[South Main and the Quapaw Quarter]

I don't know how to say this any other way - nothing good happens after 2:00 a.m. Nothing. You risk something by staying out that late ANYWHERE. I think its horrible, and its too bad that that is the case, and yes, there is a higher risk in some areas than others, but it is what it is. Like I said, if you think the enjoyment until that hour is worth the extra risk, then that is your right.

That's right. You're much safer at, say... 3:30pm on Main St in NLR.

[South Main and the Quapaw Quarter]

Lately there has been more hype about issues with safety along South Main. The Downtown Neighbors' Association brought complaints to the ABC over loiterers in and around Warehouse Liquor on Main. There have long been complaints about loiterers and panhandlers on the parking lot and at the convenience store near Juanita's and Midtown. Last night a 24-year old girl was apparently murdered and another young man was shot as they were in the wrong place at 2 AM as bullets flew in altercation between some locals and some others from NLR.

When is the city going to step in and address this? This is a part of town begging to become its own niche entertainment district like Main St Argenta and safety is the single obstacle preventing the Quapaw Quarter from becoming a vibrant, reborn neighborhood. It's a showcase neighborhood, home of the governor. Can we not clean this crap up?

You have to be blind not to see the potential in the area. Stodola has a big reputation as a historic preservationist. He needs to get on the ball on this situation.

Why not a small police station there similar to what was put in near the River Market? In fact I would argue this is where it should've been built in the first place.

The sad part is that the LRPD Downtown Substation is just a little over 1/2 mile from Juanita's. During shift change the police are crawling all over this area. But they never seem to be there when needed most -- e.g. when bars close, new years eve, etc. A few months ago when a man was shot just 200ft (no exaggeration) from this substation's front door, their response time was still over 5 minutes. I don't know if they ever caught the shooter.

I wonder about the effectiveness of those police neighborhood watch centers. The one in the Rivermarket probably works well due to the dense pedestrian traffic. One was put in Capitol View with some fanfare, but I've heard recent stories of it not even being manned. In one case a resident told me of a 20 minute response time for an emergency just a block away from this watch center. I take that back, I'm sure they are effective when implemented correctly.

Back to the Juanitas-SoMa area... I think some of the local merchants could do a better job of discouraging the loitering and panhandling. Hear that, convenient store, Harvest Foods, Community Bakery? I've watched such things going on in the Harvest Foods checkout line right in front of their "security" guard for pete's sake! Fuller&Sons are the only ones I've seen remove people from their premises.

[Midtowne Little Rock]

AB News says Wild Oats (meaning Whole Foods) is going to Promenade at Chenal.

Interesting that article still refers to it as "Wild Oats".

And this from the Wild Oats faq:

"Will my Wild Oats or Capers store continue to be a Wild Oats or Capers even after the merger?

Whole Foods plans to continue to operate our Wild Oats and Capers Community Market stores and, in fact, will make significant capital investments to remodel acquired stores before re-branding them as Whole Foods Market stores. Before making any decisions, Whole Foods will review each store individually to see where it fits in the overall plan.

In some areas, remodeling and re-branding or relocating stores will happen quickly; in others, the change will happen over time, and is expected to take up to two years."

So what is LR getting? Whole Foods or just a new Wild Oats?

[Hillcrest and the Heights]

It wouldn't make sense to use it as anything but commercial to me, but what do I know?

A restaurant would be perfect there if parking could be dealt with.

That building was a nice pickup at that price in 2002.

I overheard a conversation saying that a bicycle shop was to move in at that location. But I don't have details, and I can't substantiate. I think such a business would be good in that area. Wasn't it Chainwheel that bugged out of Hillcrest some years back?

[Shackleford Crossings]

Are there any plans to connect Aldersgate Road to Shackleford East of Shackleford Crossing?

It sure would give traffic another route to get in and out and might improve traffic some at I-630/I-430 by allowing Baptist employees to bypass the interchange and go down to the Shackleford Exit on I-430.

There must be something in the works. There's a few retirement communities at the end of Aldersgate. I think some of their residents have been getting worked up about plans to expose their quiet cul-de-sac to thru-traffic. I got the impression the plan was to continue Aldersgate to 36th, though. Connecting to Shackleford would make more sense.