Downtown Fort Smith could be home to university housing (updated!)

Rumors about building university housing in downtown Fort Smith were given official credence Wednesday at the monthly commissioners meeting of the Central Business Improvement District.

The CBID, a more than 30-year-old organization tasked with supporting development in downtown Fort Smith, has had preliminary discussions with Paul Beran, chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, about building student housing in the downtown area.

CBID commissioner Phil White said Dr. Beran agreed to send a “formal letter of interest” to commission chairman Sam Sicard about locating a 50-unit apartment in the area.

“I’m just real excited about that, to have about 100 people, college-age students, living in downtown Fort Smith,” White said at Wednesday’s meeting.

Commissioners talked Wednesday about the CBID’s ability to handle the bond issue or other appropriate financing with UAFS being the tenant and managing the apartment complex.

White said Beran and other UAFS officials plan to attend the Dec. 17 CBID meeting in hopes of moving the discussion forward. Commissioner Rodney Ghan said the CBID should have four possible sites selected for the Dec. 17 meeting.

Updated info:

The university has 480 beds on the campus. Beran is seeking approval of the UA Board of Trustees to add up to 500 beds. UAFS has a waiting list of about 100 students wanting on-campus housing.

"We (UAFS and CBID) are just having a conversation about the possibility of having apartments for married students and 21 and over down there (in downtown Fort Smith)," Beran said.

The CBID also discussed how it would regulate sidewalk vendors. The stated goal of the CBID is to encourage a more active downtown economy without allowing street vending to become a “flea market.”

Commissioner Richard Griffin encouraged the CBID to allow the normal permitting process, managed by city of Fort Smith staff, to manage street vending. Griffin said following existing rules, regulations and state and local laws would be better than “coming up with our own list of dos and dont’s.” White agreed, saying the CBID “is focused on development” and not micro-managing the commerce of downtown Fort Smith. The CBID approved a motion supporting Griffin’s suggestion.