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The next downtown LR high rise

Aporkalypse

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Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

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W Aloft is nowhere near a 5-star hotel brand, it's below a Westin in the Starwood pecking order.

The Aloft in NWA is relatively dinky compared to this proposal, it's more of a business hotel.

Who cares if its not a 5 or 4 or 3 or 2 or hell a 1 start. a Hotel is a hotel and this is a nice hotel. a 15 story hotel does not come about in every year. This city would be wise to take it. Unless there is something of a grander coming up in the futre. Just dont put a parking deck. Maybe they should look to kissing but of Verizon so we can keep some GOOD paying jobs in LR and stop with this parking deck business.

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bchris02 Hamlet

bchris02

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Who cares if its not a 5 or 4 or 3 or 2 or hell a 1 start. a Hotel is a hotel and this is a nice hotel. a 15 story hotel does not come about in every year. This city would be wise to take it. Unless there is something of a grander coming up in the futre. Just dont put a parking deck. Maybe they should look to kissing but of Verizon so we can keep some GOOD paying jobs in LR and stop with this parking deck business.

I was clarifying it for bchris, who was confusing it with a W, which NWA does not have. I agree with nearly everything you said, so leave your anger for someone else. No more 1-star hotels, though, those crack motels were a big part of downtown's decline and dozing them a big part of the resurgence.

The parking deck issue may be tied to Block 2 itself, it has inadequate parking to achieve market rents. Still, build more underground parking or a deck beneath a larger structure. It's a waste to build a parking deck and nothing else there.

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LRguy21 Whistle-Stop

LRguy21

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According to the article the city had better get a move on to acquire this property. If what it said is true and Block2 goes along with the condo conversion of the rental units in the DP&L building then the cost will go up. I think I will have to go with the Aloft on this one. The Aloft looks like it is ready to go and for the other one,as with any city project it is a big maybe.
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Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

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Between the budget problems that LR has, i doubt they have the money to buy the lot and then build a parking deck. Not that they are going to file for Ch. 11, but with the economy and etc, i think they should just wait and see. And if they do, PLEASE DONT! I think the Aloft is a go. I would like it to be more about 12-15 , but im not going to complain. And if the city could get it together and try to do a parkingdeck/hotel, that would be fine to! but i just dont see that happening. At least not at that spot.

What other Large Hotels could find its way downtown?

A Hilton?(would it move form its curernt spot)

A Marriot?

A Westin?(if not the W.Aloft)

Do you think Stephes would build a chain hotel or a private hotel? I think his is another 3-5 years off in the future. He may wait untill the economy improves.

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theman Hamlet

theman

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I would personally like to see the 300-400 room hotel on top of the parking deck, but as others have stated I don't think that is going to happen. I think that this is a smoke screen to block the developers that want to develop the Aloft. The one thing that doesn't need to be developed is just a parking garage. If this parking deck/hotel project is truly on the drawing board, the developers need to come forward with the plans.

I agree with Apork and the hotel suggestions that he stated.

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Architect Town

Architect

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I would personally like to see the 300-400 room hotel on top of the parking deck, but as others have stated I don't think that is going to happen. I think that this is a smoke screen to block the developers that want to develop the Aloft. The one thing that doesn't need to be developed is just a parking garage. If this parking deck/hotel project is truly on the drawing board, the developers need to come forward with the plans.

I agree with Apork and the hotel suggestions that he stated.

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Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

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Did the Aloft proposal include a parking structure? If not, why can't both objectives be met, similar to what the city is "envisioning" as stated in the AB article about the hotel being above the deck? I do concur with the city about wanting to encourage another "full service" hotel (so I'm assuming the Aloft is not).
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Architect Town

Architect

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The Aloft proposal did not, it had 30 spaces onsite and off-site valet for customers.

The city apparently wants someone to buy the DP&L Building from the new Block 2 owners and convert that into a parking deck while keeping the face and ground level retail and then build a large hotel where the parking lot is now, an idea I like. It was far from clear how this was going to be accomplished and how the DPL owners would be coerced into selling that building, which is where Ark Business is published.

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skirby Town

skirby

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Unless they've conducted a very thorough study, that's a big "what if" regarding the structural capacity of the DPL building to serve as a parking structure. I'd give it the odds of being able to do so somewhere between zero and zilch. But hey, it is a nice idea though!

Note: I do support the city's intent for a full-service hotel to be built in a prime location. I do not however understand their insistence over a 600 space parking deck at this (very) public street corner. This approaches lunacy.

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LRguy21 Whistle-Stop

LRguy21

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I understand the need for parking for the convention center, but they should have though about that when they built the thing. Why take a very very WOW corner and put up a ugly parking deck. If they do put a parking deck up, it better have a hotel on top! im telling you! if they just throw up a parking deck right there, it will ruin the area. Nobody wants to try to walk around if they are going to get hit by cars coming out of that deck. Markham and scott are very busy intersections. BAD IDEA! but whatever.

I do hope that a W ALOFT does go downtown. They are very fun hotels. I think one on main would be nice. I could even see it on the NLR side.

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bchris02 Hamlet

bchris02

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This is Arkansas. Most people here have a suburban Wal-Mart and strip mall mindset. They have no idea how horrible the decision to put a parking deck up at that intersection is. I read that a hotel on top might be possible from some source, but the Arkansas Times article seems to alude to a stand-alone parking deck.

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LRguy21 Whistle-Stop

LRguy21

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This is Arkansas. Most people here have a suburban Wal-Mart and strip mall mindset. They have no idea how horrible the decision to put a parking deck up at that intersection is. I read that a hotel on top might be possible from some source, but the Arkansas Times article seems to alude to a stand-alone parking deck.
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