BENTON, Ark. — Entertainment districts aren't anything new in central Arkansas. Argenta in North Little Rock, SoMa in Little Rock, even Benton has their own version around the Royal Theatre.
Benton just laid the groundwork for a much larger district than what the city currently has, and it's something the city says they hope draws more people to town.
"What we want is to bring even more things into our city, more restaurants, more retail," Brad Jordan, the Director of Community and Economic Development for Benton, said.
These districts bring in a lot of money, as they attract more and more people to a particular area. That branding that other big entertainment districts have is something Jordan says the city wants.
"What your downtown is speaks for your entire city," Jordan said. "Retail, dining, but also from an industry standpoint, if someone wants to bring a big industry to the city of Benton, they're probably going to look at downtown."
The catch with Benton's plan is that nothing is actually happening – yet. Legislation was introduced that would allow an entertainment district to happen if the city decides to explore that option.
"Be slow with the process to give everyone the opportunity if they want to speak," Jordan said. "Positively or negatively, we want to hear everyone's voice."
So why wait to do this? It boils down to two main reasons – public input and staying honest.
"We want to make sure that we're not doing anything that is not transparent, that's something the majority of our constituents don't want to see," Jordan said. "Because inevitably, we work for them."
Those that are affected most, the shops surrounding the downtown area where an entertainment district is most likely to go, say they appreciate the slowness.
Carol Beth Williams owns Urban Emage, and knows this will attract more people to town if it's put into place. Even with that, she says she doesn't think much will change.
"Big box stores, you know, if it's closer to here, we stay in our town instead of having to go to Little Rock or somewhere else," she said. "I don't think it will hurt much."
While the district isn't a guarantee, the hope is there, and that's enough to get Jordan on board.
"Our goal is to always improve our downtown as much as we possibly can, and this is one of the ways in which we can do that," he said.