BENTONVILLE — City planners are envisioning a new future for North Walton Boulevard and want the community’s help to fine-tune that vision.
The Planning Department will host a series of public meetings starting Feb. 23 to discuss plans for North Walton from Central Avenue north to Ridgefield Street.
Walton Boulevard has long been a densely commercial thoroughfare, lined by shops, offices and restaurants. Troy Galloway, director of community development, said he’s concerned the northern portion of Walton Boulevard is “underperforming.”
“There is a lot of community potential and mixed-use development opportunities that are not being utilized,” Galloway said.
The heavily traveled Walton Boulevard loses many of its polished facades as newer developments give way to empty lots and broken signs north of Central Avenue. Newer commercial projects in other parts of Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas have pulled activity from the older areas of Walton Boulevard, Galloway said.
“Newer commercial strips trump old strips,” Galloway said.
The Bentonville Bowling Center has seen the area change in the 35 years it has been at Northwest 14th Street and North Walton Boulevard, said assistant manager Sheila Harrison.
“The town has grown so much,” Harrison said. “Everything is being built on the other side of town. It would be great if we could get more development here.”
Galloway hopes a new plan will stimulate development. Some focal points of the proposal include mixed-use development, pedestrian friendly shopping areas and stronger links from neighborhoods both to downtown and to shops and restaurants on North Walton Boulevard.
Shelli Kerr, planning services manager, has been working on the North Walton plan for several years. She said the area, which is part of the city’s 1,000-acre downtown district, encapsulates three or four blocks on either side of North Walton.
Galloway said the demographics of the “upwardly mobile” neighborhoods around North Walton don’t match the empty storefronts on the boulevard. The area has enough residents to be economically vibrant, but not the incentive. Additional retail destinations, as well as easier access, could change the picture.
AT A GLANCE
Planning Meeting
What: A public meeting to design a plan to revitalize North Walton Boulevard between Central Avenue and Ridgefield Street
When: 5-7 p.m. Feb. 23
Where: Bentonville Community Development Building, 305 S.W. A St.
Details: The Planning Department will take public comment over a series of meetings to help shape a plan to be presented to the City Council later this year.
“It’s a missed opportunity,” Galloway said. “We have the rooftops, but we’re not utilizing individual businesses.”
Mike Harvey, chief operating officer for the Northwest Arkansas Council, said one rule of thumb in the business world is “retail follows rooftops.” A niche retailer could carve a spot on North Walton and do well, he said.
Galloway hopes residents attend the meeting to give input on ways to revitalize the area. Feedback will be integrated into the plan as it moves forward, Galloway said.
Those residents will see the benefits in their own property values as revitalization starts to take root, Kerr said. Positive, individual changes in businesses and homes can create a “domino effect,” she said.
“This will be a vision of what could be, along with a recipe for how to get there,” Kerr said.
The process will take time, Galloway said, advising residents practice “tactical patience.” He compared the North Walton Boulevard plan to a downtown plan formed several years ago to breathe new life into central Bentonville. Galloway said he feels a similar evolution can take place on North Walton with the same level of passion and energy.