PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Earlier this week, the City of Pine Bluff broke ground on a group of affordable houses and Wednesday new apartments along 6th Avenue downtown.
The Flats on Sixth have been in the works since 2017.
"This is a multipronged partnership between Go Forward Pine Bluff, the Urban Renewal Agency, the City of Pine Bluff, Kee Concrete Construction and Cedar Crest Development out of Texas," Go Forward Pine Bluff CEO Ryan Watley said.
Preparation for construction on the 24-loft apartments will begin on Thursday, with the goal of finishing them in a year.
"Not only is it housing, but it's also a lifestyle, a live work, play lifestyle," Kelley Eubanks said with Kee Concrete and Construction.
With the city growing, Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington said having more housing options is vital.
"It's been many years if we've had housing downtown," Washington said. "As we begin to bring businesses downtown, it's critical that we bring foot traffic at the same time... this is just a start of the downtown housing."
Watley said it's all possible thanks to taxpayers.
"It falls in line with what we told the citizens we would do," Watley said. "As I said during the presentation... we brought together some private investment. This represents a 1600% return on investment for the citizens of Pine Bluff."
Go Foward Pine Bluff wants to bring more projects to the city, so Watley hopes voters will approve a new sales tax on the November ballot.
"If Pine Bluff is going to get to a place it's never seen before in terms of prosperity," Watley said. "We need the sales tax."