Decatur seeing positive growth
DECATUR — One of Decatur’s greatest weaknesses over the past five years has been in the housing market. With the completion of the Simmons processing plant in 2019 and the need to have affordable housing for its 1,500 employees, Decatur has failed to offer these things, resulting in not only the lack of housing but lack of businesses as well.
Since becoming mayor of Decatur in 2015, Bob Tharp recognized the need for his city to grow and prosper.
“It has been my privilege to serve Decatur as city councilman for two years and now as mayor for five and a half years. During this time many of us feel growth is a need for Decatur and the western side of Benton County,” Tharp said. “On a regular basis, I petition businesses to move to our city, only to be told that more rooftops are needed. Rooftops come in the form of apartments, homes, mobile homes and, recently to our culture, ‘tiny homes.’”
When the Decatur city council was presented with the plans for a new apartment complex on Pool Street near Old City Park in 2017, several citizens turned out to voice their opposition to not only the apartment complex but also any growth. However, the council gave its approval and a year later the first eight of the total 16 unit apartments were opened and were quickly occupied.
Since then, the construction of new family dwellings tapered off and Decatur growth went stagnant. That all changed in the past few months for this small town in extreme Northwest Arkansas.
“I can report that four homes are under construction within the city limits and we issued a building permit last week for five homes,” Tharp said. “We have a home in the city that is under major rebuild and I know of another area where three more new homes will soon go under construction. In addition, two new homes were completed just outside of our city and are now available for sale.”
With the housing market taking off, Decatur can begin to compete with Gentry for a share of the Simmons employee housing needs. And with the housing boom comes more businesses. More businesses mean more revenue for the city of Decatur, which translates into more services to its citizens.
“As Benton County continues to grow, that growth will come to our city from the east along Highway 102,” Tharp says. ” The exciting news I do have to share is that growth is coming, new businesses are finding their home in Decatur and builders are calling to build more homes in Decatur.”