Acreage on river bought for $1M

Nature group set to enhance area

The Nature Conservancy in Arkansas has purchased a 247-acre piece of property with 1.7 miles of Little Maumelle River frontage from Ranch Properties Inc. for a fraction of its $4.45 million value.

photo

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

A map showing Ranch North Woods.

The conservancy paid $1 million for the land laden with fields and woods and views of Pinnacle Mountain.

Ranch Properties, led by Ed Willis, kicked in the rest of the value as a donation to the nature group. The land changed hands in mid-December. Other Ranch Properties land owners/developers are Belinda, Rob and Cathy Shults, and Gene Pfeifer. The group's 1996 master plan for the undeveloped portion of the Ranch property included 78 home sites and large pockets of green space, but "it's such a beautiful piece of land that we decided to leave it in its natural state," Willis said.

The Ranch neighborhood development now has about 175 homes with lots for another 100 houses, he added.

"Over the years, we have watched our children discover nature here and want that experience to continue for future generations," Belinda Shults said in a release from the conservancy. "We are fortunate to have found the ideal owner and manager of this beautiful property."

The acreage stretches from Pinnacle Mountain to the Ranch neighborhood, along and south of the Little Maumelle River. Ranch Properties once intended to develop the property, said Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas.

"This is a really special property, and so we want the best use of the property that would benefit the people of central Arkansas and would work well for the neighbors who live next door," Simon said. Talks about use and management of the land are ongoing between all parties, such as the neighbors and Arkansas State Parks, which oversees Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

"There's a really great spirit of collaboration between many people around this property," he said.

It's more common for an investor to buy property with development plans than what the Nature Conservancy is doing -- which is to first buy the land then get input from neighbors about ideas for its best use.

Residents and visitors fish, canoe and kayak along the Little Maumelle Water Trail, so one potential use is to enhance the area designated as part of the Arkansas River Trail. A water trail is a marked trail along a river that doesn't necessary look and act as a river.

"It helps to have a route marked to fully explore and feel comfortable there," Simon said. It makes the lesser-traveled trails more accessible, he added. The Arkansas Water Trails system is run by the Arkansas Canoe Club and the state Game and Fish Commission.

Once use and management of the property has been established, a celebration of the plans will take place later in 2015.

Business on 01/17/2015

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