LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A fast-food chicken place appears close to opening, lots have been cleared and a roadway with a roundabout has become a shortcut for locals avoiding mall traffic on Markham.
These are all signs of progress to city planners of the mixed-use development springing up at the intersection of University Ave. and I-630.
"To us, it doesn't seem like it's stopped. It's just seemed like it's continuing in a time when it could have stopped," said Jamie Collins, the planning and development director for the City of Little Rock. He takes the long view on what will be called The District at Midtown that will replace a once sprawling Sears Department Store.
"I mean if you just look at what was in that area for decades, it was just nothing happening," Collins said. "Then when the Sears went out it became what we consider just a dark area."
Dallas-based developer Shop Companies has been focused on the west side of the site according to Collins, with requests coming before the city to build out infrastructure and signage.
A soon-to-open Raising Cane's restaurant is something that can whet the appetite of other possible tenants down the line.
"These small retail chains and office complexes want to see that [infrastructure] in before they look at the lots," Collins said.
Combine that with so much uncertainty over retail and restaurants in general, and it becomes hard to predict what tenants may follow the chicken restaurant.
A sign at the entrance indicates a Chase Bank location is coming soon.
Those signs make Collins similar to a lot of us noticing the development popping up through the whole corridor on our commutes, and he thinks it bodes well.
"Both sides of that interstate on University have been sitting in a development status of just nothing for a while," he said. "This movement kind of helps tie the two together and hopefully will spark more improvements north and south on University."
The area manager for Raising Cane's said the University restaurant opens on Tuesday, Nov. 24.