West Little Rock

[SangreRaVen]

Ahh, that is sad with it being just a big empty field like that. If it has some trees at leas then it would add some life to the overall area but instead it is basically just a big ol dirt lot.. Well with as much of a success as Shackleford Crossing has been "yes that is sarcasm" I hope nothing involved with that place is involved with trying to do anything over there. The lot over by Hanks does still seem a little small for a Lowe's but hey if it works it works.

 

-R

[vbfl85]

Apparently Lowe's isn't dead after all.  They officially purchased the property this week.

 

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/113983/lowes-buys-west-little-rock-acreage-for-new-store

 

[Arkanzin]

This is GREAT news!

[LRretail]

That's awesome news.  I'm glad the owners finally got the deal done.  

[Architect]

In other news, the Marketplace restaurant (which occupied the former Johnny Carino's), has closed.

[schwilj]

I was just about to report that, saw it closed when I drove by today.

[LRretail]

That's really too bad.  I had hoped that location would stay occupied.  Marketplace was busy when it first opened up.  But it seemed to have been a lot slower here lately.  

[Architect]

We've always liked Marketplace and were so excited when they finally opened in Little Rock.  However, the quality of the food kept deteriorating to the point that we had written it off...that bread though.

[SangreRaVen]

Looks like they have started prepping the lot for the new Lowe's. They have built temp entrances along Bowman and have a lot of heavy machines clearing the hill on the back side of the lot. I heard from a person who works with Lowe's that this might be a different version of a Lowe's over the normal store due to the smaller lot. He mentioned something about a warehouse style or smaller limited goods version. 

 

-R

[Arkanzin]

Arby's on Rodney Parham is closed.  The sign on the door says it is temporarily closed for remodeling though the marquee indicates otherwise.

Smaller print on the sign on the door says it is due to remodeling but there is no sign of remodeling occurring.  

 

[LRretail]

2 hours ago, Arkanzin said:

Arby's on Rodney Parham is closed.  The sign on the door says it is temporarily closed for remodeling though the marquee indicates otherwise.

Smaller print on the sign on the door says it is due to remodeling but there is no sign of remodeling occurring.  

 

They are having issues with certain things meeting code which doesn't surprise me.  That Arby's location along with the McDonalds and Taco Bell on Rodney Parham has been there since the early 80's.  If they can't get the remodel effort to jive with building code they will likely move away or shut that location down.  Chili's on Rodney Parham is moving out of it's current location.  Olive Garden across the street was considering a move last year but their sales are adequate enough to warrant staying.  

[dnashobviously]

47 minutes ago, LRretail said:

They are having issues with certain things meeting code which doesn't surprise me.  That Arby's location along with the McDonalds and Taco Bell on Rodney Parham has been there since the early 80's.  If they can't get the remodel effort to jive with building code they will likely move away or shut that location down.  Chili's on Rodney Parham is moving out of it's current location.  Olive Garden across the street was considering a move last year but their sales are adequate enough to warrant staying.  

Where is Chili's moving?

[Architect]

3 hours ago, LRretail said:

They are having issues with certain things meeting code which doesn't surprise me.  That Arby's location along with the McDonalds and Taco Bell on Rodney Parham has been there since the early 80's.  If they can't get the remodel effort to jive with building code they will likely move away or shut that location down.  Chili's on Rodney Parham is moving out of it's current location.  Olive Garden across the street was considering a move last year but their sales are adequate enough to warrant staying.  

Food/brand trends notwithstanding, is there really a better location than at the intersection of RP/I-430?

[LRretail]

4 hours ago, dnashobviously said:

Where is Chili's moving?

They've not chosen a location yet.  The search just began.  The lease on their current location is coming due soon and they've chosen not to renew.  

 

1 hour ago, Architect said:

Food/brand trends notwithstanding, is there really a better location than at the intersection of RP/I-430?

I'm not sure what to say about the area.  I know that it's struggled to retain tenants in the shopping center where Chili's is currently located with Whole Foods leaving and Chili's will be gone soon.  Dixie Cafe's lease has another couple of years left.  Crime in the area has increased.  Perhaps some new tenants will move in and fill the void.  

[ArkansasTraveler]

12 hours ago, Architect said:

Food/brand trends notwithstanding, is there really a better location than at the intersection of RP/I-430?

Markham and Chenal would be an awfully tempting change of venue. There's a former Luby's building nearby that could be rehabbed or scrapped in favor of a new Chili's location, with ample parking space available. A similar demographic mix probably passes through that intersection, too.

[Arkanzin]

17 hours ago, LRretail said:

They are having issues with certain things meeting code which doesn't surprise me.  That Arby's location along with the McDonalds and Taco Bell on Rodney Parham has been there since the early 80's.  If they can't get the remodel effort to jive with building code they will likely move away or shut that location down.  Chili's on Rodney Parham is moving out of it's current location.  Olive Garden across the street was considering a move last year but their sales are adequate enough to warrant staying.  

The Taco Bell needs to be leveled and rebuilt.  They have done several cosmetic things to the outside of the building but once stepping into the building itself, it is like going back to the 80s.  

I wonder what effects, good or bad, the proposed diverging diamond intersection at the Rodney Parham and I-430 intersection will have on the shopping center where Chili's is located.

[adman0468]

11 hours ago, Arkanzin said:

The Taco Bell needs to be leveled and rebuilt.  They have done several cosmetic things to the outside of the building but once stepping into the building itself, it is like going back to the 80s.  

I wonder what effects, good or bad, the proposed diverging diamond intersection at the Rodney Parham and I-430 intersection will have on the shopping center where Chili's is located.

Is the diamond interchange still happening? That was announced a long time ago.

Chili's was one of the original tenants announced when the Promenade was first in the planning stages. I really don't see it moving there now. 

[SangreRaVen]

I could see Chili's moving where Luby's used to be, would be a good location, Shackledford crossing would have worked as well though I do not think there is room now.. of course we all know they could always eye Gateway Town Center but really I would prefer more new to market and less of the same stuff just moving over there. 

 

-R

[ArkansasTraveler]

I really doubt Chili's would move as far south as Gateway Town Center, and not just because the development is tilting toward new-to-market tenants. Saline County is a significant segment of the market that the development seeks, and Chili's already has a presence in Benton.

[LRretail]

I wouldn't be surprised if you see them move out west somewhere in Chenal.  More than likely not at the Promenade.  I wouldn't expect to see them at former Luby's.

[Arkanzin]

17 hours ago, adman0468 said:

Is the diamond interchange still happening? That was announced a long time ago.

Chili's was one of the original tenants announced when the Promenade was first in the planning stages. I really don't see it moving there now. 

Looks like it's in the works for 2019.  

The change to the I-430 and Cantrell/Highway 10 intersection was supposed to have been underway but has been pushed back to 2019. 

[Architect]

8 hours ago, SangreRaVen said:

I could see Chili's moving where Luby's used to be, would be a good location, Shackledford crossing would have worked as well though I do not think there is room now.. of course we all know they could always eye Gateway Town Center but really I would prefer more new to market and less of the same stuff just moving over there. 

 

-R

Agreed...Shackleford Crossing would a MUCH better location for Chili's than Markham/Chenal, which is difficult at best to get to from the freeway...certainly wouldn't pick up much regional traffic (people passing through or visiting town).  This is part of a larger problem with the continued growth of LR far west of freeway access.

[Allen Alexander]

This is probably a big stretch but I think it would be smart to build an interstate through west little rock. Like go north from bryant up to Conway or Morrilton. That would make those areas have more development and would cut traffic in downtown

[LRretail]

21 hours ago, Allen Alexander said:

This is probably a big stretch but I think it would be smart to build an interstate through west little rock. Like go north from bryant up to Conway or Morrilton. That would make those areas have more development and would cut traffic in downtown

Good...Luck...  I'd love to see something like this in the future.  But the way things are paid for (or not) in Central Arkansas, I think it would be a LONG time before we see this.  

[Architect]

19 minutes ago, LRretail said:

Good...Luck...  I'd love to see something like this in the future.  But the way things are paid for (or not) in Central Arkansas, I think it would be a LONG time before we see this.  

That will never happen.  It's not on the long-term planning guideline of Metroplan, and frankly, would be a step in the wrong direction for propagating additional sprawl to the west.  Given the uncertainty of future transportation technologies (autonomous vehicles), there are even arguments that our current highway infrastructure will prove to be over designed for future needs (less vehicles on the road).