Tyson Foods Plans Expand (Real Deals)

Tyson Foods Inc. announced recently that it has added a four-story, 174,000-SF office tower to its Discovery Center project valued at more than $85 million in Springdale. Original costs were projected to be $40 million to $50 million, and the SF has changed from 184,000 to 285,000.

The current Tyson Foods campus is 17 acres. The new project will add about 23 acres to the site, said Gary Mickelson, a company spokesman.

Crossland Construction Co. of Columbus, Kan., is the general contractor on the project that is slated to be complete in 2007. The office tower should be done by fall 2006.

HOK Architects of St. Louis, Mo., and PBA Architects of Wichita, Kan., are designing the project. Robbins Engineering PLLC of Little Rock is the structural engineer, Professional Engineering Consultants PA of Wichita, Kan., is the mechanical engineer, and Phillips & Bacon Inc. of Tulsa, Okla., is the electrical engineer.

The civil engineer is USI Arkansas Inc. of Springdale, and the geotechnical engineer is Terracon Inc. of Springdale.

Dixie Drives Old Inn Down

Next Chapter Resources LLC and Nelson’s Crossing LLC recently bought a five-acre parcel off Joyce Boulevard in Fayetteville from the Duane B. Nelson Family Trust for $1.5 million.

Ben Israel is the manager of Nelson’s Crossing LLC. Tom Muccio is the manager of Next Chapter Resources.

Chambers Bank financed the purchase. Heritage Title in Fayetteville was the title underwriter.

The property includes the 120-room Centre Inn, which will be demolished for new construction. Roger Trotter Construction Co. of Fayetteville will be the demolition contractor, and Dixie Construction LLC will be the general contractor on the $15 million project.

Developer Ben Israel said the new development will entail 66,000-SF of mixed-use space. It will probably break down into 40,000 SF of commercial and 20,000 SF of office space.

Mobley Architects in Fayetteville is designing the Tuscan-themed property called Shops at Nelson’s Crossing. Clark Consulting of Fayetteville is the engineer.

Space will lease from $18 to $20 per SF in the two-story space. Whitley Dunn of Dixie Development will be the leasing agent. Israel said the development has seen interest from a national restaurant and a coffee chain, as well as a bank.

Crossland Finds Pleasant Grove

The Rogers branch of Crossland Construction Co. recently bought two building permits valued at a combined $7 million to start construction on a 44,000-SF children’s building and a 36,000-SF administration building at the Fellowship Bible Church of Northwest Arkansas. The church is off Pleasant Grove Road in Lowell

The construction is part of a 120,000-SF expansion the church expects to complete in the next two years. Added amenities will include a training center/administration building, student center, chapel and children’s center. The church, founded in 1984, owns 60 acres at the site.

Robert Cupp, Fellowship Bible’s directional leader, said the expansion will double the church’s current capacity. About 7,000 people attend its six different services there each weekend.

The project is being financed through Arvest Bank-Rogers and an internal building campaign.

Hight-Jackson Associates PA is the architect, Tatum-Smith Engineers Inc. in Rogers is the structural engineer, and Freeland-Kauffman And Fredeen Inc. of Rogers is the civil engineer.

Barber Climbs The Peaks

Barber Construction Inc. of Springdale recently bought 56 building permits valued at $6.5 million to build condominiums off Everest Avenue at Rogers’ Condos at the Peaks complex.

Noonan LLC, of which Brandon Barber is a manager, and Collins and Hunter Haynes are the developers of the project. Barber is also a principal in The Barber Group, which owns Barber Construction.

Haynes & Associates Ltd. is the architect on the project and also completed the mechanical and electrical engineering work.

Morrison-Shipley Engineers Inc. of Bentonville is the civil engineer. Meyers Engineering of Fort Smith is the structural engineer.

Siloam Springs-based Liberty Bank is financing the construction.

The Barber Group previously told the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal that the 33-acre project will feature a total of 260 units ranging from 1,800 SF to 3,500 SF and that will sell from $280 per SF.

Noonan bought the 33 acres in December for $9.7 million from the original members of The Peaks development: Haynes, Gary Combs, John Ed Chambers, John David Lindsey, Neil Johnson and Gerald Johnston.

First Federal Bank of Arkansas financed the land purchase.

Hefner Hoists Warehouse

Neal Hefner Construction Inc. of Springdale recently bought a building permit valued at $5 million to start construction on a 102,000-SF warehouse off Monitor Road in Springdale.

The new warehouse will be complete in August and will feature about 7,000 SF of office space.

Bank of Oklahoma N.A. is financing the construction. Dennis Becker of Fayetteville is the architect. Springdale’s Engineering Design Associates is the engineer.

Hensen Properties of Fort Smith is the developer of the project and will be leasing the space back to C-Tech Industries.

C-Tech Industries is a manufacturer of industrial and commercial water-cleaning systems and is currently located in a 50,000-SF facility off Mountain Road in Springdale.

It is owned by Alfred K?rcher GmbH & Co. KG of Winnenden, Germany.

The warehouse is situated on 12 acres and will allow for a future expansion of at least another 100,000 SF.

Brandon Hears Lot Harmon-y

Gary Brandon Enterprises Inc. of Fayetteville recently secured a mortgage for $945,945 through Regions Bank in Rogers to buy 55 acres of land from the Robert B. Treat Revocable Living Trust and the Betty Jo Treat Revocable Living Trust.

The property is located off Harmon Road in Washington County, just outside Tontitown, Brandon said.

Brandon said he spent about $3 million total to buy 175 acres at that location for a yet-to-be named, 275-lot subdivision. The lots will be in a decentralized sewer system.

Springdale’s Engineering Services Inc. will be the engineer on the upcoming project. Construction on the first 180 lots should begin this summer.

March Mortgage Report

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