Arena plans taking shape
Posted on Thursday, November 16, 2006
BENTONVILLE — Site work for the new Rogers sports arena is about two months away, and developers are hopeful the facility will be up and running by early fall of 2008.
By mid-December, large-scaledevelopment plans and specifics for the planned-use development should be filed with the city of Rogers, and by mid-February, construction should actually start on the 9, 000-seat arena.
Frederick Krenson, vice president of Rosser International, an architecture firm based in Atlanta, was in Bentonville on Wednesday to meet with engineers from Morrison Shipley, Crossland Construction and the representatives from the Arkansas Sports and Entertainment Park ownership group — finalizing site plans and the design schedule for the facility.
Krenson has designed more than 20 arenas nationwide, including Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville and Gwinnett Civic Center in Atlanta. He said the entire complex at Pleasant Crossing in Rogers will become an entertainment destination for the whole region and not just an arena.
The club area will be more than just luxury seating, Krenson said. It will feature exclusive food options and can also be utilized for private functions during off nights for the sports teams.
“ We’ll be able to expand on VIP options that just aren’t available. Neither Little Rock nor Fayetteville has that named (club ) level, ” Krenson said.
A lot of what is going into the Rogers complex is a variation of the Gwinnett Civic Center. “ We’ve still got things to work through, ” Krenson said concerning the overall design and site plans.
Krenson said the arena will encompass more than just sports events, but will become that go-to entertainment venue for the entire region by hosting concerts, ice skating and major circus attractions, as well as conventions and private functions.
The arena is initially being built to hold 9, 000 but will have the framework in place to expand to 12, 000 seats or more. Chris Talley, one of the principal partners in the ownership group, said Wednesday they hope to double the seating of the venue to 18, 000 by 2020.
“ Whatever we’re paying on the front end now will be a tremendous savings for us in the future, ” Talley said.
The group is close to securing the naming rights for the arena and is finalizing details for franchises with the ECHL hockey league, the NBA D-Leauge and the WNBA.
Patrick Carroll, director of real-estate development for Crossland Construction, said his company is confident it can meet the 2008 deadline and will put the project on a very aggressive schedule.
“ We’re going to hit it hard with everything we can, ” Carroll said.
Originally slated for southwest Bentonville, the arena officially moved to Pleasant Crossing in Rogers last month and will become the focal point for Charles Reaves and his development off Interstate 540. Preliminary plans include at least two hotels, several restaurants, a training facility for the sports franchises, an amphitheater, a 10-acre lake, a 32-lane bowling center and a parking garage for the arena.
Krenson said that approximately 42 percent of the occupancy for the events at the arena will come from outside northwest Arkansas. That was the leading factor in relocating the venue from Arkansas Highway 12, a twolane road.
“ For a lot of people, it will be easier to get to us than going to Kansas City or Tulsa, ” Krenson said.
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