BRYANT, Ark — Bryant officials say the city could soon have what would be Central Arkansas’ version of the Walmart AMP in Rogers— but it has some hills to climb first.
Officials including Bryant Mayor Chris Treat want to turn the area between Alcoa Road and Mt Carmel Road, behind Target and Kohl’s, into a 5,000+ seat amphitheater.
Right now, that area is mostly trees.
“Residents in Bryant have been asking for something to get behind,” Treat said. “Something big, something that identifies us as a community.”
Treat believes he’s found it in the outdoor entertainment venue. The project also has the support of Bryant Chamber of Commerce President Shane Knight, who has been instrumental in the planning process.
“We have been in contact with hotel developers, restaurant developers,” Knight said. “They know about this project. It excites them. So Bryant is starting to get attention nationwide. I've had developers from Atlanta, Nashville, and Austin call and say, ‘Shane, is this really happening?’ And I have to tell them that it is happening, and now they're starting to look at Bryant on where they can locate the companies that they represent.”
Knight said the benefits from the project would be huge and it would put Bryant on the map.
“We needed something within the City of Bryant,” Knight said. “That folks in Saline County, in Bryant, outside of, say, ‘Hey, why are you going to Bryant?’ ‘We're going for the amphitheater. We're going to a concert.’ You know, that symbol.”
However, not everyone is convinced just yet.
Heather Roberts lives in the Prospect Park neighborhood about a half-mile away from the site and said she and some neighbors have concerns. She said it’s not because she’s opposed to the idea of an outdoor concert venue.
“I've lived in Bryant my whole life,” Roberts said. “So I want to see Bryant be prosperous.”
She said she’s simply not sure this is the right spot, and said officials will have to answer her questions before she can support the project.
Roberts said her neighbors’ main questions center around noise, traffic, and whether or not the money being used for this facility would be better spent elsewhere, like roads.
“Bryant is a very family-oriented town, and it always has been,” Roberts said. “I would hate to see those of us who live here for that reason. You know, we see how family-oriented it i, and to see something like that put in such a residential area.”
Treat said he’s willing to answer any questions residents have. He and Knight were also quick to note that taxes wouldn’t have to be raised to build the venue— it would be built through the extension of an existing bond measure.
“We want to make sure everybody has all the information, right?” Treat said. “We want to make sure everybody knows why this is good and what this is about. So that when they enter that ballot box, hopefully in May, per council's approval, they'll be excited about this. They'll have all the information and make a good decision.”
That special election would be on May 13, but it’ll only happen if the Bryant City Council approves a number of contracts relating to the project— including the one needed to purchase the land and hire a design and construction management company.
“If everything is coming together as planned,” Knight said, “The residents in Bryant could see a groundbreaking in the summer of 2025 for this facility.”