Underwoods give 38 acres for park in Fayetteville

Fayetteville jewelers Laura and Craig Underwood recently donated 38 acres of land to the city of Fayetteville as part of a 65-acre park south of Arkansas Highway 112 and west of Deane Solomon Road.

Underwood Park will not only serve the city but also a planned 602-unit multifamily development. It will be built on the former Razorback Park Golf Course at 2514 W. Lori Drive, and KTB Limited Partnership, led by the Underwoods, will own the development, said Connie Edmonston, director of parks and recreation for the city.

“Laura and I are so happy we are able to share this beautiful piece of land with the residents of Northwest Arkansas,” said Craig Underwood, president of Underwoods Fine Jewelers in Fayetteville. “We have great memories of raising our three boys around Gulley Park, where we had family outings, birthday parties and our oldest son even learned to ride his bike there. With the new Underwood Park, we’re hoping other families will have the opportunity to build fond family memories of their own.”

The park is expected to have a conservation theme and provide facilities that support an active lifestyle and closeness with nature, according to a news release.

The city plans to develop a master plan for the park and host public meetings to determine how it will be developed, Edmonston said.

“We do not know exactly what features will be in the park, but we know Clabber Creek Trail will extend through the northern area to hook into the Razorback Greenway,” she added. “There will be picnic areas, open green space and discussion on possibly developing the pond into a fishing and kayak/canoe launching area.”

The parkland will open to the public in early spring 2021, and the planning and development of the park will take multiple years, Edmonston noted. The parks department has requested $250,000 in 2022 and $125,000 in 2024 as part of proposed capital projects over the next five years.