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Retail and Restaurant Development Taking
Shape. Eat More Chikin, Maybe?
Residents of Springdale have long desired an entertainment, retail and
restaurant district to call their own. Over the weekend many hopes were
met with a sign placed announcing, The Crossings, a multi-use
restaurant and commercial development, on property owned by the
George family at the corner of Gene George Boulevard and West
Sunset. Given the known plans of some of the high-end housing and
development surrounding this development we expect this to be a
first-class venture.
With the opening of Arvest Ballpark in 2008 the groundwork was laid. Movement was much slower than some expected in the area for any number of reasons, not the least of which was infrastructure. In 2015 the city widened 56th street, renamed it Gene George Blvd. and opened it to the public in March of 2016. In May of 2017 Sam's Club made their return to Springdale and purchased 70 acres around the new club to help spur development in the area. In 2018 Arkansas Children's Northwest, a five-year investment of over $422 million, was opened along the corridor and in 2019 construction began and was largely completed on the new Northwest Arkansas Community College Washington County Campus.
If one were to survey the landscape today, they would find that Gene George Blvd. is being expanded to the North all the way to Bob Mills Road with plans to take it South to Johnson Mill Road by Willow Creek. You'd also come across the new joint venture between the Lindsey and George families, The Trails at the Crossings, currently under construction. The new 468-unit high end apartment complex sits on 22 acres at the Northeast corner of Watkins and 64th. If you jump on 64th, which is slated to be widened to accommodate increased traffic flow, you will soon see construction on the West side of the road as a new luxury subdivision will be turning dirt.
Back at the Don Tyson Parkway exchange Parkway Plaza was developed and is home to the new 5-story, 125,000 square foot, $30 million Highlands Oncology clinic. In addition, the end of 2019 brought the announcement that USAble Corp, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arkansas Blue Cross and Clue Shield, had purchased 8.81 acres to build a regional support office for their Arkansas operations. These two moves along with AR Children's Northwest and the two medical clinics built by Mercy and Northwest Medical at the Elm Springs exit have cemented Springdale as a leader in the medical field in NWA.
Last, but certainly not least, is the looming word "Restaurant" on the map provided below at the corner of Gene George and Sunset. It has long been rumored that Chik Fil A would join us in Springdale and most believed it would be in the Overlay District, but this most recent development has intensified rumors and brought them to a boiling point. I would say the future is shining bright for the prospects of new things and places to eat, drink, shop and spend in Springdale and if I were a betting man I'd say you could get ready to "Eat Mor Chikin".
With the opening of Arvest Ballpark in 2008 the groundwork was laid. Movement was much slower than some expected in the area for any number of reasons, not the least of which was infrastructure. In 2015 the city widened 56th street, renamed it Gene George Blvd. and opened it to the public in March of 2016. In May of 2017 Sam's Club made their return to Springdale and purchased 70 acres around the new club to help spur development in the area. In 2018 Arkansas Children's Northwest, a five-year investment of over $422 million, was opened along the corridor and in 2019 construction began and was largely completed on the new Northwest Arkansas Community College Washington County Campus.
If one were to survey the landscape today, they would find that Gene George Blvd. is being expanded to the North all the way to Bob Mills Road with plans to take it South to Johnson Mill Road by Willow Creek. You'd also come across the new joint venture between the Lindsey and George families, The Trails at the Crossings, currently under construction. The new 468-unit high end apartment complex sits on 22 acres at the Northeast corner of Watkins and 64th. If you jump on 64th, which is slated to be widened to accommodate increased traffic flow, you will soon see construction on the West side of the road as a new luxury subdivision will be turning dirt.
Back at the Don Tyson Parkway exchange Parkway Plaza was developed and is home to the new 5-story, 125,000 square foot, $30 million Highlands Oncology clinic. In addition, the end of 2019 brought the announcement that USAble Corp, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arkansas Blue Cross and Clue Shield, had purchased 8.81 acres to build a regional support office for their Arkansas operations. These two moves along with AR Children's Northwest and the two medical clinics built by Mercy and Northwest Medical at the Elm Springs exit have cemented Springdale as a leader in the medical field in NWA.
Last, but certainly not least, is the looming word "Restaurant" on the map provided below at the corner of Gene George and Sunset. It has long been rumored that Chik Fil A would join us in Springdale and most believed it would be in the Overlay District, but this most recent development has intensified rumors and brought them to a boiling point. I would say the future is shining bright for the prospects of new things and places to eat, drink, shop and spend in Springdale and if I were a betting man I'd say you could get ready to "Eat Mor Chikin".