The Quarry Land Sale/Development Proposal

photo by Arkansas Parks and Tourism

Sarah Miller and Lisa Mullis enjoy a ride by the Big Rock Quarry. Now, imagine two 8-story condo towers and a few hundred apartments in this scene. Nope, not quite the same for me, either.

I've been quiet about this project since last week when I jumped on the  proposal to sell what now appears to be 45 acres of land currently owned by the City of North Little Rock along the River Trail, but I have given it a great deal of thought and have made an effort to be objective. I went to the City Council meeting and listened to the presentation and to the response of the the council members. Mayoral candidate and director of Commerce and City Affairs Joe Smith represented the city in the presentation of the plan to the council, though it was obvious that all concerned already knew many of the details of the project. Mr. Smith stated that he had been working on the proposal for over a year. It was also obvious that most of the council was ready to go. Alderman Maurice Taylor spoke of the apartment complex  as something future generation would look upon with pride. With the exception of Alderman Charlie Hight and Mayor Pat Hays, I would speculate that the council members have never been on the River Trail other than perhaps a drive by for some event and there was no mention of the potential value of the property as park land. In fact, the appraisal that values the property at $1,750,000.00 states,

"The subject property has no significant natural, cultural, recreational, or scientific value."

The fact that the subject property includes 1/2 mile of the River Trail  and is wrapped by Emerald Park makes that statement false on its very surface. The site currently has natural, cultural and recreational value and is used on a daily basis. It has cultural and historical value in that it is the Big Rock  (follow link to Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture for source information) that gave name to its counterpart, the "Little Rock" landing downstream, it was in operation as a quarry by 1849 and the French explorer LaHarpe recognized the feature in his journal in 1722.

And how much land are we really proposing to sell?

Another vague point is the acreage itself. The appraisal refers to ~40. acres. The resolution before the council talks of 42 acres and the development plan says 45 acres. I feel strongly that the property should be retained as park land, but if the City is to sell it, shouldn't we at least know what it is that we're selling?

 A question I would ask the mayor and council members is this:

If we had the opportunity to buy 45 acres of riverfront property already encircled by a park and containing the 1/2 mile of the River trail, would we buy it?

Hell, yeah!  I think the answer is that the city, particularly under the leadership of Mayor Pat Hays, would jump on that opportunity.  

Well, we own that property now. At the same time NLR is considering selling this property, we are seeking to buy land that adjoins Burns Park in order to use Burns Park acreage to build a hotel. 

There are a great many factors that point to this being a bad deal for North Little Rock and a bad development for the future of the Arkansas River Trail System. Traffic management through the project is addressed with a couple of underpasses for the trail, but it was obvious during the presentation that just enough consideration had been given to the trail to get the plan past a  cursory nod. A quick survey of the stretch of River Road between the Rockwater development and the quarry would tell an objective observer that it will not safely carry traffic for a 300-400 home development safely alongside the trail traffic, not to mention very limited access to the area in the event on an emergency. Alderman Debi Ross, who is down as supporting the project, brought up the need for a fire boat, and law enforcement officials have expressed concern for the safety of trail users in the area of proposed underpasses.

It is important to remember that the River Trail is the biggest draw for this project.

And, Yes, It's About The Money!

I'm a lifelong resident of North Little Rock, as were my parents before me. I'm a Dogtown Boy through and through, so I feel like I've got a stake in this. Even if you put aside the value of a viable River Trail, the natural beauty of the locale, and discount the once-ever opportunity to retain a spectacular piece of urban park land, let's look at the money. Forty acres appraised at $1,750,000.00. The deal calls for selling 42-45 acres for $1,200.000.00. How can our representatives on the council give away $550,000.00 in value?  I've got no malice against the developers. They know a good deal when they see one. I'm a little chapped that the city council and the mayor seem eager to rush into a bad deal. The appraisal itself reflects a fraction of the property value in comparison to the asking price of other properties for sale along River Road and the fact that it is being offering in an exclusive manner, far below the city's own appraisal, is just bad business. 

A group of concerned citizens has formed the "Save Emerald Park and Big Rock Quarry" Facebook group. These folks have been hard at work and will gather Tuesday night at 5:30 at The Joint in downtown Argenta. I am told that several council members are having second thoughts about the wisdom of rushing this proposal through. Once the property is sold, there is no guarantee of what may be built. Many of us remember the promise of "luxury condominiums and a lifestyle community" at what became the Rockwater Apartments. There was no mention of "Longfellow Arms" in that proposal, either.
The opportunity to sell this land is not a "once-in-a-lifetime" deal, but the opportunity to save it is exactly that.