Arkansas Blog

Little Rock needs to ask itself this question:

Do we want the River Market district to appeal to tourists, locals, or both?

Allowing the Aloft hotel is a great idea if LR wants it to become a place mostly for tourists only. That seems to be the goal if you look at the RM.

In NLR, the riverfront appeals more to tourists, while the main street area appeals more to locals. I think the RM probably should focus on attracting tourists, and then develop main street (on the LR side) for locals.

The RM will be effected by the downturn. IF this goes in it will have very negative effect.

Having lived in one of the largest tourist destinations in the world, I have to agree with real. Locals hate "touristy" places. The more tourists that come to the RiverMarket, the less locals will go there.

Does anyone want to back Stephens on this one? The reason he gives for not redeveloping Main Street is someone else needs to come up with the money(private or public). Some outside money comes in but their development will not enrich him so he is against it. Remember, he gave the Travs to NLR.

Some good points. First, RM merchants are feeling the affect of the economy right now. This project is needed and its not like they are building a huge hotel..its small compared to most hotel standards. Tourist or local..both benefit from a healthy RM..look on tuesday and saturdays..the farmers market or riverfest or other events that locals attend in the RM. I just don't get the opposition to this project unless your a hotel in the area...I mean has anybody looked at what the library has built on the other corner...not much smaller than the hotel plans!

Looking at the design, I don't understand why the "L" is facing away from Clinton Ave. It doesn't seem to show what is in the inside of the "L" either (that would be the sw corner I guess).

Stephens be damned! Their thinly veiled attempt to stifle competition is a bunch of BS and everyone in this city should be insulted that they think so little of our intelligence that we won't notice what they're doing.
They are in this for nobody but themselves. They merely employ the populist appeal of "preserving" the River Market...as if this design was something out of the Jetsons (it is not). If the developer is willing to work with the code and make it work for the neighborhood, then let it be! Green light it!
it is very simple...if they can make it work for the River Market and fit within the guidelines, then it should go forward...Stephens economic interest aside. No adjacent landowner has rights to the air or aesthetics or the like of an adjacent property owner. And so if that adjacent property owner can reasonably meet the actual legal requirements to build, then let them build.
If this gets scrubbed by the Stephens fist, then let the chips for the future of this city fall where they may...it will send a loud and clear message that the local boy with the most money and direct strings tied to the City "leadership" gets his way and the city "leadership" wont' bother to show up (at least with a backbone) to do the "right" thing. This is really simple folks. Right is right and wrong is wrong. If the developer makes right with design, the city better not do em wrong. And if they do, then just remember what goes around comes around.

If LR doesn't want it, send it to Fayetteville. We already have the foundation dug.

Seriously...most cities would be thrilled to have the "problem" of developers wanting to put hotels in their downtown space, not to mention on existing parking lots. In fact, most successful cities HAVE had this "problem." Leave it to backwoods amateur hour "leaders" to break under economic pressure from one of the three rich people in town to preserve a parking lot, prevent further development and send the signal to outside developers that they aren't welcome...at least not without the blessing of the unelected few who run the City through their power of the purse.
Ridiculous.
Here's hoping city "leadership" take a step back, think long and hard about their roles and actually try to do what they should and work the deal to make the right thing happen (i.e. further development that is consistent with and respectful of its surroundings but nonetheless brings further progress to our fair city), instead of standing passively by while special interests beat up the "outside" interests to kill a deal.
Heckuva job LR leaders!

golf43...what merchants are you referring to? There are hardly any left. It's just all bars and restaurants.