West Village

[skirby]

The Rodney Parham  Merchants Association has declared  the area between Reservoir Rd and Hinson Rd on Rodney Parham will now be known as West Village.  The first two developments in the area are the Premier Medical Plaza and Grub's Bar & Grill. The group has hinted that other projects will be announced soon. 

My suggestion for the area would be to reduce the speed limit on Rodney Parham and to provide some sort of visual enhancements to the I-430 overpass in order to connect the east and west sides of the district.

[Architect]

I know you're just reporting the facts of this effort, so this isn't directed at you - but pardon me while I roll my eyes at the prospect of this GIANT SUBURBAN area being given some sort of urban identity.  I mean, I'm all for improving that area of town, but it seems a bit cheeky to pretend it's something that it is not.  The physical area is much too large and the density much too low for this to ever gel into some sort of district.

[skirby]

3 hours ago, Architect said:

I know you're just reporting the facts of this effort, so this isn't directed at you - but pardon me while I roll my eyes at the prospect of this GIANT SUBURBAN area being given some sort of urban identity.  I mean, I'm all for improving that area of town, but it seems a bit cheeky to pretend it's something that it is not.  The physical area is much too large and the density much too low for this to ever gel into some sort of district.

My opinion on the subject is this is another example of giving a place a name and expecting something magical to happen.  Remember all the news about the Financial Quarter downtown and  the results.

Anyway I just happened to cross over I-430 today on  Rodney Parham today and noticed the construction. Does anyone know what they are doing to the overpass?

[Architect]

4 minutes ago, skirby said:

My opinion on the subject is this is another example of giving a place a name and expecting something magical to happen.  Remember all the news about the Financial Quarter downtown and  the results.

Anyway I just happened to cross over I-430 today on  Rodney Parham today and noticed the construction. Does anyone know what they are doing to the overpass?

Aren't they making a single-point urban interchange at Rodney Parham (not to be confused with what's happening at Cantrell and I-430)?  I may have the name wrong, but the stated a few years ago that the overpass was going to be modified to some new interchange type that was unique to the state.

[Arkanzin]

 

From the June 14, 2018, Arkansas DemoZette.  There was talk about a "Diverging Diamond" plan but that was too confusing for Arkansas drivers.  

Quote

 

Adding another left-turn lane and other improvements to the busy Interstate 430/North Rodney Parham Road interchange in west Little Rock will cost nearly $3.2 million.

The project was one of 45 on which the Arkansas Department of Transportation opened low bids worth $40.2 million.

The work included eight state highway projects on which low bids worth $30 million were opened, as well as 13 city street projects worth $4.7 million and two dozen county road projects worth $5.5 million. The bids won't become official until agency officials review them for accuracy.

The I-430/North Rodney Parham interchange is one of three projects that are addressing interchanges on the I-430 corridor through west Little Rock, the state's most populous city.

The department spent $124 million to upgrade the I-430/I-630 interchange. The work was spread over three projects, the last of which was completed in 2015.

Work on an estimated $58 million job to improve the I-430 interchange at Cantrell Road is expected to begin in 2021.

The department initially looked at a more ambitious design to address traffic congestion at the Rodney Parham interchange, where 82,000 vehicles pass daily on I-430 and 37,000 cross it daily on the city street, according to agency data.

Four years ago, department engineers drew up a design to convert the junction into a diverging diamond interchange in which the two directions of traffic on Rodney Parham would cross to the opposite sides of the overpass.

Traffic in the westbound lanes would be channeled to the eastbound at traffic lights on both ends of the overpass and traffic in the eastbound lanes would be channeled to the westbound lanes.

The configuration would eliminate the need for left- turn lanes, which engineers identified as a major source of traffic backup in the interchange at peak travel times.But eliminating backups on the interstate would create other backups on Rodney Parham that would extend well beyond the interchange.

"There's too much traffic on Rodney Parham," said Bill Henry, traffic engineer for the city. "Traffic models show it would back up for miles. It ended up making more sense to do a standard interchange."

The project on which engineers ultimately settled was to add a second left-turn lane for traffic traveling west on Rodney Parham and wanting to go south on I-430, which is the same option already available in the interchange for motorists traveling east on Rodney Parham and wanting to go north on I-430.

"It's a simple job," said Danny Straessle, a department spokesman.

The project also will replace the traffic signals at both ends of the interchange, remove raised medians in the interchange and install a sidewalk on the south side of the interchange, he said. The addition of the sidewalk also requires replacing the parapet on the south side with a taller one to better protect pedestrians.

The low bid for the actual work, submitted by Kiewit Infrastructure South Inc. of Fort Worth was higher than the only other bid opened, $2.86 million from Mobley Contractors Inc. of Morrilton. Township Builders Inc. of Little Rock obtained the plans for the project, but didn't submit a bid.

But Kiewit said it could do the work in far less time -- 71 days -- than the time Mobley said it needed -- 213 days.

The amount of time is an element of bids on projects on heavily traveled routes and calculated as a cost to motorists, in terms of delays, fuel consumption and wear and tear on vehicles. When the time is calculated, Kiewit's bid amount for "award consideration" was equivalent to $3.9 million versus $5.2 million for Mobley.

Little Rock has "partnered" with the department to help pay for the project. The city is contributing $750,000, Straessle said.

 

 

[Smith]

21 hours ago, Arkanzin said:

From the June 14, 2018, Arkansas DemoZette.  There was talk about a "Diverging Diamond" plan but that was too confusing for Arkansas drivers.  

I went through one of these a few times last summer in SLC. It was nuts. I'm still not sure what I did.

[LR501]

https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/oct/07/west-village-revitalization-gets-underw/

According to this article discussing the newly declared West Village, a new restaurant called Mehfil Indo-Pak Cuisine is slated for the former Dixie Cafe space.  It also hints at the potential for new life at the old Whole Foods, which moved three years ago,  mentioning that the owners were recently given approval for expansion of the building.  While declining to reveal any specifics, they do claim it would be a "welcome addition to the property and the neighborhood."

[ArkansasTraveler]

I lived on the western end of this area (Green Mountain Drive) for more than a dozen years, before moving on to neighborhoods farther east. So, I'm hopeful for progress in this part of the city.  But I worry at the same time that this will prove too broad of a grouping. The business and residential mix on the Reservoir Road end is quite different than higher-end offerings west of Interstate 430.

[Arkanzin]

I am curious as to what will be going in the old Whole Foods location.  Is there any hope that it could be a Trader Joe's?  

[Architect]

1 hour ago, Arkanzin said:

I am curious as to what will be going in the old Whole Foods location.  Is there any hope that it could be a Trader Joe's?  

Interesting.  I wouldn't rule them out of the market, and that's a high-profile site, but I would question that immediate location as not being in one of the more active hot-spots. I would think the Cantrell/Pleasant Ridge, Chenal Promenade or even Outlets of Little Rock site might be more appealing.

[ArkansasTraveler]

I'd add that a current 24,000 sf space seems a more likely fit for Trader Joe's than most vacancies around the city, since most TJ locations run quite a bit smaller than your average Kroger and other chain grocers. Then again, the former Charming Charlie space at the Promenade --  going on square footage alone, at 10,439 sf -- is even more in line with the average store size, though the space would need more work to accommodate the potential new tenant.

[ArkansasTraveler]

On 10/7/2018 at 5:22 PM, LR501 said:

https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/oct/07/west-village-revitalization-gets-underw/

According to this article discussing the newly declared West Village, a new restaurant called Mehfil Indo-Pak Cuisine is slated for the former Dixie Cafe space.  It also hints at the potential for new life at the old Whole Foods, which moved three years ago,  mentioning that the owners were recently given approval for expansion of the building.  While declining to reveal any specifics, they do claim it would be a "welcome addition to the property and the neighborhood."

Mehfil is now set to open tomorrow, according to a Facebook post from the folks at Flake & Kelley, who currently manage The Village at Pleasant Valley.

[dotnofoolin]

Jess's Chicken looks near complete. This is in the old Black Angus building and owned by the Bubbus family of David's Burgers.

Also, looks like some work is being done to the old Whole Foods location in the Village shopping center. Anyone have any clues?

[LRU1967]

18 hours ago, dotnofoolin said:

Jess's Chicken looks near complete. This is in the old Black Angus building and owned by the Bubbus family of David's Burgers.

Also, looks like some work is being done to the old Whole Foods location in the Village shopping center. Anyone have any clues?

McFarlin Eye Clinic

[ArkansasTraveler]

Shopping centers farther west have overshadowed it in recent years, but Breckenridge Village was once one of the hotter destinations for shopping and entertainment in west Little Rock. A new LLC led in part by Hank Kelley and Jim Keet aims to revitalize the property with a multimillion-dollar overhaul, per an announcement that's been making the rounds in local media today — including this appearance on AY magazine's website.

[Aleck]

2 hours ago, ArkansasTraveler said:

Shopping centers farther west have overshadowed it in recent years, but Breckenridge Village was once one of the hotter destinations for shopping and entertainment in west Little Rock. A new LLC led in part by Hank Kelley and Jim Keet aims to revitalize the property with a multimillion-dollar overhaul, per an announcement that's been making the rounds in local media today — including this appearance on AY magazine's website.

This sounds like a great revitalization! I hope the current restaurants and stores in the center will be able to stay in their locations.

[ArkansasTraveler]

13 hours ago, Aleck said:

This sounds like a great revitalization! I hope the current restaurants and stores in the center will be able to stay in their locations.

I'd bet that the McDonald's and Tropical Smoothie Cafe that border the shopping center won't move anytime soon.  The McDonald's especially seems to have had good traffic for a long time in that location.

[MDC26]

On 5/17/2022 at 10:54 AM, ArkansasTraveler said:

I'd bet that the McDonald's and Tropical Smoothie Cafe that border the shopping center won't move anytime soon.  The McDonald's especially seems to have had good traffic for a long time in that location.

Pretty sure the McDonald'ss is a separate property from Breckenridge Village.  The Tropical Smoothie building may be too.  Speaking of that McDonald's, it is probably one of the only McDonalds in Central Arkansas that hasn't been torn down and rebuilt or gone through a major renovation.  

[Architect]

On 5/18/2022 at 2:39 PM, MDC26 said:

Pretty sure the McDonald'ss is a separate property from Breckenridge Village.  The Tropical Smoothie building may be too.  Speaking of that McDonald's, it is probably one of the only McDonalds in Central Arkansas that hasn't been torn down and rebuilt or gone through a major renovation.  

I swear, that McDonald's is derelict...it looks 20 years old inside and out.  I cannot fathom why corporate hasn't forced this franchise owner to remodel.

[MDC26]

On 5/19/2022 at 10:44 PM, Architect said:

I swear, that McDonald's is derelict...it looks 20 years old inside and out.  I cannot fathom why corporate hasn't forced this franchise owner to remodel.

I think it's happening.  It's been closed this week, and there is a small crane parked there this morning.  

[MDC26]

On 7/8/2022 at 8:11 AM, MDC26 said:

I think it's happening.  It's been closed this week, and there is a small crane parked there this morning.  

Started tearing it down today!