New nursing home being built in south Fort Smith

A new $20-million, skilled nursing facility is in the works for U.S. 71 South in Fort Smith. A building permit was issued Oct. 5 for the nursing home that will be owned and managed by a Fort Smith-based company.

The permit was for construction of a commercial building with a C-5 zoning and institutional/incapcitated occupancy type at 9000 U.S. 71 South, according to Fort Smith building permits.

Jimmie Deer, director of building services, said the project was for a nursing home facility. Jerry Sams with Fort Smith-based Central Arkansas Nursing Centers said the facility will have 140 beds and will be mostly private rooms.

“It’s going to be really nice,” Sams said.

The building permit lists the building at 91,741 square feet with a $20 million full estimated value. The owner is listed as STS RE, LLC. Construction contractor is Van Buren-based Rick Mooney Construction.

Construction, which has just begun, is expected to take 18 to 19 months to complete, Sams said. He did not provide info on the total project cost, a name for the facility, or how many the facility will employ.

The nursing home project will further push the Fort Smith metro into record territory with building permit values. As of September, the year-to-date permit value in the three cities is $352.604 million, up 42.6% compared with the same period in 2021. The metro set a record in 2021 with combined building permit values of $343.289 million, above the previous record of $265.975 million in 2020.