If we build it …
My wife and I went to Flying Saucer in the River Market on our first date. Our first kiss was on the Arkansas River Trail, and the bench where I proposed to her on sits next to First Security Amphitheatre.
Much has been said about the decline of the River Market as of late. My wife and I have two kids now, and we still frequent the River Market, but supporting its businesses is a lot different for us than it used to be—usually stopping at Sticky Fingers or Flying Fish for a bite before zipping home for nap time.
No one did anything wrong with the
River Market. It wasn’t even covid’s fault.
The dominantly supporting generation that my wife and
I fall into simply aged out of this type of lifestyle. We frequented the River Market for years, but now we have kids, and so do all our friends.
The push to bring life downtown 20 years ago was aggressive and successful. We came and we stayed, and that’s what happened to the River Market. New housing opportunities have not kept pace with demand. More specifically, more affordable opportunities haven’t been built or opened.
Our generation filled the space made 20 years ago, and continue to fill the spaces created since. We never took the time to create space for the next generation to occupy, and so they left. Not wanting to live in apartments away from the action, they moved to Austin and the like.
Little Rock city leaders have an opportunity to help fill the void of homes that would house this generation and allow them to stick around. Accessory Dwelling Units, more commonly referred to as backyard cottages, granny flats or she shed/he sheds, are being proposed by Little Rock Planning Development to be allowable, specifically in R4 zoning, which is designated for multi-family dwellings typically referred to as duplexes.
The proposal doesn’t increase density and doesn’t negatively impact anyone; it simply allows single-family homeowners in the R4 multi-family zoning to build a small apartment in their backyard if they desire.
I’ve read opinion pieces in the Democrat-Gazette by prominent thought leaders in our community like Gabe Holmstrom and Jimmy Moses calling on the need for Little Rock’s next champion of development to step up.
What if the next champions of development for downtown Little Rock are the residents of downtown Little Rock? They can be if they are empowered to by the city board.
What if we didn’t have to convince a big developer to come here and build affordable homes for Generation Z? What if we could do it ourselves?