South Pass Development in Fayetteville Major Master Planned Community
November 10th, 2008 categories: News and Events
The South Pass Development (actually SouthPass) in Fayetteville is one step closer to becoming a reality for Northwest Arkansas. Technically begun in 2004, SouthPass is slated as a Master Planned conservation community that includes a 200-acre Regional Park as well as 248 acres of additional trails and a conservation area. In addition to the green areas, the project plans to have some 800 single family lots, 2,800 multifamily units, 630 condo units, and over 340,000 square feet of non-residential space. The 8 planned phases are slated to take between 20 and 25 years to complete.
This project is a cooperation by the City of Fayetteville and Nock Developments in an effort to provide Northwest Arkansas with a Regional Park while keeping residents from footing the multi-million dollar price tag. As with most major developments there are pros and cons to having such a large planned community in the area:
Regional Park
A 200+ acre park for Northwest Arkansas residents would provide needed recreational facilities and be a draw for tourism that would help the local economy
Master-Planned Urban Style Development
Everyone should at least look at the plans for this development. With an attractive town center and mixed residential and commercial developments, it will be a beautiful place to live, work, and play.
Urban Sprawl
This development is a major undertaking that does not provide city infill and will require major extension of city infrastructure to bring it to completion. The good thing is the timetable. Phased in over 20 or more years, SouthPass may become a hub of city life in Fayetteville.
Private Development
As we have seen with other projects recently, such as the Renaissance Tower in Fayetteville, private developers can have their share of trouble and the timeline or end product may not go according to plan.
There are, of course, other considerations such as road infrastructure and annexation to deal with but with such a long timeline for development, it seems most of these issues can be dealt with in a timely manner. For more information on the SouthPass Development see their website at SouthPassDevelopment.com or at the Urban Development forum here
What do you think of the SouthPass Development? Good? Bad? Does it provide more of what makes Northwest Arkansas great or does it change it for the worse?
Update: Check out Matthew Petty’s blog for a great perspective on South Pass and the future of Fayetteville.
