NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Monday, North Little Rock's mayor Terry Hartwick met with developers about the new luxury hotel plans coming to downtown Argenta.
Mayor Hartwick is hopeful that a convention center will follow behind that, but there is more than just future projects on his radar, he credits new downtown businesses as a big reason for the city's success.
"People want to want to come down here, they want to be part of the excitement that's happening in Argenta," Hartwick said, "Argenta is special right now."
While booming business is always exciting for a city, this year, Hartwick explained that it means even more.
He credits the new traffic downtown for pulling the city through millions in damage from the March 31st tornado.
"What we're looking at is more people coming downtown who are eating, drinking, sleeping in the hotels, and staying here. So we've had an increase so that helps the budget," Hartwick said, adding that the recently approved budget for next year has no cuts.
One of those new restaurants is Draft and Table.
"We opened up about two weeks ago. And we've just, you know, had such great response from the community around us," Owner Scott Landers explained.
Landers joined the Main St row of businesses that he said all work to make downtown a destination.
"There's several restaurant owners down here, we all know each other, and we all work together to one degree or another. So it's really is a community feel," Landers added.
While proud of the current success, Mayor Hartwick wants the area to keep growing, planning for a new luxury hotel to come in the next few years.
"I hear it'll have approximately 140 rooms. They'll have a bar on top," Hartwick said.
Hartwick is hopeful that a conference center at the old city services lot will follow.
"[A conference center] puts people in hotels and restaurants so, Argenta is really booming, it really is," he explained.
Mayor Hartwick also said he's looking into creating a new museum at the old fire station to further honor the city first responders and their history.