The next downtown LR high rise

[EJC]

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.

[LRguy21]

This was in the Ark Bus Juournal today:

Lot Transaction

A would-be hotel site in downtown Little Rock rang up a $950,000 deal.

DTLR Partners LLC, an affiliate of CSK Hotels of Fort Smith, purchased the 0.4-acre parking lot at the southwest corner of Markham and Scott streets. The seller is Block 2 Development LLC, led by Paul Esterer and Todd Rice.

CSK has visions of developing a $15 million 130-room Aloft Hotel at the location. Those plans don't line up with the city's intention to control the property. The parking lot was tied to an April 2006 mortgage of $642,811 held by Allied Bank of Mulberry.

[LRU1967]

so what does that mean? Is they city going to play bullie? I hope not, and if they do, i really somebody stops them. oh well. Little Rock will always be a 1 horse town, sadly.

[ndark]

Everyone who lives in Little Rock should contact their city board member and express their opposition to the parking deck. I've e-mailed Stacy Hurst and received a very non-committal response. I intend to keep trying until I get a definite answer, one way or the other.

[johnnydr87]

Everyone who lives in Little Rock should contact their city board member and express their opposition to the parking deck. I've e-mailed Stacy Hurst and received a very non-committal response. I intend to keep trying until I get a definite answer, one way or the other.

[LRU1967]

Email address?

[skirby]

This was in the Ark Bus Juournal today:

Lot Transaction

A would-be hotel site in downtown Little Rock rang up a $950,000 deal.

DTLR Partners LLC, an affiliate of CSK Hotels of Fort Smith, purchased the 0.4-acre parking lot at the southwest corner of Markham and Scott streets. The seller is Block 2 Development LLC, led by Paul Esterer and Todd Rice.

CSK has visions of developing a $15 million 130-room Aloft Hotel at the location. Those plans don't line up with the city's intention to control the property. The parking lot was tied to an April 2006 mortgage of $642,811 held by Allied Bank of Mulberry.

[bchris02]

CSK has sold the parking lot to the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau. The LRCVB was in the process of taking over the property through eminent domain. The LRCVB wants to build a parking deck.

[CentralArkansas]

Talk about a tremendous waste of space. It doesn't surprise me though, this is Little Rock. Stuff like this is why we will always be a third-rate town at the bottom of the list as far as national perception.

[Aporkalypse]

Please.

If you don't think most every other city in the country has its share of esteemed leaders doing incredibly dumb things, you need to get outside of the state more.

[ndark]

Last I checked there are plenty of parking decks in the downtowns of other large cities. I would rather see a structure on top of the deck (which would require variances) but fact is parking at that particular spot is a dire need.

[hogwash]

I just wonder how much of the fact that seemingly no one can find the River Market parking deck plays into this siting.

[skirby]

Why is across the street parking so important for the convention center? Are people so damn lazy they can't walk one block from the Main Street parking deck? Is a parking deck across the street so important that it will prevent conventions from booking the center?

The River Rail stops at the location where the parking deck will be built. Does the LRCVB promote the trolley? It can be ridden from any number of parking spaces to the front of the convention center. How many people who attend a convention at the center use the parking deck anyway? If they are staying at a hotel downtown they would have no use for the deck. I expect that if it is built the majority of people who park there will be locals. Don't look for a hotel to be part of the project after the local hotel opposition to the Aloft.

[theman]

Why is across the street parking so important for the convention center? Are people so damn lazy they can't walk one block from the Main Street parking deck? Is a parking deck across the street so important that it will prevent conventions from booking the center?

The River Rail stops at the location where the parking deck will be built. Does the LRCVB promote the trolley? It can be ridden from any number of parking spaces to the front of the convention center. How many people who attend a convention at the center use the parking deck anyway? If they are staying at a hotel downtown they would have no use for the deck. I expect that if it is built the majority of people who park there will be locals. Don't look for a hotel to be part of the project after the local hotel opposition to the Aloft.

[Aporkalypse]

Why is across the street parking so important for the convention center? Are people so damn lazy they can't walk one block from the Main Street parking deck? Is a parking deck across the street so important that it will prevent conventions from booking the center?

The River Rail stops at the location where the parking deck will be built. Does the LRCVB promote the trolley? It can be ridden from any number of parking spaces to the front of the convention center. How many people who attend a convention at the center use the parking deck anyway? If they are staying at a hotel downtown they would have no use for the deck. I expect that if it is built the majority of people who park there will be locals. Don't look for a hotel to be part of the project after the local hotel opposition to the Aloft.

[EJC]

From an Article in the Ark Bus Journal. A quote from Sharon Priest:

"We do believe that would be a poor location for a stand-alone parking deck," said Sharon Priest, executive director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership. "There needs to be some street-level activity, such as shops."

[skirby]

From an Article in the Ark Bus Journal. A quote from Sharon Priest:

It's an interesting article on the Block 2 space and other space in that area.

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.as...=m&view=all

[LRguy21]

Have there ever been any High-Rise buildings planned for downtown LR but never built?

[LRU1967]

Have there ever been any High-Rise buildings planned for downtown LR but never built?

[Architect]

Have there ever been any High-Rise buildings planned for downtown LR but never built?

[LRguy21]

What about any recent towers?? i wish that we could get a new high-rise of 30 stores or more. Maybe once the economy improves a lot.

I Think LR would be cool with a bigger downtown, but some would think that for the size of the city, we already have a nice downtown (Nice as in towers).

I wish i could get my hands on some pictures of the propsed buildings. Why were the 70's such a big hit when it came to building towers? there hasnt been a new large tower in over 20+ years. (not including new downtown)

[skirby]

What about any recent towers?? i wish that we could get a new high-rise of 30 stores or more. Maybe once the economy improves a lot.

I Think LR would be cool with a bigger downtown, but some would think that for the size of the city, we already have a nice downtown (Nice as in towers).

I wish i could get my hands on some pictures of the propsed buildings. Why were the 70's such a big hit when it came to building towers? there hasnt been a new large tower in over 20+ years. (not including new downtown)

[bchris02]

LR needs a high rise building that is unique and inspiring. Our downtown, while remarkably tall for a town this small, follows the pattern of most of LR - vanilla and cookie cutter. I think something that's not just a glass box would spruce up downtown quite a bit. Memphis may not be as tall but their archetecture is denser and more inspiring.

[Architect]

LR needs a high rise building that is unique and inspiring. Our downtown, while remarkably tall for a town this small, follows the pattern of most of LR - vanilla and cookie cutter. I think something that's not just a glass box would spruce up downtown quite a bit. Memphis may not be as tall but their archetecture is denser and more inspiring.

[bchris02]

I, for one, would not trade our skyline for Memphis'....sorry. But I do agree that it is more dense.