Business Booming on Chenal Parkway in West Little Rock

A drive up Chenal Parkway in west Little Rock reveals bursts of activity: new office space, hotels popping up alongside apartment complexes, financial institutions seemingly on every block and the ever-growing retailers and restaurants that populate the area. 

Bigger changes, however, are taking place behind the scenes as well. And those changes will affect future development of the area, which recently turned 30 years old.

The original developers of Chenal Valley have stepped away from promoting the remaining 370 acres of commercial real estate in the area and have turned over management of Chenal Country Club.

This summer, Cushman & Wakefield Sage Partners was named as the lead company to develop and sell commercial real estate in Chenal. The commercial development firm and PotlachDeltic recently welcomed about 50 property developers and economic development officials to Chenal Country Club to introduce the firm’s leadership team, which is focused on drawing more retail and office projects to the bustling area.

At the event, PotlachDeltic announced that the country club is under new management. Dallas-based Arnold Palmer Golf Management Group is now responsible for managing and operating the country club, which has two golf courses and a full-service clubhouse that includes rental spaces for meetings and special events.

Arnold Palmer Golf Management team operates more than 500 golf courses, which combined represent more than $6 billion in golf, hospitality and real estate assets.

Cushman & Wakefield Sage Partners, meanwhile, is focused on drawing more food and retail businesses along with additional office space to west Little Rock.

“We want to develop more office space in Chenal — there is a need for more space outside the downtown area,” said Rick O’Brien, marketing director for Sage Partners. “We are also looking at more retail, in particular more sit-down restaurants.”

Chenal Valley was originally developed by Deltic Timber, which merged with Potlatch Corp. last year to form PotlatchDeltic. Deltic began the development of Chenal Valley in 1989 and since then has developed and sold 450 acres of commercial property and more than 3,000 residential lots.

Sage Partners is most immediately focusing on developing a huge parcel of land at the Chenal-Rahling corner, across the street from current Bank OZK headquarters.

“That will ultimately be the main intersection in west Little Rock. It’s going to be a gem for development,” O’Brien said. “That’s the premier location that’s undeveloped in that area.”

Developments already are popping up just off the intersection. There’s a new Aloft Hotel under construction, and just across Rahling Road (behind the Promenade at Chenal) is a high-end apartment complex being developed by the same group that built the Fitzroy on Chenal Parkway.

Looks like turning 30 isn’t slowing things down in Chenal Valley.

As published in ArkansasOnline.com, the Arkansas Democrat -Gazette website, Sunday, November 3, 2019.  Business Section, article by Andrew Moreau/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

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