CommunityLink

Conway, AR

Vibrant Downtown

Downtown Conway is booming with business. Almost 250 businesses with 2,500 employees are located in the heart of the city, and some of these businesses have been here for years. The downtown area is home to several municipal organizations, such as city offices and Conway Corporation, as well as Hendrix College and many high-end antique stores.

For the past several years, downtown Conway has been getting a face lift. The renaissance planned for the city began in 2001 when the Chicago-based architectural firm, Sakal & Hood, delivered a master design plan to the Conway Downtown Partnership. Because the success of a project depends on careful planning, the firm spent a year creating the plan as they gathered input and advice from local business leaders and residents.

The goals of the master plan were to:
• Accommodate pedestrians in a safe and attractive way
• Get back to traditional building patterns that had started to fade away
• Increase vegetation with trees and plants

In 2002, the city of Conway approved the plan that would be financed by $1.4 million in public funding. Federal appropriations will supply $1.1 million, while the city of Conway, Conway Corporation and the Conway Downtown Partnership pay the difference.

In 2003, the first streetscaping project began. On Front Street between Main and Oak, the “model block” renovation began. It included installing brick pavers along the sidewalks; replacing light poles with decorative, urban lighting; and putting in landscape planters. Infrastructure enhancements, such as a new underground water line and underground electrical wiring, were installed. In 2004, a block on Parkway Avenue became the second project and aesthetically mirrored the Front Street block. Future plans call for the extension of the streetscaping on Front Street to Hendrix College.

Downtown Conway recently saw the renovation of Mike’s Place. The restaurant refurbished a 9,000-square-foot building at a cost of $2.7 million. The structure now has 15-foot brick walls and a patio in the back. With the atmosphere of old New Orleans, the building is made of old brick and wrought iron, with fountains and plants around the exterior.

Two new construction projects for downtown Conway are in the early development stages. The first is the Halter Building (built in 1917) at Front and Oak streets. The developer is planning a mixed-use development that will include urban-lifestyle, loft-style apartments on the upper two floors and retail and restaurant space on the ground floor. The second project is a new structure planned to be built on Oak Street in the retail corridor. The new building will use a historic building pattern (neo-traditional) and will house one of the city’s high-end retailers.

These improvements are intended to create an inviting atmosphere for pedestrians and add to the city’s recruitment of patrons and businesses.