Midtowne Little Rock

[turboturtle]

The vacant space on the corner next to Bombay has been getting some attention lately. Appears to be a restaurant under construction, though the glass has no sign or indication of what is to come. Anyone know?

In other news, appears the arsonist are back. Another house behind MidTowne (on North Pierce) burned last night. The seventh in the area. Only this one didn't appear to be vacant like the previous shacks.

I heard a restaurant is coming from someone at Relax The Back, the new Midtowne neighbor of that space.

Edited December 19, 2007 by turboturtle

[hartford]

any word on the restaurant that is supposed to be coming next to Relax the Back??? Any word on what will replace Bombay???

The Container Store will open March 8, I believe.

[Architect]

any word on the restaurant that is supposed to be coming next to Relax the Back??? Any word on what will replace Bombay???

The Container Store will open March 8, I believe.

One would hope for a Cheesecake Factory at some point, but realistically, I don't think it will happen until Park Avenue comes online and really solidifies the magnitude and traffic of the mid-town retail nexus. Certainly, if Park Avenue comes together as is hoped and is successful, I think mid-town would be, arguably, the most significant retail district in the state.

p.s. Merry Christmas!

[RemusCal]

I hate to say it, but Rogers will eventually have one of the largest retail districts in the state when everything is built out in Pinnacle Hills, including Shoppes at Pinnacle Hills, Promenade, and Pleasant Crossing. Those all have a potential to connect and be the biggest square footage of shopping in the state all in one place. Barber Group, although in Financial trouble right now, intended for Nordstrom and Macys to come to the site next to the Promenade. Now, I don't know if that will happen now that Barber is still having financial trouble. Time will tell.

[Architect]

I hate to say it, but Rogers will eventually have one of the largest retail districts in the state when everything is built out in Pinnacle Hills, including Shoppes at Pinnacle Hills, Promenade, and Pleasant Crossing. Those all have a potential to connect and be the biggest square footage of shopping in the state all in one place. Barber Group, although in Financial trouble right now, intended for Nordstrom and Macys to come to the site next to the Promenade. Now, I don't know if that will happen now that Barber is still having financial trouble. Time will tell.

No doubt that is and will be a major, major district. It could be the largest and/or most significant depending upon how Park Avenue shakes out. Its really hard to say at this point. Certainly, they both have potential to be top billing...

[Aporkalypse]

No doubt that is and will be a major, major district. It could be the largest and/or most significant depending upon how Park Avenue shakes out. Its really hard to say at this point. Certainly, they both have potential to be top billing...

That area in Rogers will be more of a retail district the way "West Little Rock" is a shopping district, spread out and ill-defined.

The Midtown area is very dense and is basically focused on one intersection - University and Markham.

I don't really see a good comparison between the two.

[bchris02]

Back to Midtowne, does everybody think Midtowne is going to have an easy time finding a replacement for Bombay? Any word on what the new restaurant will be?

And what is so great about the Container Store? I had never heard of it until I heard it was coming to Little Rock and how it is supposedly a big deal.

Edited December 28, 2007 by bchris02

[EJC]

Back to Midtowne, does everybody think Midtowne is going to have an easy time finding a replacement for Bombay? Any word on what the new restaurant will be?

And what is so great about the Container Store? I had never heard of it until I heard it was coming to Little Rock and how it is supposedly a big deal.

I'm no insider, but I have little doubt that Midtowne will find a replacement. I'm there somewhat regularly and the whole center is usually quite busy.

Container Store...just a neat store with lots of good ideas. Check out www.containerstore. It's just got lots of cool stuff for the homeowner.

Edited December 28, 2007 by EJC

[Aporkalypse]

Back to Midtowne, does everybody think Midtowne is going to have an easy time finding a replacement for Bombay? Any word on what the new restaurant will be?

And what is so great about the Container Store? I had never heard of it until I heard it was coming to Little Rock and how it is supposedly a big deal.

I shopped at The Container Store in Dallas. They're generally in nice retail districts in major metros and LR will be one of the smallest markets to get one. It's a large store that sells high-quality organizers, bins, etc. It's supposed to be one of the best companies to work for. For whatever reason, it's become a trendy niche store like the Apple stores.

I bought some things there but I have to admit it's a bit expensive for what you get.

[turboturtle]

And what is so great about the Container Store? I had never heard of it until I heard it was coming to Little Rock and how it is supposedly a big deal.

The Container Store is a niche store and a great fit for Midtowne. It compliments the other tenants very well. It has $500 million annual revenue. Last year it was #4 on Fortune Magazine's "Best Places to Work". Its competitors are Linens-N-Things and Bed Bath Beyond.

I have a relative that picked up some holiday hours working at Williams Sonoma. She said they were out of many things by Christmas. Sounded like they had another super retail season.

Midtowne has an excellent tenant mix. The Container Store will only improve it. Then Midtown retail (Midtown, Park Plaza, Park Avenue) only lacks Anthroplogie, Restoration Hardware, and Crate and Barrel, Borders or Barnes and Nobles.

[Architect]

So what are the general thoughts (or actual information) on how well Midtown is doing as far as traffic and sales?

[EJC]

So what are the general thoughts (or actual information) on how well Midtown is doing as far as traffic and sales?

As I noted above, I'm no insider, but I head that way from time to time and it's always quite busy. Traffic is excellent. We can only hope that the same will be true for Park Place and Promenade.

[turboturtle]

So what are the general thoughts (or actual information) on how well Midtown is doing as far as traffic and sales?

When I compare Midtowne to other developments (Pleasant Ridge, Shackleford Crossing, and Promenade) that are its contemporaries, then I beleive it is doing very well.

However, I think Midtowne is not living up to its potential.

1) Not Pedestrian-friendly enough

There was hope that this development to set the bar for anything to occur at the old University Mall site. A "pedestrian-friendly" development was high up on the list of desired characteristics. There needs to be a Whole Foods type of store in Midtown. The northeast corner of Markham and University is a better location than the southwest corner (Park Place) because the accessibility is better for pedestrians.

2) Not Mixed-Use

The Land Use and Zoning allows for mulifamily dwellings. It has already been noted many times in this forum that it lacks the density of restaurants it originally intended to have.

3) Not large enough

The original development was planned to be about a quarter to a third of the size. The Urban Land Institute study was instrumental in getting the square footage expanded. They essentially opposed the development if it were to be any smaller than it is. I think some of the problems with reaching its potential has to do with the limited size of the expanded development. It would be interesting to see the development expand north to Lee Ave and/or east one block on Markham.

Edited December 29, 2007 by turboturtle

[Architect]

When I compare Midtowne to other developments (Pleasant Ridge, Shackleford Crossing, and Promenade) that are its contemporaries, then I beleive it is doing very well.

However, I think Midtowne is not living up to its potential.

1) Not Pedestrian-friendly enough

There was hope that this development to set the bar for anything to occur at the old University Mall site. A "pedestrian-friendly" development was high up on the list of desired characteristics. There needs to be a Whole Foods type of store in Midtown. The northeast corner of Markham and University is a better location than the southwest corner (Park Place) because the accessibility is better for pedestrians.

2) Not Mixed-Use

The Land Use and Zoning allows for mulifamily dwellings. It has already been noted many times in this forum that it lacks the density of restaurants it originally intended to have.

3) Not large enough

The original development was planned to be about a quarter to a third of the size. The Urban Land Institute study was instrumental in getting the square footage expanded. They essentially opposed the development if it were to be any smaller than it is. I think some of the problems with reaching its potential has to do with the limited size of the expanded development. It would be interesting to see the development expand north to Lee Ave and/or east one block on Markham.

I agree with this in general.

1 - It isn't pedestrian friendly whatsoever, but I think that had much more to do with the limited space than design intent. You all know how tight the parking is...you couldn't have dedicated a pedestrian way AND had as much parking.

2 - Again, its not big enough to be mixed use. Where would parking go for another level?

3 - Agree. This is the reason for your statements 1 & 2. I wouldn't rule out its expansion north and east if the development proves very successful and if the city (and current property owners) supported it.

[Aporkalypse]

I agree with this in general.

1 - It isn't pedestrian friendly whatsoever, but I think that had much more to do with the limited space than design intent. You all know how tight the parking is...you couldn't have dedicated a pedestrian way AND had as much parking.

2 - Again, its not big enough to be mixed use. Where would parking go for another level?

3 - Agree. This is the reason for your statements 1 & 2. I wouldn't rule out its expansion north and east if the development proves very successful and if the city (and current property owners) supported it.

As we all know, it was a tiny space to be a modern, mixed-use development. It's an add-on strip to an existing retail district, nothing more and nothing less.

Park Avenue has a lot more to work with and I hope Strode does that right.

[theman]

As we all know, it was a tiny space to be a modern, mixed-use development. It's an add-on strip to an existing retail district, nothing more and nothing less.

Park Avenue has a lot more to work with and I hope Strode does that right.

Agreed.

We all knew that Midtowne was going to be in a small space, so with parking the pedestrian feel was not going to be there.

Also, don't forget that there are two restaurants that are suppose to be opening in Midtowne, so that will help.

The thing that impressed me about Midtowne was the retailers that Strode was able to bring in. Compared to Pleasant Ridge, Shackleford Crossing and Pleasant Ridge, Strode was able to bring in several new retailers to the market. Bringing in the Container Store is a real coup. They have stores in 19 metro areas and Little Rock will be the smallest with a Container Store. This gives me hope as to what Strode can bring in to Park Avenue.

[hartford]

As we all know, it was a tiny space to be a modern, mixed-use development. It's an add-on strip to an existing retail district, nothing more and nothing less.

Park Avenue has a lot more to work with and I hope Strode does that right.

Midtowne as it is gave us the best bang for the buck in terms of the limited amount of space to work with and what stores it actually brought into the market. Just about every store in that center was new to the market. I am very confindent in the future of Park Avenue given Strode's first piece of work here in LR. If he can match the success of Midtowne with a larger piece of property we will be in for a very nice shopping/mixed use center.

[Architect]

Midtowne as it is gave us the best bang for the buck in terms of the limited amount of space to work with and what stores it actually brought into the market. Just about every store in that center was new to the market. I am very confindent in the future of Park Avenue given Strode's first piece of work here in LR. If he can match the success of Midtowne with a larger piece of property we will be in for a very nice shopping/mixed use center.

Yes, Midtown is great for what it is, and maximizes the market's ability to pull in great stores with such a limited (size) development. Its really too bad that Strode couldn't have developed the two properties together. Frankly, having already located some of the higher end tenants at the NW corner, it impacts what Park Avenue can become unless he repositions Midtown. If he could change history, I'm guessing he would not even have developed Midtown had he known the University Mall site would become available.

[Aporkalypse]

Yes, Midtown is great for what it is, and maximizes the market's ability to pull in great stores with such a limited (size) development. Its really too bad that Strode couldn't have developed the two properties together. Frankly, having already located some of the higher end tenants at the NW corner, it impacts what Park Avenue can become unless he repositions Midtown. If he could change history, I'm guessing he would not even have developed Midtown had he known the University Mall site would become available.

I bet you are dead on here that he'd probably rather have built one more dense, vertical development. Midtowne was expensive, several single family homes had to be destroyed in an area with respectable property values. It wasn't cheap.

However, Strode said part of his impetus for buying University was the high demand for retail sites in the Midtown area that he couldn't accomodate with Midtowne. Maybe Park Avenue never would've happened if that didn't happen first.

[Architect]

Maybe Park Avenue never would've happened if that didn't happen first.

Ah...good observation. Quite true...

[hartford]

I was at Williams Sonoma tonight and asked the lady that worked there if they had heard anything about the possible restaurant coming next to Relax the Back. She said they heard it will be a mexican restaurant but have not heard any other details. She said Strode is very tight lipped and is very hard to get in touch with.

On another note, Bombay looked almost completely empty. Just a few items in the center of the store. Sign said it will be closing in four days. Hopefully something good will replace it...

[bchris02]

I was at Williams Sonoma tonight and asked the lady that worked there if they had heard anything about the possible restaurant coming next to Relax the Back. She said they heard it will be a mexican restaurant but have not heard any other details. She said Strode is very tight lipped and is very hard to get in touch with.

On another note, Bombay looked almost completely empty. Just a few items in the center of the store. Sign said it will be closing in four days. Hopefully something good will replace it...

I will be so thrilled if it is the Cantina Loredo originally promised for Midtowne. An Abuelos would work too.

[Architect]

I will be so thrilled if it is the Cantina Loredo originally promised for Midtowne. An Abuelos would work too.

We ate at the Cantina Laredo in Branson Landing (of all places) over the holidays. We very much enjoyed the atmosphere and food. It would be a welcome addition to the LR market, which honestly, doesn't really have any high-end (or nicer) Mexican restaurants.

Note: As lame as Branson has always been (in my opinion), Branson Landing is a complete 180....what an unbelievable development. Very visionary. We're going to really enjoy going back...the Hilton there was the nicest hotel I've stayed at in the past year.

[Aporkalypse]

We ate at the Cantina Laredo in Branson Landing (of all places) over the holidays. We very much enjoyed the atmosphere and food. It would be a welcome addition to the LR market, which honestly, doesn't really have any high-end (or nicer) Mexican restaurants.

Note: As lame as Branson has always been (in my opinion), Branson Landing is a complete 180....what an unbelievable development. Very visionary. We're going to really enjoy going back...the Hilton there was the nicest hotel I've stayed at in the past year.

The original El Chico in the Lakewood area of Dallas is a Cantina Laredo. My wife and I really enjoyed it. They would have tequila-tasting nights, etc. I'm not sure how "upscale" it really is, probably no moreso than Cozymel's. There were a few genuinely upscale Mexican places in Dallas that were quite a bit nicer and pricier.

[ArkansasTraveler]

While milling around at Park Plaza yesterday, my neighbor and I considered the possibilities of what may come to the now-vacant Bombay space. While neither one of us is that connected that we get good gossip on such things, I pondered the chance that Godiva might re-enter Little Rock after having left Park Plaza long ago (though Bombay's space might be too big for that, plus Godiva could wind up at Promenade). My neighbor came up with the theory that something spa-related might be more likely to replace Bombay, especially an Aveda store.