West-of-river projects could be golden
Lewis Delavan

A new Benton neighborhood the size of Bryant will emerge "across the river."

Thousands of lots will be developed in the area, which includes the already-developing Centennial Valley and Mountain View subdivisions. If each lot housed an average of four people, the neighborhood would have some 15,000 people, more than Bryant's current population.

Despite a general slowdown in the housing construction industry, builders here say Saline County continues to grow, and no end is yet in sight.

While not yet in the Benton city limits, the area will be served by Benton utilities. A pre-annexation agreement calls for the area to be a part of Benton, if area residents choose to join a city. Existing Benton water customers would benefit by having more customers to share the cost of paying off bonds; sufficient capacity exists to serve the area's growth.

The entire area is in the Benton School District, and land has been dedicated for a future elementary school.

Beyond the planned development lies thousands of acres that could be developed for housing and retail ventures.

Benton City Council's Economic Development Committee will be aggressively courting new businesses, and the residential growth makes the area near Interstate 30's Exit 114 a hot property.

Three corners of the intersection of Arkansas 229 and I-30's Exit 114 have potential for retail development, a rare asset in a growing subur- ban area.

The committee has identi- fied the intersection as a prime spot to promote. State Rep. Lamont Cornwell, a businessman, said he is excited by its potential. Benton's retail customers come from the west, north and south, and adding high-profile retailers at Exit 114 will help draw more customers for downtown Benton and the Military Road corridor.

A partnership of government and private enterprise will help lure businesses to Benton, pulling in income, more tax revenue and creating possibly thousands of jobs for Saline County.

Along with the potential development of an events center on the Saline County Fairgrounds, other fairgrounds improvements and growth at the former Saline County Airport, the west entrance to Benton will emerge as a beacon to the heart of Arkansas.

The city has hired the Buxton Group of Fort Worth, Texas, a company providing key retail information. Benton will gain knowledge and contacts with companies interested in the area, so the city won't waste time pursuing companies that aren't interested.

Benton has made missteps at times in the past, but this time, it looks like city officials are pulling together for growth.

"Crossing the river" has been a long-sought goal for the city. It looks like Benton won't be disappointed.

Lewis Delavan is the News editor of the Saline County Voice. His column appears weekly.