Fayetteville, Arkansas

[zman9810]

From everything I've heard, this future parking deck would just be five levels, not some huge behemoth. For that matter, if Fayetteville tried to build something that large near Dickson St you know lots of people would have problems with that.

Yes, the one in Columbia is ten levels and in a much more built up area. Seeing that a 5 level deck is closer in height to a 3 story office building it should fit in nicely around the WAC..

[strmchsr77]

The Bruce Lee Museum will be located Downtown instead of in the Sunbridge area. The old Gaylord's restaurant building could make for an interesting spot.

Info from The Fayetteville Flyer: http://www.fayettevilleflyer.com/2011/09/28/bruce-lee-museum-could-be-coming-to-downtown-fayetteville/

[zman9810]

I can't believe they are talking about taking the rest of the Spring/West block for the parking deck. There are three exisiting areas used for surface parking and the large main WAC lot that can be used to accomodate a larger deck or for construction staging. The rest of the Spring/West block has some great old buildings on it that need to be preserved.

If a larger deck is needed then build vertically to add more spaces- don't destroy the rest of that block. If construction staging is the concern then tell the contractor to be inovative in their processes. It is possible- much larger buildings are built in smaller spaces often.I am all for progress and was against the creation of the historic district a few years ago for that reason but needlesslly taking down functional buildings when there are alternatives is a mistake

[zman9810]

One of the buildings that would be taken on the Spring/West block would be the former home of the NWA Business Journal. This is the Victorian style former home built in 1924 at the corner of Spring and School. Demolishing a building like this when there are far better alternatives will lead to more opposition to paid parking imrpovements and any goals that the WAC has. Using the Grub's site, while not an attractive proposal, is better than taking the entire Spring/West block. At least the Grub's building is already city owned. Using parking improvement money to buy land when we already have enough property is misguided..

[Mith242]

One of the buildings that would be taken on the Spring/West block would be the former home of the NWA Business Journal. This is the Victorian style former home built in 1924 at the corner of Spring and School. Demolishing a building like this when there are far better alternatives will lead to more opposition to paid parking improvements and any goals that the WAC has. Using the Grub's site, while not an attractive proposal, is better than taking the entire Spring/West block. At least the Grub's building is already city owned. Using parking improvement money to buy land when we already have enough property is misguided..

Just got back into town and started hearing about this. I've got to agree with you. I find it hard to believe the city feels this is the best place to put this. And as you said, there's already people questioning the idea in the first place. Doing something like this only makes it easier for more people to oppose the whole thing. I really think the city needs to rethink this.

[mzweig]

One of the buildings that would be taken on the Spring/West block would be the former home of the NWA Business Journal. This is the Victorian style former home built in 1924 at the corner of Spring and School. Demolishing a building like this when there are far better alternatives will lead to more opposition to paid parking imrpovements and any goals that the WAC has. Using the Grub's site, while not an attractive proposal, is better than taking the entire Spring/West block. At least the Grub's building is already city owned. Using parking improvement money to buy land when we already have enough property is misguided..

Agreed. That is just ridiculous!

Mark

I can't believe they are talking about taking the rest of the Spring/West block for the parking deck. There are three exisiting areas used for surface parking and the large main WAC lot that can be used to accomodate a larger deck or for construction staging. The rest of the Spring/West block has some great old buildings on it that need to be preserved.

If a larger deck is needed then build vertically to add more spaces- don't destroy the rest of that block. If construction staging is the concern then tell the contractor to be inovative in their processes. It is possible- much larger buildings are built in smaller spaces often.I am all for progress and was against the creation of the historic district a few years ago for that reason but needlesslly taking down functional buildings when there are alternatives is a mistake

I agree wi you on all counts. Really dumb. We have huge vacant lots now. Build on those. This is really stupid. Bad planning. No leadership in the City.

Mark

[Mith242]

Haven't mentioned this yet, but the sales tax extension passed easily. Over all not that surprising for Fayetteville. Although with the current economy I suppose there's always a chance something like this might get voted down.

In other news there's going to be major construction and some delays around the intersection of Garland and Knapp. Soon the city will be putting in a new tunnel for a future trail in that area.

[Mith242]

Couple of road projects I thought I'd mention. First they're building a bull pull off near Hillcrest Tower on Center St between West and School Ave. They'll be working on that project for about a month. The other project has been going on for a while but traffic is really going to start backing up as they begin work to complete it. They're going to be paving the section around the MLK and I-540 intersection. That's expected to be finished around Nov 10th. Expect serious delays if you're anywhere near that area.

[zman9810]

Couple of road projects I thought I'd mention. First they're building a bull pull off near Hillcrest Tower on Center St between West and School Ave. They'll be working on that project for about a month. The other project has been going on for a while but traffic is really going to start backing up as they begin work to complete it. They're going to be paving the section around the MLK and I-540 intersection. That's expected to be finished around Nov 10th. Expect serious delays if you're anywhere near that area.

I've been thinking (always a dangerous thing for me, ha) what if they built a ramp for eastbound MLK traffic wanting to turn left onto 540? It would require taking out the shoe store but I think Denny's would be safe. A single lane ramp would eliminate a lot of the congestion there by shortening the traffic light time for the left turns that would still need to be made. It would be much like the North College flyover that is planned.

[bubba72704]

Not a bad idea, however my first thought would be to put in a "jug handle"... At least, that's what they call them back east -- I don't know the actual term. What I mean is if you're heading east on MLK, you would go under I-540 then instead of having to turn left across traffic from the inside lanes you would have a right turn lane which would head south a few hundred yards (on the east side of I-540), then U-turn to merge onto I-540 just south of the MLK overpass. This would negate the cost of an overpass, however the eastbound traffic would still have to contend with the traffic light in front of Payless Shoes. :/ Just a thought.

[Mith242]

I've always gotten the impression that there were more serious improvements somewhere in the works for the MLK I-540 intersection. I had gotten the impression what's happening now is more or less more minor improvements to tide us over for a while because the funding isn't there to do the serious improvements.

[Mith242]

Talk of a future parking deck has been in the news a lot recently. I thought I'd see if anyone wanted to share their thoughts on the whole thing. Seems like opinions over all tend to be all over the place on it. Some don't think we need one. Some want one but not where it's currently planned. Former mayor Dan Coody has even been talking a lot about putting an underground deck under the current WAC parking lot. I don't have a problem with an above ground parking deck. I would just prefer that it's not done cheaply so that's it's an eyesore. Of course there's going to be that element in Fayetteville that isn't going to like any structure that's more than 2-3 stories tall. I haven't been the biggest fan of the location Mayor Jordan has listed. But after thinking on it more, I have to admit at some point I think a good area for future development would be on West Ave from the WAC down to the Fayetteville Public Library. But the problem is that there's some nice historic homes in that area as well. So I'm a bit torn, I'd really hate to lose those houses but I would like to see something more happen from West Ave between the WAC and the library. So I could probably live with the location Jordan is pushing. But I certainly wouldn't mind another possible location as well. In the past there was always talk of making the current WAC parking lot into a parking deck. But there's a bit of a problem of the conversion process in the meantime. Then there's also the issue that that particular space is also used a lot for BBB and the city wouldn't want to lose that space for BBB. But anyway, just thought I'd see what everyone else thinks or if anyone has any suggestions that they personally like.

[zman9810]

My 2 cents- an above ground deck on the south end of the large WAC lot with a hotel on the north end of the lot would be ideal. Building the deck should give a developer the incentive to build the hotel. If not it could remain surface level parking until a better use is suggested. Street level retail along the east side of the deck would be built. The WAC black box theater would go in just south of the existing WAC building. A skywalk connnecting the deck and WAC would be great,also.

BBB events that now use the lot would be moved to the fair grounds or across from Baum Stadium. The lot behind Jose's could be used for vendors. Dickson Street would still be the primary focus of the crowds regardless of what events are staged there so business would not be hurt. If moving some of the events thinned the crowds out some it might actually help business.- it would make it easier to get around.

I don't think the underground idea would be cheaper - just the opposite the cost per space would be higher and disruption to the area greater.The idea of shuttles from other decks away from that area ignores the fact that people want convenient parking or they would already use those decks.

Edited November 4, 2011 by zman9810

[Mith242]

My 2 cents- an above ground deck on the south end of the large WAC lot with a hotel on the north end of the lot would be ideal. Building the deck should give a developer the incentive to build the hotel. If not it could remain surface level parking until a better use is suggested. Street level retail along the east side of the deck would be built. The WAC black box theater would go in just south of the existing WAC building. A skywalk connnecting the deck and WAC would be great,also.

BBB events that now use the lot would be moved to the fair grounds or across from Baum Stadium. The lot behind Jose's could be used for vendors. Dickson Street would still be the primary focus of the crowds regardless of what events are staged there so business would not be hurt. If moving some of the events thinned the crowds out some it might actually help business.- it would make it easier to get around.

I don't think the underground idea would be cheaper - just the opposite the cost per space would be higher and disruption to the area greater.The idea of shuttles from other decks away from that area ignores the fact that people want convenient parking or they would already use those decks.

I like your idea. In fact I had always thought that was originally how the city was going to attempt doing this. But I do wonder if there are people with BBB resisting moving more of the festival away from Dickson. I'm also wondering about the underground idea as well. But Coody has mentioned that during the construction of the current parking lot there had to be a lot of fill put in. He thinks it would be cheap to dig it back out. But I think I also have more questions on possible flooding. There is an underground stream in that area.

[Snaple4]

I think the underground lot is something worth looking into. As far as the spring, I am sure it could be worked around. We could even keep something similar to the open stream we have now. I could be wrong but I don't think we could be hurting that area much more than it was hurt when the current lot was built.

My thoughts on the below ground idea, if it is actually feasible, are:

1) It would still allow festivals and other functions to utilize the space at street grade (better visibility and safety)

2) Could still utilize the bottom floor for parking during events that utilize the top floor. Could further utilize the bottom floor for more vendor space if needed. (deck would be built with about 1-2 feet at street level for bottom floor so you could still see in from the street).

3)Should be a cheaper option than building up.

4) Would look better (won't have a terrible looking concrete building or have to spend money on facade).

I could keep going. Not sure if it is the best option but so far it is the one I like the most aside from promoting alternative transportation anyways. I, however, don't like how the current administration is going about things. I just hope I am still a registered voter come new elections.... Just saying.

[Mith242]

I think the underground lot is something worth looking into. As far as the spring, I am sure it could be worked around. We could even keep something similar to the open stream we have now. I could be wrong but I don't think we could be hurting that area much more than it was hurt when the current lot was built.

My thoughts on the below ground idea, if it is actually feasible, are:

1) It would still allow festivals and other functions to utilize the space at street grade (better visibility and safety)

2) Could still utilize the bottom floor for parking during events that utilize the top floor. Could further utilize the bottom floor for more vendor space if needed. (deck would be built with about 1-2 feet at street level for bottom floor so you could still see in from the street).

3)Should be a cheaper option than building up.

4) Would look better (won't have a terrible looking concrete building or have to spend money on facade).

I could keep going. Not sure if it is the best option but so far it is the one I like the most aside from promoting alternative transportation anyways. I, however, don't like how the current administration is going about things. I just hope I am still a registered voter come new elections.... Just saying.

I don't have a problem with a below ground parking deck. But I also don't have any problem with an above ground parking deck either. Probably my biggest concern is the city doing something cheap and it being a bit of an eyesore. But with it being Fayetteville I can certainly see a below ground deck being rather popular over an above ground deck to quite a number of people. I almost wonder if the idea is being so easily dismissed by the present administration because of who seems to be pushing this idea. If someone other than Coody was pushing this would the city take it more seriously? While I do have some preferences on what type of parking deck I'd like to see, I'm not dead set on anything. I'm trying to remain open to other possibilities out there.

[zman9810]

Looks like the Old Post Office on the square is getting a new tennant - the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotions Commission is leasing with an option to buy. Seems they need meeting space and will also let the Fayetteville Underground arts group use the basement for their needs. I hadn't realized it has been three years since the last restaurant closed there.

[Mith242]

Looks like the Old Post Office on the square is getting a new tennant - the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotions Commission is leasing with an option to buy. Seems they need meeting space and will also let the Fayetteville Underground arts group use the basement for their needs. I hadn't realized it has been three years since the last restaurant closed there.

I also hadn't realized it had been empty that long as well. Another thing I heard mentioned is the possibility of a historical museum there. With Fayetteville being one of the oldest communities in the area it seems silly there's no museum dedicated to Fayetteville's history. You pretty much have to go up to the Shiloh Museum up in Springdale. I would think there's enough room for both the art group and start up a more permanent location for a historical museum.

[zman9810]

I also hadn't realized it had been empty that long as well. Another thing I heard mentioned is the possibility of a historical museum there. With Fayetteville being one of the oldest communities in the area it seems silly there's no museum dedicated to Fayetteville's history. You pretty much have to go up to the Shiloh Museum up in Springdale. I would think there's enough room for both the art group and start up a more permanent location for a historical museum.

That would be an ideal location for a Fayetteville history museum. I know there is a Fayetteville Historical Commission and a Washington County Historical Society- wonder if they have considered starting a museum? Even Tontitown has a town museum, why not Fayetteville?

[Mith242]

That would be an ideal location for a Fayetteville history museum. I know there is a Fayetteville Historical Commission and a Washington County Historical Society- wonder if they have considered starting a museum? Even Tontitown has a town museum, why not Fayetteville?

I think for some reason a long time ago the city never bothered because the U of A had a museum. Although I don't recall that museum ever being that strongly focused on Fayetteville. But that museum has been gone for a while. It's about time the city did something about this. And like you said, the Old Post Office would seem to be the perfect spot for it.

[Mith242]

I noticed today that it looks like some of those old businesses near the intersection of Mt Comfort and Garland are now being torn down. Has anyone heard if the city might be getting around to widening Garland anytime soon? Last I had heard a while back ago is that the city had put it on the back-burner because of the economic downturn. I never heard any timetable on when the project might start up. Not sure if this might be a sign something might happen soon or if someone just decided to tear down the buildings to keep people out of them and vandalizing them.

[aerotive]

There's a story in the paper today about it:

"The state plans to tear that building down by the end of January, said Randy Ort, public information coordinator for the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department."

"In the spring, workers will begin moving utility lines underneath Garland Avenue. After that, the state will award a contract to begin widening the road, set to begin next fall."

http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2011/dec/17/demolished-buildings-make-way-garland-project/?news-arkansas-nwa-fayetteville

Edited December 17, 2011 by aerotive

[Mith242]

There's a story in the paper today about it:

"The state plans to tear that building down by the end of January, said Randy Ort, public information coordinator for the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department."

"In the spring, workers will begin moving utility lines underneath Garland Avenue. After that, the state will award a contract to begin widening the road, set to begin next fall."

http://www.nwaonline...wa-fayetteville

Thanks. Yeah I noticed the media picked up on the story after I had posted that. It will also be nice to see some powerlines going underground.

[countrylivin']

Does anyone know what's going on at the old sale barn location? It's been fenced, the barn is gone and they're moving alot of dirt.

[strmchsr77]

Does anyone know what's going on at the old sale barn location? It's been fenced, the barn is gone and they're moving alot of dirt.

I believe it will be an apartment/student housing complex.