End of Trail Construction Brings A New Beginning for Springdale

The last 8.32 miles of the much-anticipated Razorback Greenway are under construction and are expected to be substantially complete by the end of the year.

Work on the trail is in full swing in east Springdale along Powell and Park streets, and north of downtown along Spring Creek to as far north as Garret Road in Lowell. The trail legs are about 60 percent complete, with a total contract cost of $8.92 million. Once finished, the 34-mile trail will connect Bella Vista to Fayetteville.

As crews continue to pound out the trail in urbanized and rural areas, Springdale continues to see interest from investors eager to participate in the micro-economy the trail, at least in part, is expected to support.

Land purchases along Emma Avenue by Tyson Foods Inc., the Walton family interests and engineer Brian Moore made big headlines, but more is in the offing, said Patsy Christie, the Springdale director of planning and community development.

“[The trail] will increase property values, and I think we’ll see some redevelopment in that area,” said Christie, referring to the east side and the Emma Avenue corridor. “There hasn’t been this much interest in downtown in 20 years.”

The trail has also sparked a new, extended master plan that will encompass the area from U.S. 71 Business east to Arkansas Highway 265, and from Quandt-Caudle streets north to Huntsville Avenue.

Meanwhile, a mini-real estate boom has taken place on Holcomb Street, an important commercial artery that runs south from Emma to Sunset Avenue.

Antonio Almaraz, owner of the El Ranchito supermarket on Huntsville, in January bought the old Dwight’s Shopping Center at 503 Holcomb St. for $230,000. The 2-acre site, which includes over 16,000 SF of retail space, sat vacant for years.

Almaraz also bought the Ayala’s Bakery building across the street in 2012. Almaraz could not be reached for comment.

Further north and closer to the downtown core, Shave the Planet of Fayetteville bought the 3,732-SF building at 200 Holcomb for $176,500 in February.

Co-owner Eric Siebert said the building is being used as the company’s catering kitchen. The great part about the building’s location, he said, is that he and his wife, co-owner Katy Siebert, can cycle to work each day along the trail, which, in trail speak, is considered alternative transportation.

“We’re really excited about that,” Siebert said. “We knew the store would be on the Greenway.”

The convenience store at the intersection of Park and Emma, just north of where the trail begins to follow Spring Creek, is also on the market at $799,000. All this comes as the WalletHub website announced that Springdale is the sixth-fastest growing city in the country.

While the Park-Powell section of the trail will be urban, the leg north of downtown to Lake Springdale will be along Spring Creek in a rural environment.

“I think it will be the prettiest stretch of the entire trail,” Christie said.