Malvern Avenue plans outlined
City officials outlined an initiative to beautify a major entryway into downtown Hot Springs for Oaklawn Rotary Club members on Monday.
Jean Wallace, the city’s Parks & Trails director, and City Engineer Gary Carnahan shared
details of the Malvern Gateway Framework Plan during the club’s weekly meeting at The Hotel Hot Springs & Spa.
Carnahan told The Sentinel-Record the city’s restoration initiative was born out of several different goals the city wanted to achieve, including economic development, stormwater runoff protection and revitalizing the neighborhoods along Malvern Avenue.
“All those factors were just kind of screaming, ‘Help me,’” Carnahan said.
The plan, designed by the University of Arkansas Community Design Center, seeks to bring new life to the section of Malvern Avenue that runs from the Grand Avenue intersection north to Spencer’s Corner.
One major point of the plan is beautifying the stretch of road by planting trees along either side and, in some places, in a median that would be added along the route.
Other sections of road would be left without trees, which would make for a more open view, he said, noting the plantings would be planned around areas with historic architecture.
The plan also looks to change the aesthetic appearance of the street. Carnahan said artwork would be installed near the Hot Springs Police Department, and the city would change the pavement type west of The Hotel Hot Springs & Spa. Other plans include seating for pedestrians next to the hotel and the construction of a modified roundabout north of Regions bank, which would include plants, water displays and sidewalks.
Wallace said the plan is designed to serve the “most vulnerable user,” noting cyclists will have a protected area of passage. That aspect of the plan was detailed during a visual presentation, which displayed a median near the sidewalk that sectioned off a narrow portion of road for cyclists along certain parts of Malvern Avenue. Other functional changes planned include the installation of lighting along the road and redirecting electrical wiring to an underground system.
Parking spaces along Malvern Avenue would be replaced with off-street parking areas, which would primarily be built by property owners. Wallace and Carnahan cited a parking area on Church Street obtained by Visit Hot Springs that would be used in the plan.
The city would use the concept of “Low Impact Development” in revitalizing the avenue. The concept includes repaving the roads, but incorporating natural gravel that will not contaminate storm runoff. Carnahan said the runoff will be directed away from Hot Springs Creek, which will keep it from reaching Lake Hamilton.
Because of the many purposes that the revitalization will serve, Carnahan described the project as “multifaceted.”
“We need to protect our stormwater runoff. This is right adjacent to the Hot Springs Creek that goes into Lake Hamilton,” Carnahan said. “It’s a strategic location from a water quality point of view and entrance into the city.”
Wallace and Carnahan estimated the project will cost between $3 million and $4 million. Carnahan said the timeline for the project is dependent on funding.
Carnahan said they are “pooling money” from block grants and the Federal Transit Authority and applying for funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. He noted any federally funded area the project incorporates, such as art or transportation, has the potential to raise money for the project.
“We’re researching every possible angle for funding,” he said.
For now, the city will soon begin the project with the funds that they have.
“How fast it progresses and which elements are built at which time just depend on funding,” Carnahan said.