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OzarkSingleSpeed

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Posts posted by OzarkSingleSpeed

  1. 22 hours ago, Architect said:

    However, there are none to be found in Shreveport, Jackson, Des Moines, NWA, or even Atlanta (save for the airport).

    Northwest Arkansas (NWA) actually has two 'Pei We Asian Diner' locations ... the restaurant in Rogers on Pauline Whitaker Parkway opened in 2015 and the location in Fayetteville on the 'University of Arkansas' campus (only the second on campus location in the USA) opened this year.

  2. On 6/25/2018 at 7:31 AM, OzarkSingleSpeed said:

    A bike-share program will be implemented by the city of Fayetteville and University of Arkansas ... VeoRide has been selected as the company to launch the program which uses a smart phone app to locate and reserve bicycles which are later returned to any bicycle rack.

    https://www.veoride.com

    Fayetteville's 'bike-share' program is about to roll out ...

    The program will launch this summer and will include 290 7-speed bicycles and 50 pedal electric assist bicycles.  Below is a look at the custom colors and branding with Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas graphics.  Bicycles will be available around the downtown area, along city trails and on the UofA campus along with other areas throughout Fayetteville.

    VeoRide Bikes.jpg

  3. On 7/25/2018 at 10:14 PM, nickbenso said:

    I think the zoning change near the Walmart Neighborhood Market is for the Avid Hotel. According to the Flyer article the Avid Hotel is going in behind Planet Fitness. 

     

    On 7/26/2018 at 12:11 PM, strmchsr77 said:

    You are right Nick!  I read Fitness One for some reason instead of Planet Fitness.  Thanks for that.

    Interesting location ... just far enough off I-49 that it won't be seen by travelers but I guess thats ok.  

    I wonder if the hotels off the Wedington Drive exit (Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Holiday Inn Express, Comfort Inn & Suites) rely upon University functions for their customer base?  I've also noticed the Fairfield Inn & Suites on Van Asche Drive (across from Altitude Trampoline Park) is almost complete ... possibly trying to be open by the first football game September 1st.

    Avid Hotel.jpg

    • Like 1
  4. As part of Arkansas Children's hospital system - Arkansas Children's Northwest ... the areas first and only children's hospital is possibly the single best amenity added to our area that will allow Northwest Arkansas to continue to grow.

    The 37 acre 233,000 campus provides pediatric care with state-of-the-art technology and expert care.  The hospital offers impatient beds, emergency care, surgical services, diagnostic services and clinical space.  The campus also includes nature trails and gardens for patients and families, as well as a helipad and refueling station for the Angel One Transport team.

    Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock is highly regarded as one of the best pediatric hospitals in the United States with over 500 physicians, 200 residents and 4,400 support staff. 

    Ark Childrens Northwest.jpg

  5. 3 hours ago, alexsharp said:

    this forum is slowing down, so i made an account to share some (hopefully) helpful information.

    on interstate 49, i’ve heard lots of discussion about the new 8th street interchange that is currently under construction, but no pictures or links have been posted!

    here’s a photo of the proposed interchange design: 

    I've drove by this interchange a few times while under construction ... the tunneled entrance-exit ramps are an interesting way to keep traffic moving.

  6. The Cabela's store in Rogers will be converted to a 'Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Store'.  

    The conversion will start this month and combine the Bass Pro, Cabela's, and Tracker Boats brands under one roof.  They will expand the fishing department by 85%, the apparel department by 40% and add a two story glass front to highlight the boat and all-terrain vehicle business. This is the first redesign of Cabela's since Bass Pro acquired them last year.

  7. Its unfortunate this forum doesn't have representation from Benton County ... probably more stuff going on in Bentonville / Rogers than the rest of the state combined!  Anyway, the Bentonville area currently has several new hotel developments in the works:

    • Westin Element / 4-story 107 room / located on South Walton Boulevard (construction almost complete)
    • Hilton Home2Suites / 5-story 119 rooms / located on Southeast Griffin Drive (large scale development plans submitted)
    • Marriott Creekside Courtyard / 5-story 121 rooms / located on Pinnacle Hills Promenade (under construction)

    And last month, Tom Walton announced plans for a new full service hotel between 100 and 200 rooms on Central Avenue.  Walton was involved with bringing the 21C hotel ( https://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/bentonville/ ) to Bentonville in 2013.  Hotel brand affiliation has not been announced at this point but is being labeled a 'signature amenity'.  Project is in the early stages of design with groundbreaking expected in 2019.

     

     

  8. Ozark Regional Transit plans to order 12 new transit buses with a $3.6-million federal grant awarded after last years fire destroyed 20 buses.

    Buses will seat between 29 and 37 people with room for 10 standing plus bicycle racks - and will be a combination of 30-ft and 35-ft buses at a cost of $350,000 each.  Earlier this year ORT added 8 new buses to start replacing the destroyed fleet and the 12 new buses, expected to arrive by March 2019, will complete the replacement.

    Immediately after the fire last January, several metro transit services around the country were incredibly generous and instrumental in keeping Ozark Regional Transit operational by loaning or donating buses ... including: Razorback Transit of the UofA, Dallas TX Area Rapid Transit, Pittsburgh PA Port Authority, Key West FLTransit, Wichita KS Transit, Springfield MO CU Transit, Athens GA Transit, along with many other organizations who are listed on the ORT website: https://www.ozark.org/about-ort/news/225-rtr

  9. On 7/11/2018 at 8:07 AM, TRB said:

    Still no Frontier yet at XNA  bit they are adding the likes of Asheville NC and even Lafayette LA to their DEN and MCO stations. Sure it's less than daily but still........

    LOL ... TRB, you seem to be enamored with Frontiers decisions!

    Is there any incentive for Frontier to add XNA?  They most likely already pull a decent amount of discount type travelers out of this market by serving Tulsa International which is an easy 1.5hr drive from most of Northwest Arkansas.  IMO, whenever XNA lands a discount carrier, it could be a Jet Blue or Spirit or other discount carrier, an airline not serving this region of the country looking to compete.

  10. A few weeks ago the 'Arkansas Democrat Gazette' ran an article on the terminal renovations at XNA ... in the article, they stated that enplanements at XNA have been running about double compared to forecasted projections for several years which has officials looking to the future.   Terminal projects that will be required to meet passenger demand include parking decks, terminal rotunda, concourse and gate expansions, expanding security and baggage claim areas, arrival and departure lobbies, administrative space and improving access for aircraft.

    In 2017, enplanements were 725,284 passengers and airport officials expect more than 1.3 million passenger boardings at XNA by 2035. 

  11. XNA has published airport traffic statistics for May along with the first 5 months of 2018 ...

    • May 2018:  138,747 passengers / 5.22% increase over May 2017
    • January-May 2018:  583,786 passengers / 5.39% over first five months of 2017

    June (and then July) is historically the highest passenger volume month for XNA so we may see the first six months of 2018 closer to a 6% increase over 2017.

  12. As part of the Northwest Arkansas development plan, the NWA Council has identified 5 peer regions to Benchmark:

    • Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina MSA
    • Madison, Wisconsin MSA
    • Des Moines - West Des Moines, Iowa MSA
    • Austin - Round Rock, Texas MSA
    • Raleigh, North Carolina MSA

    These are considered contemporary, high performing regions that compare to the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA.

    On the council website, there is interesting data in the 'State of the Region' report providing a 3-year comparison of these MSA's in gross domestic product, employment, unemployment, establishment growth, median household income, average annual wages, poverty, educational attainment, research and development, home ownership cost, commuting time, and average domestic airfares.

  13. 21 hours ago, laketrout said:

    I'm a Top Golf fan, but does anyone know how the lighting for one of those works out in a dense area?  With the hotel, residential development and the AMP in the immediate area, that seems tricky?

    Are you thinking this would potentially create light pollution in the area?  Alot of the images on the 'Top Golf' website make the venues look like they glow like a light bulb - however the pic below is from the 'Top Golf' in Cincinnati and for the most part the lighting is fairly concentrated to the event venue.

    This article speaks to concerns residents in Louisville have about 'Top Golf' locating close to residential neighborhoods and how TG is willing to make adjustments to the lighting, etc.:

              https://www.courier-journal.com/story/money/companies/2018/06/07/topgolf-location-debate-louisville-continues/681438002/

    Top Golf Cincinnati.jpg

  14. Springdale officials announced and broke ground this week on a new 2.75 acre bike park at the Jones Center ... the park will include the Velosolutions Pump Track and Runway Skills Parkalong with a bicycle playground for kids.

    This October the park will host the 'Red Bull Pump Track World Championship Final'.

    Cycling amenities in Northwest Arkansas are abundant these days - rightfully so as were only behind Minneapolis, Vancouver and Portland in daily volume of cyclist per 1,000 population.

  15. On 5/25/2018 at 9:40 AM, strmchsr77 said:

    Fayetteville should take over as Arkansas' second largest city sometime in 2019/2020 assuming the numbers continue to be close to what they are today.

    It does look like Fayetteville will surpass Fort Smith in the next year or two ... has anyone ever determined whether the college students factor into Fayetteville's population or not?  I've heard 'yes and no' and it depends on where they claim as their 'permanent residence'.  I know we are still small enough that you can tell when the students are gone for the summer or holiday breaks.

    In national rankings of cities with over 50,000 people, Rogers ranked as the #33 (18.7% growth rate) fastest growing city nation wide and Fayetteville ranked #63 (15.9% growth rate).  However, had Bentonville qualified (they are at 49,300 residents) they would have ranked 8th nationally as its growth rate is 39.7%

     

  16. Some updated information from the NWA Council on the robust growth in Northwest Arkansas ....

    • As of May 2018, Northwest Arkansas population is now estimated at 546,000 residents - and growing by 34 people per day
    • The MSA is officially the 104th largest, however an analysis shows the regions population exceeds #103 (Youngstown, OH) and #102 (Lancaster, PA)
    • Northwest Arkansas growth is faster than 96 of the nations 100 top MSA's (growth rate 07/16 - 07/17)
    • Northwest Arkansas is on pace to be a top 100 MSA in 2019 ... this matters as many national publications and researchers focus on the top 100 when they compare regions

    Who woulda thought 20 years ago this small easy going region in the Ozark Mountains would become a top 100 metropolitan area.

    • Like 1
  17. Earlier this week Hunt Ventures announced plans for a 6-story 100,000 sq ft office building and a 4-story 40,000 sq ft office building with a 6-story 27,000 sq ft parking deck in between the two office buildings.  This development will be adjacent to the 10-story Hunt tower.

    Also In the immediate area, the $100m 'new urbanism community' expected to begin development later this year which will include 296 multi-family units, 26,000 sq ft of residential space, an upscale hotel and several restaurants.  All this while 'The District Pinnacle Hills' a 54 acre commercial development continues to go up ... will eventually include a mix of retail, office, restaurant space and a boutique hotel.

    With whats under construction and the planned developments and todays announcement of 'Top Golf' going in beside the AMP ... Pinnacle Hills is gonna grow up fast.

    Pinnacle.jpg

  18. 1 hour ago, TRB said:

    Whereas NWA is gaining from all over.

    True.  I would like to see data on where the 34 people per day moving to Northwest Arkansas are coming from but thats probably impossible to determine.

  19. 54 minutes ago, TRB said:

    I'm at the point to where it has to be the current leadership up there. 

    Could be ... with the current CEO announcing his pending retirement and the subsequent hiring of an executive search firm to find a new CEO for XNA, it may be good timing for a new leader(s) to take XNA to the next level with both business and leisure travel.

  20. Population estimates released this spring show Northwest Arkansas (Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro) continues to grow at a brisk pace ... the area grew 2.3% with a population of 537,463.  The area is netting 34 people per day, eclipsing 1,000 people per month migrating to NWA for a total of 12,287 people added to the population.  The area is the 14th fastest growing metro in the US, up from 20th in 2016.

    Around the state ...

    • Jonesboro metro area grew 1.1% adding 1,480 people which is positive considering the emphasis on agriculture and food production in the NEA region
    • Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro grew 0.67% adding 4,883 people.  Pulaski County only added 279 people so growth is in surrounding counties
    • Forth Smith metro area grew 0.38% adding 1,054 people which is encouraging as manufacturing jobs slowly come back to the River Valley area

    And just for fun - the largest increase for any metropolitan area was Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro adding 146,000 people ... wow!

  21. 3 hours ago, TRB said:

    I could see flights like San Antonio-McKinney-XNA-St Loius -Indy

    That would give XNA non stops to the Metroplex and St. Louis and no plane change service to San Antonio and Indy. 

    Interesting on McKinney evolving into a major airport for the north Dallas metroplex.

    XNA-STL-IND would be welcomed by me  as I do some business in Indiana.  Has XNA ever had service to St. Louis?  Last I remember direct service from Northwest Arkansas to Lambert International was aboard TWA from Drake Field.

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