ROGERS — Two developers are remodeling downtown buildings into loft apartments, something city officials hope will create an urban lifestyle and be the spark that ignites more downtown development.

The building at 105 S. Third St. is owned by Eddie Smith, and he said the space will be unique when completed.

The other building is the former City Hall near the intersection of Elm and Third streets, owned by Mott Property and being developed by Mode Corp., owned by Robert Lees.

Smith said he’s creating a living space on the second floor of his building that will encompass what was three apartments.

“I’m in the process of taking down all the walls to create one 2,200-square-foot apartment,” Smith said. “It’s going to like nothing else in Rogers. When I’m finished anybody walking into the apartment will think they are in a big-city apartment, like New York.”

The apartment will have an open design, similar to a loft, he said.

“I don’t know exactly what the apartment will look like when I’m finished, I’m still in the demolition phase right now. I will say this, when it’s finished it will be a first class,” Smith said.

No one needs to rush to put in an application to lease the apartment, Smith said, because it’s going to take at least year to finish renovation. Smith is doing the remodeling himself.

The next step for Smith is to determine how he will use the downstairs which includes garage space.

“My wife teaches art to kindergarten through fourth-grade students at the Benton County School of the Arts. I might convert the space into an art studio where she can work with children,” Smith said.

His wife is familiar with the property. When she was a child, her parents lived upstairs and operated an auto shop in the garage, Smith said.

Smith bought the building and is creating the loft apartment, in part because of what Mayor Greg Hines said last year about wanting more people to live downtown.

“I believe in the future of downtown. I know the city is paying to have a downtown economic development plan done, and Mr. Hines supports living downtown. I think he’s right, and this seemed like the time to develop a downtown property,” Smith said.

The 1929 City Hall building is also being gutted to the exterior walls.

“We’re removing everything inside the building just leaving the shell of the outside,” said Lees. The building will have new electrical wiring, plumbing and heating and air conditioning.

The exterior of the building will be cleaned, but will look the same because the building is on the National Registry of Historic places, Lees said.

“We are looking for, and buying, 1920-era lights and other things to replace some of the modern lighting on the building exterior. This is really a fun project,” Lees said.

The building will be transformed into 11 apartments, including two ground-floor apartments that meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards and will have on-site parking. The remainder of the residences will have on-street parking, Lees said. One studio apartment is planned; the remainder will be one- and two-bedroom units.

The building will also feature a combination coffee/wine bar, serving coffee in the morning and wine at night, Lees said.

Each of the apartments in the former City Hall will have a different floor plan.

“Each unit will be unique, no two apartments will look alike. This is not a cookie-cutter development,” Lees said.

The apartments will also be all inclusive, Lees said.

“We’re trying to make it easy for those who will live here. The utilities, cable television and Internet will be included in the lease price. We’ll take care of all common areas of the building, so those living in the apartments won’t have to worry about taking care of anything but their own space,” the developer said. There will be patios in the front and the back of the building. The back patio will be include grills, tables and chairs for the residents.

Lees said the project is on a very aggressive schedule.

“We plan to have the building finished by July 31, and ready to move into on Aug. 1,” he said.

Julie Winn, owner of Aelous Real Estate and Property Management, will handle leasing of the City Hall apartments.

“There are about 30 apartments in downtown Rogers, and I manage 15 of those apartments. The City Hall project has already created a buzz about downtown. I have five of the apartments in the building pledged to people right now. I think I can have the rest of the units pledged or leased by the time the the units are finished,” she said Friday.

“I live and work downtown, and I’m very excited about the future of the downtown area. We need more activities to bring people downtown. I think this will happen in the near future. We need more restaurants and venues downtown to provide entertainment in the evenings not only for downtown residents but residents from across the city,” Winn said.

The apartment projects are like a ripple in a pond, Winn said.

“I think once the new apartments are open it will create a ripple effect and more businesses and restaurants will see the possibility of opening downtown as the ripple continues to spread,” Winn said.

Hines agreed.

“These are two great developments for downtown. I’m excited and optimistic that this could be the beginning of the revitalization of the downtown area. That downtown can become a great place to live, eat and shop,” Hines said.

City leaders are expected to sign next month a contract with Gateway Planning to create a downtown economic and development plan.

“This study will help us plan better. We need additional living space downtown. We know we need somewhere between zero and 500 urban living units. This study will provide us with the number of apartments that can be supported in a town of our size,” Hines said.