Page 6 - Downtown Little Rock Partnership

DOWNTOWN LITTLE ROCK PARTNERSHIP: HOLDING THE VISION
Dear Friends of Downtown,
As we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership (DLRP) this past year, we also celebrated the 10th anniversary of the William J. Clin- ton Presidential Center. The impact of the center and park was quantified by a study commissioned by the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce showing over $2.46 billion in downtown investment over the 10-year period with a total economic impact of $3.3 billion.
The Clinton Center is just one of our many DLRP partners holding a vision for a vibrant downtown in which to work, live, play, learn and invest. The historic Rob- inson Center, the city’s municipal auditorium managed by the Little Rock Conven- tion and Visitors Bureau, is currently undergoing a $70 million makeover to become what planners intend to be a “world-class” performing-arts center. Coinciding with the completion of the Robinson Center in the fall of 2016 will be the completion of $5 million in renovations to its neighbor, the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, announced at the beginning of this year. The Broadway Bridge replacement across the Arkansas River will also begin in 2015 and will further define the Robinson Center as the western-most anchor of the Markham-President Clinton avenue of museums, enter- tainment, restaurants, shopping, fine dining and fun.
Susan F. Smith
Turning the corner down Main Street ... what a transformation is underway! The
Downtown Little Rock Partnership and City of Little Rock leadership joined Main Street stakeholders five years ago to form a Main Street Revitalization task force to plan for, support and inspire new investment along a major thoroughfare of downtown. An award-winning Creative Corridor plan was proposed for the northern seven blocks, an Environmental Protection Agency grant for its Greening America’s Capitals project and a National Endowment for the Arts ArtPlace grant were received to support the plans, and an annual Main Street Food Truck Festival was created to begin drawing people back to Main Street. New restaurants, a Montessori school, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, the Arkansas Symphony and Ballet Arkansas, as well as state agencies and our future Technology Park are being joined by new apartments, an Aloft hotel and an art gallery.
The excitement is catching. DLRP partners are turning the corner from Main Street west onto Capitol Avenue with plans to brand and re-energize a Financial Quarter. MacArthur Park Group partners are working to implement a master plan for our city’s oldest park in the heart of the downtown neighborhoods, complete with a dog park and plans for a universal playground. South Main (SoMa) has joined the River Market as a downtown hot spot for special events, restaurants, shopping and as a walkable neigh- borhood. A Create Little Rock Pop Up in the Rock event on Ninth Street this year will highlight the new possibilities for this area.
As we look to the future, it is important to recognize among us some of those leaders who have truly made a difference in their contributions to our vibrant downtown. At the 2015 DLRP annual meeting, we will present the annual Top of the Rock award to the Arkansas State Building Authority, under the directorship of Anne Laidlaw, for the state’s commitment to downtown. We also thank Sharon Priest, retiring executive director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership, for the past twelve years of outstanding leadership. We, at the Downtown Little Rock Partnership, make a commitment to continue the excellence that these two women have inspired.
SUSAN F. SMITH, President
Downtown Little Rock Partnership Board of Directors
DOWNTOWN LITTLE ROCK PARTNERSHIP
501-375-0121 • www.downtownlr.com • www.facebook.com/downtownlr • Twitter @downtownlr
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
SCOTT SCHALLHORN, Vice President • WYCK NISBET, Secretary MILLIE WARD, Immediate Past President • GRETCHEN HALL
• RETT TUCKER, Treasurer • DR. DEAN KUMPURIS
• MAYOR MARK STODOLA
BRUCE MOORE • DR. BOBBY ROBERTS
• ROBERT SHOPTAW
Metrocentre Commission Chair ROBERT SHOPTAW
Public Relations, Communications and Membership Director
BECKY FALKOWSKI
Events Director CHELLIE LONGSTRETH
Metrocentre Supervisor HENRY CONLEY
Metrocentre Staff
RICK LESTER
6 DOWNTOWN LITTLE ROCK | 2015