in geospatial analysis and modeling, enterprise spatial databases, remote sensing, digital photogrammetry and geospatial interoperability. The Center has been selected as a Center of Excellence by over 10 companies including Intergraph Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Trimble Navigation Ltd., and Sun Microsystems.

Fayetteville through the University of Arkansas has a long-standing tradition in the logistics area through advanced research activities and educational programs. Millions of dollars of industry-funded research sponsorships have led to breakthroughs by the university in material handling and logistics, leading-edge methodologies in supply-chain management, shop floor logistics, and vehicle dispatching.

The University of Arkansas is known as a leader in animal science and technology. In 2004, the university's combined Animal/Poultry departments were ranked third in the nation by Meat & Poultry magazine and consistently rank in the top five departments in the country every year. The John W. Tyson Center of Excellence for Poultry Science is the largest teaching and research facility on the University of Arkansas campus. The center is the most prestigious of its kind in the nation.

Microsoft, Intel, Texas Instruments... In the near future Fayetteville may be home to the biggest technology corporation in the United States. All it takes is a spark to ignite this possibility and the sparks are flying in Fayetteville... when it does ignite "anybody not wearing 2 million sunblock is gonna have a real bad day."

git er' done!