Walton Family Foundation announces 2 ‘Design Excellence’ grants
by July 6, 2023 1:54 pm 1,183 views
The nonprofit Walton Family Foundation in Bentonville announced two new projects on June 28 for its Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program.
The projects aim to support “missing middle” housing in downtown Bentonville and a campus expansion of Bentonville City Hall.
The Design Excellence selection committee matches designers with projects selected by the foundation. The program funds projects that inspire “a sense of belonging, foster connections, create welcoming public spaces and support shared experiences.”
Recent projects funded by the program include Railyard Park in downtown Rogers, Thaden School in downtown Bentonville and the Springdale Municipal Complex.
The missing middle housing project aims to provide high-quality and affordable housing for the local workforce.
The Bentonville City Hall campus expansion project will create a campus that emphasizes public gatherings and a sense of belonging for all residents. The city will use its Design Excellence grant to search for a qualified firm to conduct stakeholder engagement, a feasibility study and conceptualize a master plan.
The foundation also announced that Ellen Dunham-Jones, co-author of the “Retrofitting Suburbia” book series, was appointed to the Design Excellence selection committee. Dunham-Jones is the former chair of the board of the Congress for the New Urbanism, lectures widely and conducts community workshops.
The committee’s purpose is to promote high-level design in developing public buildings and spaces in Northwest Arkansas.
Other members of the selection committee include Toshiko Mori, Peter MacKeith and Mia Lehrer.