Idea of student housing in downtown Fort Smith moves forward

Members of the Central Business Improvement District commission, which has governing authority in a large part of downtown Fort Smith, and officials with the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith met Wednesday (Dec. 17) morning to formally begin a process that could result in an apartment complex to house at least 100 UAFS students in the downtown area.

UAFS Chancellor Paul Beran told CBID commissioners the idea has merit, but would eventually have to “pass muster” with the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees and the system’s legal team. He also mentioned that at some point members of the CBID should attend a UA System board meeting to explain the merits of the project. (pictured at left are, from left to right, Sam Sicard, president of First Bank Corp. and CBID chairman, Beran, and CBID Commissioner Bennie Westphal.)

“This is a different model from what most places do, which I’m not scared of, but I certainly need your public support to help make it happen,” Beran said.

Financing is the unknown factor, both sides agreed. Apartment rent must be reasonable for college students — especially married students — and the functionality for college students is often different than for the general population, Beran explained.

Beran, who was joined at the meeting by UAFS Vice Chancellor Arleene Breaux, said he will have his student life managers work with students to determine what they would support in terms of cost, function, location and other issues.

“This can’t be a field of dreams” project in which it is built and then hope the students come, Beran said.

While all options in terms of financing, location and design are open, Beran did say UAFS must have control of the apartment complex, including “control of the tenant base and the rules and regulations connected to living there.”

“We’d be happy to let you have that (control),” said CBID Chairman Sam M. Sicard, who added that he didn’t think CBID members were interested in weekend duties to manage the student housing.

The discussion ended with Beran and Breaux saying they would return in the near future to the CBID with guidelines, cost and other criteria. (pictured at right is Arleene Breaux, UAFS vice chancellor, reviewing a sample layout of student housing in downtown Fort Smith.)

Sicard stressed to Beran that the CBID would “do whatever we can, whatever you want us to do” to make this project work.

After the meeting, Beran told The City Wire that it would be reasonable to estimate that downtown student housing could be built and occupied “in the next two years.”
Although UAFS student opinion will be sought, Beran said his gut feeling is that there will be demand for married and older student housing in downtown Fort Smith. That gut feeling is supported by Beran’s estimate that UAFS will soon have more than 7,000 students but only about 1,000 beds on campus.

RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT
CBID commissioners also talked at length about moving forward with riverfront development in the improvement district. CBID Commissioner Bennie Westphal said he is working with a group with a potential interest in building an arena on the riverfront. Westphal said the group, however, has become frustrated with the effort, primarily because of perceived lack of support from the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Eventually, CBID commissioners authorized Jayne Hughes, a Fort Smith city employee assigned to work with the CBID, to organize a meeting between the chamber, city, CBID and developers. Westphal suggested the meeting be held prior to the Jan. 10 Fort Smith board of directors retreat.