Mayor says retail space increasing in Pea Ridge

PEA RIDGE — The city is seeing a lot of retail development right now, residents were told Friday during a round-table event at City Hall.

Mayor Nathan See, Police Chief Lynn Hahn and City Council members Ginger Larsen and Nadine Telgemeier spoke about the city’s growth and answered questions from the public during the event.

Several projects are proposed in the city, See said. They include a Casey’s convenience store; a retail center on the north side of Slack Street; Pea Ridge Commons Phase 3 on the south side of Slack Street, a project expected to include a Jiffy Lube; and the Ashton Gray building, which may include an optometrist’s office and other suites for rent, he added. A building with availability for a sit-down restaurant is also planned.

“There’s a lot of retail space coming available pretty quick,” See said.

The mayor talked about an online “project tracker” which residents can use to find information about both residential and commercial development in the city. The tracker can be found at cityofpearidge.com, and the Pea Ridge Connect app can also be downloaded via a QR code found on that same website. The project tracker can also be found on the app.

Traffic issues were discussed, and See said traffic congestion is an issue throughout Northwest Arkansas. He said he and other city officials drive the same streets and get stuck in the same traffic jams as other city residents.

“We can talk about traffic anywhere,” See said. “We can put plans in place … but it takes dollars.”

He added that two state highways — Arkansas 94 and Arkansas 72 — cross the city and are the jurisdiction of the state Highway Department.

Resident Neal Nelson asked the mayor if a summary of City Council agenda items could be included on future meeting agendas, which the mayor took under advisement.

Nelson also asked about programs geared toward youth, and See said he plans to start a Youth Council in August.

“It’s an initiative to get the next generation prepared for local government,” See said, crediting the director of the Arkansas Municipal League for starting it.

Nelson asked about the city’s weather warning sirens and was told the sirens have not worked since the county and city changed the source of communication to the Arkansas Wireless Information Network.

See advised that people sign up for BCAlert for weather warning notifications.

Barbara Davidson said she has lived in Pea Ridge for seven years and considers it a “privilege.”

“I am so glad to live in Pea Ridge, Arkansas,” she said. “There are more and more people gravitating to that.”

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Annette Beard) Several people attended a round-table event with city officials May 3 at City Hall and asked questions about the city and developments in the area.