LR market hall plan set at $3.6M

A study of the Ottenheimer Market Hall in downtown Little Rock proposes a $3.6 million redesign, members of the city’s Advertising and Promotion Commission were told Tuesday.

The study, which was done by consulting firm Market Ventures Inc. for $39,725, had the goal of developing a “repositioning strategy” to make the market hall a more vibrant daytime and evening destination. The hall is about two decades old.

The hall has lost money and had site issues, including noise and a lack of adequate storage space, consultant Ted Spitzer of Market Ventures Inc. told commissioners Tuesday. There’s also a perception among members of the public that the hall has problems, he added.

But it has advantages, including convenient parking and its status as a tourist attraction, and when the team reached out to developers, there was interest in redeveloping it, Spitzer said.

The study looked at comparable malls in other cities that were revitalized with significant public investment, including St. Roch Market in New Orleans and Cross Street Market in Baltimore. It also looked at 8th Street Market in Bentonville, which features more activities than dining opportunities.

Spitzer said part of the study involved convening a focus group of 10 local young professionals, who were asked what was most important to them in a food hall facility. Top-ranking answers were later hours, an emphasis on local businesses, a farmers market, a bar and international cuisine.

The study recommends filling the Ottenheimer Market Hall with eight to 10 prepared food vendors that emphasize regional and ethnic food as well as up-andcoming chefs and four to five specialty vendors. It also proposes adding a bar and constructing a second-floor mezzanine area that can be used as an event venue. The proposed plans don’t impact David’s Burgers, which sits at the east end of the market hall.