Bentonville’s first sky bridge connects the parking garage for tenants at the popular Midtown Center to use during the day. The public can also use the garage at night and an adjacent church uses it for its school and Sunday services.
The former church parking lot was redeveloped into a multiuse office and retail complex with an interconnecting parking garage. A wide ramp in the integrated parking garage leads to the lower level, which includes bicycle storage, maintenance room, gym and locker rooms.
For its thoughtful integration of uses in the Midtown Center complex and its effort in serving local tenants, residents and church members, the redevelopment was selected as the winner of the 2024 CoStar Impact Award, as judged by a team of local real estate professionals familiar with the market.
About the Project: Midtown Center is located in downtown Bentonville on the same Main City Square as Sam Walton’s original “Five and Dime.” The mixed-use project features a pair of five-story buildings with office space on the top four floors and approximately 20,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. The parking garage was built to support the needs of the new buildings as well as for events hosted in the City Square throughout the year. A central atrium, rooftop patio and perimeter patios for office tenants offer a unique twist to allow tenants on the upper floors to work or take a break outside without leaving the building. The first floor of the building is planned for three or more restaurants and boutique retailers.
What the Judges Said: "This is a world-class development that will improve the quality of the community and the lives of the employees that work in the building by creating opportunities for a walkable work experience and fosters community engagement due to its location in an urban mixed-use setting," said Clinton Bennett of Bennett Commercial Real Estate. "Bentonville's first skybridge, a true Class A mixed-use development with high design," added Alan Cole, principal and executive vice president with Colliers Arkansas. "This project highlights forward thinking and enhanced design standards," noted David Erstine, senior vice president of CBRE.
They Made It Happen: Butch Gurganus, president of Focus CRE Group is the leasing agent for the developer and submitted the project on its behalf.
CoStar Market Manager John Felch contributed.