Fayetteville landmark ready for redevelopment

The owner of a Fayetteville property listed on the National Register of Historic Places is planning to redevelop the site with multiple uses.

The $4.2 million redevelopment includes the Peter Smyth House at 1629 N. Crossover Road. Fayetteville native Baxter Smith, through a limited liability company, bought the 1.98-acre site in October 2018 for $349,000.

The 1,186-square-foot house was constructed in 1886 and built with native natural stone from the Mount Sequoyah area west of the property. Smith said the house has native stone walls and a rare native stone floor.

The site includes two 0.25-acre lots and a 1.48-acre lot. Smith’s redevelopment plan, already granted city approval, calls for the house to be restored to its original condition. A small addition from the 1900s on the southwest corner will be removed to create an outdoor patio.

“As of now, the plans for a bakery/deli operation to operate in the house are moving forward,” Smith said, saying the business will be a familiar one to Northwest Arkansas residents, “but with a twist.”

The vacant 0.25-acre lot on the southeast corner will become a new 3,000-square-foot office building with outdoor patios. The back 1.48 acres will be home to 10 new cluster homes ranging in size from 1,300 to 1,600 square feet with covered parking. Green space with a clubhouse and swimming pool will also be included.

Smith said the residential portion of the development would be similar to Black Apple near downtown Bentonville.

“We look forward to working with the city of Fayetteville and the neighborhood to ensure this unique project will be something everyone can be proud of,” Smith said.

The Crossover project is Smith’s first real estate venture. He is a senior territory manager for foodservice distributor US Foods.

Smith said a builder is not determined. Others involved in the redevelopment include Lamb Devlopment+Consulting (Richie Lamb), architect Eric Long and Jorgensen & Associates engineers, all of Fayetteville.