Today at 3:16 a.m.
by Rex Nelson
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I'm having lunch at Big Bad Breakfast on Main Street in Little Rock and thinking about all that downtown has going for it these days. This block, pretty much desolate 20 years ago, is a prime example of the progress that has occurred. Seven restaurants now operate on the block, which is filled with people day and night.
On my walk back to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newsroom at the corner of Capitol and Scott streets, I pass two large renovation projects at Capitol and Main. On one corner, there's the long-awaited rebirth of the Boyle Building to house the attorney general's offices. On another corner, there's an expansion of the Little Rock Technology Park. A few blocks away, $30 million is being invested in the Central Arkansas Library System's main branch in the River Market District.
Downtown advocates across America would give anything to see this kind of work taking place in their neighborhoods, especially at a time when many downtowns are struggling. Little Rock also saw the 2023 opening of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in MacArthur Park, which is drawing people from across the country.
East of Interstate 30, there are planned developments that will make what's now called East Village one of the most exciting neighborhoods in the South: a new headquarters for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra; Lyon College's veterinary school; Lyon's dental school; an expansion of the Clinton Presidential Center; construction of Windgate Artspace, which will house dozens of artists; and the restaurants, breweries and retailers that the presence of those artists will attract.
Still, there's much to be done for downtown Little Rock to achieve its potential. During a recent meeting of the Little Rock Rotary Club, a panel of three people--Gabe Holmstrom of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership, Hank Kelley of Kelley Commercial Partners and Daniel Church of the planning and design firm Sasaki--discussed downtown. Sasaki was hired to develop a downtown master plan.
Among the things the master plan will stress is the need to double downtown's population by 2035. Little Rock is far behind so-called "benchmark cities" such as Greenville, S.C.; Richmond, Va.; and Chattanooga, Tenn., when it comes to the number of downtown residents. In the 2.5-square-mile area covered by the master plan, there are 41,000 workers. However, there are only 4,400 residents.
"A lot of the issues people bring up as a reason not to go downtown are fixed simply with adding people," Holmstrom says. "More people solve so many of these problems."
Organizations with an interest in downtown--the Downtown Partnership, Little Rock Regional Chamber, Fifty for the Future, etc.--must join forces to ensure the following things happen:
Make sure that the dental and veterinary schools move forward. Nothing is more important right now. Once fully operational, the schools will add 1,000 people to the downtown mix--students, faculty and staff. I expect that many of them will want to live downtown and walk to school each day.
Work closely with federal and state government entities to make a proposed deck park over Interstate 30 a reality. Combine the deck park with another park on the almost 19 acres opened up by the Interstate 30 construction project. The two urban parks will take downtown to the next level, changing the perception of the neighborhood for people across the state.
Attract capital for conversion of downtown buildings into apartments and condominiums. Start with the Donaghey Building. You can't have the tallest building on Main Street of your capital city sitting empty. And it's adjacent to an underutilized parking deck that could serve residents.
Convince the leadership of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to have a major presence in the neighborhood. Downtown visionary Jimmy Moses has been pushing for UALR's business school to move downtown. UALR could purchase the old bank building on Main Street that recently was abandoned by KATV. It could then construct an addition on the vacant adjoining lot, connecting the school with the Little Rock Technology Park.
Revive Capitol Avenue. Work with new owners of the Regions Building and former Bank of America tower to reimagine the properties. For example, there could be fine-dining venues in both former bank lobbies and in the former Little Rock Club space atop the Regions Building. This would bring energy after dark. That stretch of Capitol Avenue already is blessed to have an AC Hotel by Marriott, the same upscale brand chosen by Walmart for its corporate campus at Bentonville.
Work with state government to revive Capitol Avenue west of Broadway. It's in the state's interest to have the main entrance to the state Capitol look far better than it looks these days.
Start a move toward the Arkansas River by attracting a restaurant for John Burkhalter's marina and apartment development south of the Clinton Center; convince the owners of the Little Rock Marriott to add an additional dining venue that faces the river; and find a developer for the former Cajun's Wharf property.
Get the Little Rock Police Department to add foot patrols downtown to enhance work being done by the downtown ambassadors. Also, convince city government to add graffiti removal teams that will quickly get rid of graffiti on public property while offering free removal for private property owners.
Ensure that the renovation of Ottenheimer Market Hall in the River Market District takes place. Renewed energy is desperately needed here.
Senior Editor Rex Nelson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He's also the author of the Southern Fried blog at rexnelsonsouthernfried.com.