Fort Smith board to review riverfront ‘opportunity analysis’ plan

A “major national retirement home builder” and the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball are the only letters of interest received as part of a development plan along the riverfront in downtown Fort Smith, according to a study to be presented Tuesday night (Sept. 7) during a regular meeting of the Fort Smith board of directors.

The board voted 5-1 on Feb. 3, 2009, to spend $62,000 as a one-third partner in an “opportunity analysis” study of riverfront development options. The Robbie Westphal family and the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce agreed to each provide $62,000 to fund the study. Receiving the $160,000 fee for the analysis were the firms Cushman & Wakefield, National Sports Services and TRAC.

John Castro, then employed by Cushman & Wakefield said during a Dec. 17 special board meeting that the complete analysis would be delivered by early March 2010, but an “outward educational campaign” in Fort Smith was expected to begin after the holidays. Neither prediction proved true.

The late 2009 push to promote a riverfront development plan included a letter from Miles Wolff, commissioner of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. Wolff, in a letter dated Dec. 14 and sent to Fort Smith City Administrator Dennis Kelly, Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce President Paul Harvel and Bennie Westphal, said the association “is very interested in the city as a potential site for expansion.” Wolff visited Fort Smith Dec. 2 and “came away with the strong belief that Fort Smith would be an excellent market for our league.”

At the time, Castro told the board a professional baseball team is the nucleus of the entire 85-acre proposal. The entire plan, according to the Dec. 17 presentation, would tie the history of downtown with “a progressive community” on the riverfront and result in the greatest economic impact by creating up to 350 full-time jobs. If public and private funding is available, the 85-acre project could be built out in three to five years. The proposed plan included the ballpark, condos, a “boutique” hotel, retirement community, water features, retirement community and retail and office space.

The executive summary of the plan to be presented Sept. 7 suggests an outdoor and/or indoor “entertainment and sports related development” remains the key to successfully development the riverfront.

“The site is one of the best situated to enhance office and retail demand in the region. If developed as planned, the RIVER Fort Smith will garner national attention and should attract the ‘Best in Class’ users,” notes language in the executive summary. “It is important to note that prospective users would require a ‘pre-commitment’ for offsite and partial on-site utility infrastructure prior to committing the necessary capital for development committal.”

Early estimates suggested an arena could cost between $10 million and $50 million, and a minor league ballpark could cost between $20 million and $30 million. It is unclear how much would be funded with public dollars.