$42.26 million permit issued for student, resident housing

The city of Bentonville has issued a $42.26 million permit for construction of a five-story, 300-unit multifamily housing complex that will serve students of Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) and the broader community.

The complex at 1100-1102 N.E. J. St. is under construction on 11 acres east of the medical school and will include two buildings, one for students and the other for area residents. The units will range from studio to two-bedroom apartments. Construction of the 300,000-square-foot apartment complex is expected to be completed by late 2027.

Tulsa, Okla.-based Flintco is the general contractor. Arkansas-based Polk Stanley Wilcox is the architect. New York-based Office of Strategy + Design (OSD) is the landscape architect. Both architects worked on the medical school, and the new housing complex’s design is expected to complement the school’s design.

OSD designed a “park-like setting to surround the buildings, harmonizing with the extensive gardens and grounds the firm designed for AWSOM,” according to a news release.

The release shows the eastern side of the housing complex’s property will include a natural woodland area that slopes into a valley. The landscape is designed to enhance these elements with ponds, walking trails and various spaces for personal reflection or group gatherings.

“Opportunities for recreation and relaxation reinforce the principles of whole health (physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being) and are a central feature of the broader Crystal Bridges campus and a focus of both the school and the neighboring Heartland Whole Health Institute.”

The residents of the complex will also have access to bike storage.