story by Jamie Smith
jsmith@thecitywire.com
Editor’s note: This is a two part series that looks at downtown development in Northwest Arkansas’ four major cities. This first story looks at Bentonville and Fayetteville, both which have town squares that are the focal point for gathering and development. The second story will review the activity in Rogers and Springdale, neither of which who have a town square but have worked to established a centralized meeting place for the community nonetheless. The second part be published Monday (Nov. 25).
Since Director of Community Development Troy Galloway came to work for the city of Bentonville about 18 years ago, the idea of rehabilitating the downtown area has been a priority.
Downtown Bentonville saw more than 600,000 visitors last year with a vibrant Farmer’s Market and First Friday events adding to the steady stream of patrons to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. That success is proof to many that long-term plans can come into fruition and can succeed.
“It’s been the last three to five years when we’ve really seen the results of those efforts,” he said. “There were private investors who took a lot of risk early on.”
Galloway said that although growth has happened throughout Bentonville, the downtown region remains the “heart of Bentonville and we want that heart to be as healthy as possible.”
The addition of the $800 million Crystal Bridges Museum, the $28 million 21c Art Hotel in downtown, new stores and new restaurants have all been both a result of and contributors to the revitalization efforts. A new Neighborhood Market and office and retail space is under construction just off the Square.
Bentonville has also invested in a trail system around the city that connects to the downtown. Since 2006 the city has built more than 20 miles of trails at a cost of roughly $1 million per mile.
MOVING SOUTHEAST
From cosmetic and infrastructure improvements to the Square and downtown business area, to now focusing on the southeast portion of downtown, Bentonville is working toward not only revitalizing the region but establishing districts throughout downtown. The Southeast Downtown Area Plan is in the study phase with details available on the city’s website.
The study area is located southeast of the Bentonville Square, with E. Central Ave. creating the northern boundary, SE J Street the eastern boundary, SE 10th St. the southern boundary and SW A St. the western boundary. The plan is to create arts and market districts as well as a well-established residential district in downtown, Galloway said.
CULTURE CREATION
Another component of revitalizing downtown is bringing people to the region so they can experience the revitalized regions. Downtown Bentonville Inc. (DBI) is the independent nonprofit downtown association that “inspires, unifies and champions the Downtown Bentonville Experience.
DBI hosts events downtown including the Farmer’s Market, monthly “First Friday” events and events that focus on the arts. David Deggs assumed the reins of the organization as executive director last month. His background is in education, especially adult and community education, Deggs said. His new role brings together the cultural, social, educational and artistic components of his experience and interests.
“This job is about the quality of life (in downtown),” he said.
His primary project has been to develop relationships with area leaders including civic, business and within the artistic community to determine what their needs are moving forward into 2014 and beyond.
“We’re making sure the quality is there (in regards to the existing programs) and looking for new ways to build on that success,” he said.
Deggs said that downtown regions used to be the epicenter of a city but then they were abandoned when retail shops moved to malls and closer to residential areas. There is now a resurgence toward reuniting the community in the downtown region. He said having the Square helps these efforts because it offers a centralized meeting place to hold events and is a visual epicenter for a downtown region. A Square does not make or break a town’s ability to revitalize its downtown
“Can great communities exist that don’t have Squares? Absolutely,” he said.
PROMOTE EXPANSION
For Fayetteville, the revitalization the downtown area happened a decade ago and now the mission is expansion and promotion, said City of Fayetteville Chief of Staff Don Marr.
“We’ve always been focused on downtown,” he said. “Our goal is to continue doing that. Downtown is the core of a community and that’s why we’ve been committed to it as long as we have.”
Continued expansion requires the help of taxpayers and Fayetteville voters continue to support these efforts recently approving $10.9 million in bonds that will retire $1.5 million in remaining debt on the Town Center, $6.9 million to fund expansions at the Walton Arts Center and $3.5 million to help build a regional park.
WAC EXPANSION
The most recent big development was the recent approval of a bond issue that will fund expanding the Walton Arts Center and a new regional park in Fayetteville.
According to a press release from the WAC, renovations will include technical upgrades, a new and expanded main lobby that extends toward Dickson Street and opens up to the balcony lobby.
Additional amenities include more restrooms, concessions, a centralized concierge-style station and increased accessibility. Additional space will be added backstage and in Starr Theater increasing the capacity to 250 and allowing the black box theater to function as a programming and event space instead of a storage facility. These enhancements will modernize the facility and create a destination for more arts, special events, community gatherings and educational programming.
EARLY PLANS
In April 2004, Fayetteville created a Downtown Master Plan, which included:
• Conversion of one-way streets back to two-way streets;
• Enhancements to the downtown square;
• Downtown College Avenue improvements;
• Adoption of Master Street Plan cross-sections for downtown;
• Creation and adoption of four new downtown zoning districts;
• Creation and adoption of downtown architectural standards;
• Adoption of an outdoor street vendor ordinance;
• Repair and replacement of sidewalks;
• Creation of the Dickson Street entertainment district, and
• Block Avenue improvements.
Marr said more recent advancements such as the Chancellor Hotel opening in downtown and the expansion of the Walton Arts Center facility are positive developments for the downtown area. There are also more residential and mixed-use construction projects in the downtown area, including the Sterling Frisco apartments, which plan to open a new building in January 2014.
Marr said the city is also looking into the Main Street program similar to what is in Rogers and the city continues with the Fayetteville Forward program.
Mayor Lioneld Jordan initiated Fayetteville Forward in April 2009 and established the Fayetteville Forward Economic Accountability Council (FFEAC). This program includes volunteers, neighborhoods, communication and engagement initiatives, and the volunteer-led Fayetteville Forward Action Groups.