$2 million-plus downtown Fort Smith project planned

Fort Smith-based Griffin Properties plans to invest at least $2 million to build an “upscale convenience store/market/café,” and an adjacent liquor store in downtown Fort Smith at the northwest corner of Garrison Avenue and North Fifth Street.

The project will be built on the open lot where the KWHN studios once stood, and in front of St. Charles Place, an office building also developed by Griffin Properties. Construction is expected to begin by the summer, and should be complete by year end.

The convenience store will likely be named Garrison Pointe Market and Café and the liquor store Garrison Pointe Liquor Company, according to a statement from Griffin Properties. Once construction is completed, the liquor store now located at Garrison and North 4th Street will be replaced at this new location.

“Both businesses are intended to be upscale in appearance and décor, so as to further enhance downtown Fort Smith, and to bring needed services to the people who live and work there,” noted the statement.

Rick Griffin will present the project at Thursday’s (April 21) commission meeting of the Central Business Improvement District. The governing body has control over design, materials and other issues of property and buildings in the area. Richard Griffin, an owner of Griffin Properties, is also the CBID Chairman.

Richard Griffin is one of the most determined CBID commission members with respect to downtown developments maintaining a historic look or not detracting from the historic nature of Garrison Avenue. He knows the look and “feel” of the project will be heavily scrutinized because of his heavy scrutiny of other downtown projects.

“I’m vulnerable on that, I realize that,” Chairman Griffin said Tuesday. “It’s (the new building) tasteful. It’s not cheap. We realize that there will be some controversy, but we didn’t have an 1890’s service station, … so we couldn’t make it architecturally to be 1890s enough to please everybody.”

To incorporate Fort Smith history into the project, the building design will allow the placement of large “historic pictures” on the exterior. Picture subjects mentioned by Griffin Properties include Judge Isaac Parker, the Buck Gang and Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves.

Richard Griffin said his company has received state approval on transfer of the liquor license. A third-party will manage the convenience/market store and the liquor store will be

“We are working with some people who do that, but we are not privy yet to say who that is,” Griffin said.

In the statement, Griffin Properties outlined three things necessary to revitalize downtown Fort Smith so more people will want to live and work in the area.
• The buildings need to be modernized and habitable;
• Nice accommodations must be available for people who desire to live in downtown Fort Smith; and,
• Common services such as groceries and fuel, need to be readily available.

“In a development capacity, for many years now, Griffin Properties has been diligently working in downtown Fort Smith to meet these objectives. This project furthers our efforts to meet those perceived needs, and we think it will add to the continued vitality of downtown Fort Smith,” the company noted in its statement.

The Griffins have been involved in many downtown development projects, including St. Charles Place, several downtown apartments, renovation of the Fishback building that houses Adelaide Hall and Varsity Grill and what is now the Morton building.

Richard Griffin said he and his son have spent the past 18 months working on the project and acquiring all the property in the block between North Fourth and North Fifth Streets.