What's Happening?
May 5-11, 2014
Lots of activity out west
By Jeff Yates
Congratulations to Mark Johnson of Riverside Financial in Heber Springs for having the first correct response to last month’s question regarding the origin of Baseline Road. The answer is that the official land survey of the Louisiana Purchase began in 1815, by two land surveyors, Robbins and Brown. Robbins began at the mouth of the Arkansas River and surveyed due north. Brown began several miles upstream at the mouth of the St. Francis River and proceeded due west. Brown’s survey line is called the baseline, and Robbins’s line is called the Fifth Principal Meridian; Baseline Road follow’s Brown’s line. This description is abridged from the “Encyclopedia of Arkansas.” Read more about it there in the section called “Louisiana Purchase Survey.”
The abundance of activity in downtown Little Rock may be spilling over into the rest of the city. Gus’s Fried Chicken is expanding to a second location. Gus will soon be serving fried chicken at the former Buffalo Grill at Bowman Curve shopping center.
Speaking of abundance, with bank mergers and such there’s about two dozen bank branches on the market. There are still new branches opening. First Security Bank has a new branch opening at the corner of Chenal Parkway and Wellington Hills Road. Anyone selling land along Chenal Parkway benefitted from the sales comp for this piece of land.
Lots of things are happening on the west side of town. Word is that a developer has been negotiating for a large tract at the NE corner of Chenal Parkway and Rahling Road. If that came to pass it might mean another shopping center in that part of town. Promenade Chenal is getting an AT&T store and a HomeGoods to complement the existing line-up of retailers and restaurants. Promenade is looking pretty full these days. At the entrance to the Promenade, a new drive to Rahling Circle is planned. That will sort of make a four-way intersection at the traffic signal. A natural question to ask is what will happen across the street.
Speaking of streets, Rahling Road is scheduled to be widened to four lanes all the way to Taylor Loop Road, and may even include a roundabout at Pebble Beach Drive A while back part of Taylor Loop Road, out by Don Roberts Elementary School, became LaMarche Drive By 2015 LaMarche Drive will be completed and will connect Chenal Valley Drive to Highway 10. Now maybe you’re wondering what these street projects have to do with commercial real estate. Well, it increases connectivity and accessibility. For example, people that live in LaMarche, Maison and The Courts will have a shorter drive over to the new Wendy’s at The Ranch.
Greater connectivity will benefit everyone when LRPD opens the new police substation at the former Pankey Community Center. There’s some remodeling and renovation that needs to happen before the officers move in. Occupancy is expected in 2015.
There’s a flurry of orthodontic activity on the west side of town too. There are orthodontists moving in next to Chuy’s on Chenal, and between Starbucks and Tide Dry Cleaners a block away. Another orthodontist, or endodontist, or both may be coming to Rahling Road near Kirk Road.
It seems like there are several new medical office buildings in the works too. St. Vincent has a second building in the works for the west campus. A new building has started construction on the east side of the Baptist Medical Center campus. Just east on Kanis Road a new building is well under construction and scheduled for completion this summer. And in midtown, next to the Doctor’s Building, Little Rock Medical Associates will have a new MOB completed this summer. Seems like some musical chairs may be forthcoming for some medical practices.
Earlier this year Radio Shack announced the closing of over 1,000 stores. We understand the Radio Shack on Chenal Parkway may be one of them. Others in the area may be coming available soon too. Another spot coming available is the AT&T device support center on Bowman. Some closings along Cantrell Road near Mississippi Street are related more to street, or highway in this case, construction.
AHTD will be widening and straightening Cantrell between Mississippi and Old Perryville Road. Shipley’s Donuts is the last business at the corner of Cantrell and Keightly. An application titled “Slim Chickens Short-form PD-C” has been made for a new building at that corner. To the east of Shipley’s, Arby’s is closed and Firestone is said to be preparing to re-develop the site and move from the current location. Ken Rash’s has already moved to a location on N. Rodney Parham Road.
Rodney Parham Road is proposed to be the home of the next Dunkin Donuts. A big sign is posted at the southwest corner of Rodney Parham Road and Breckenridge Drive announcing the coming of the “Dunkin Center.” There is shop space for lease also.
The population of the Riverdale area is expected to grow a little more. There’s a 260 Unit apartment development planned at Cedar Hill Road and Brookwood.
Tips and suggestions, well most of them anyway, are appreciated. Hope you found something interesting in the column this month. Check back again next month for the things that didn’t get included here this time and that pop up between now and then.
