Gateway Planning Works With Rogers Building Owner On Renovation Plan

ROGERS -- The economic development plan for downtown is a project in the works, but Gateway Planning officials -- who are developing the plan -- are already working with a building owner to ensure his development fits the basic plan.

John Murray, owner of the Model Laundry buildings at 221 W. Elm, is removing equipment from three buildings. He wants to develop the property into something very different from a laundry while keeping the history intact.

"I plan to keep and use the Model name. These buildings have a long history in Rogers. It would be a shame to lose the Model name," Murray said.

The building at the corner of Third and Elm street was a creamery in 1896. It became the Model Laundry and Dry Cleaners in 1928, according to historians.

There is a total of 200,000 square feet of space in the buildings that comprised the Model Laundry, Murray said. One building has 69,000 square feet of space, the second building is 49,000 square feet and the smallest building is 3,000 square feet.

"I'm going to leave the building divided into different spaces. That way I can develop more than one thing inside the buildings," Murray said.

He said there are a lot of things that might locate in the buildings.

"We could have a family restaurant in one space, night club in another, or something like an indoor soccer field. There are a lot of possibilities. It will come down to who wants what space when we get to the development stage," Murray said.

Whatever develops in the former laundry, Murray said he wants the development to fit in with the economic development plan Gateway Planning is developing.

"Scott Polikov and I have toured the building. He agrees there is a lot potential in the development of the site. Polikov also put me in touch with a Texas developer who might be interested in helping me develop the buildings," Murray said.

Polikov is president of Gateway Planning. The company was hired by aldermen earlier this year to design a sustainable economic development plan for downtown. The plan is still a work in progress, Polikov said.

"The buildings have a strong potential for some interesting developments," Polikov said of Model Laundry.

There is interesting space around as well as inside the buildings, he said.

"There should be a way to develop the alley that runs next to the buildings. It might be possible to create a new public space downtown," Polikov said.

The renovation of the former laundry couldn't have come at a better time for Murray, Polikov said.

"He picked the right time to invest in downtown. I feel he will benefit, as will other business owners, as the economic development plan is finished and approved by the residents and the City Council," Polikov said.

It doesn't hurt that Murray's buildings are directly across the street from the former city hall that is in the final stages of conversion to loft apartments, Polikov said.

The next opportunity for public input into the plan is later this month.

"We are scheduled to display some of the ideas we received from a variety of city stakeholders during the first phase of plan development," Polikov said.

One of the ideas is expansion of the downtown boundaries.

"We would like to see the downtown boundary run from Heritage High School to the south and to Locust Street to the north. We also want to include Lake Atalanta as part of downtown to at least Eighth Street," Polikov said.

Bill Schopp, owner of Poor Richard's Art Gallery at the intersection of First and Walnut streets, said he is excited about the pending economic development plan.

"I will attend the meetings to see what they have proposed," Schopp said. "I did a lot of research on Gateway, and everybody I talked to said they did a great job. I want to see for myself if they have a good plan for Rogers."

He also said he understands Gateway will also help the city find private money to help develop downtown.

"I think it's an exciting time for downtown. I know that not everybody will be happy with whatever Gateway comes up with, but I hope if it's a good plan most people can get behind it and make it happen," Schopp said.