Chaffee Crossing saw unexpected growth in 2021, bringing in money, jobs and experiences affecting the River Valley and its residents.
In 1995, the U.S. Department of Defense's Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended closing Fort Chaffee, an Army base opened in 1941. After the closing, the government opted to lease 65,000 acres to the Arkansas Army National Guard for training. The remaining 7,000 acres were turned over to the local community for redevelopment.
The Arkansas Legislature formed the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority in 1997 to oversee the development of the land using the revenue generated from land sales to reinvest into infrastructure and public use amenities.
Daniel D. Mann, CEO of the authority, said new developments at Chaffee Crossing have created 3,000 jobs and paid $21.8 million in property taxes in the past decade. There's been about $66 million in infrastructure improvements or amenities made between the authority, Fort Smith, Barling, Sebastian County and the state, Mann added.
Some of Chaffee Crossing's major industrial announcements in 2021 include two-phase expansions by Mars Petcare, and a $40 million, 30-acre warehouse purchase by Harmon Arkansas Properties. It was also announced in December that international film company TGE Global Entertainment plans to build a 20-acre film production studio.
A couple of notable groundbreakings were for the Festivity and Freedom Farms event centers, along with expanding businesses in the entertainment districts at The Hub and The Barracks and in the Chaffee Historic District.
"That was an area where a developer came in and bought 21 1940s era buildings and created a master plan around the adaptive reuse of those buildings in the historic area. That is injecting about $20-$25 million of capital into that residential, commercial and retail redevelopment within our historic area and entertainment district," Mann explained.
Fort Smith Coffee Co., Phat Tire Bicycle Shop, Blessed Bee Bakery and Dash Aesthetics announced that they'll be the first retail anchor tenants. The plan for The Barracks includes having more than 100 residential units, eight to 10 restaurants and breweries, and 30 retail or commercial spaces.
"We also in 2021 started the Chaffee Crossing Farmers & Artisans Market," Mann said. "That is within our historic district as a tool to bring the community together, as well as partnering with our small-business vendors to bring that to Chaffee Crossing. We started out in May with 15 vendors, and we ended up in October with 120 vendors. So that was a huge success for us."
Arkansas Colleges of Health Education President Kyle Parker said renovations are ongoing at the ACHE Research Institute Health and Wellness Center. The college purchased the 317,850-square-foot facility in September 2020 and also bought 80 acres last year for mixed-use commercial, retail and office space..
"Plans for the Health and Wellness Center include large kitchens to teach culinary arts to K- 12, college students and members of the community. Classes will be based on food science, nutrition and diet necessary for a healthy lifestyle," Parker said.
Parker said other projects for 2022 include opening its Celebration Garden and Wellness park, a 6-acre area with a pavilion, walking and biking trails, a lake, adult exercise equipment and an Americans with Disabilities Act accessible playground. He said the college also donated land to the Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital, which plans to open speech pathology and occupational therapy services and residential housing units throughout this year.
Chaffee Crossing also started development on 16 new neighborhoods or 1,040 housing units last year, bringing its total residential neighborhoods up to 42. The commercial and retail industries had 37 new businesses, 15 ribbon cuttings and 15 construction kickoffs in 2021.
Mann said the authority expects 2022 to be another strong year for Chaffee Crossing, as they've budgeted for $2.5 million in property sales, but he thinks it'll exceed that.
A worker removed debris at a construction site on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, at Fort Chaffee in Fort Smith. Visit nwaonline.com/220212Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)