Latest news with #Rawn
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fayetteville businesses react to construction on College Avenue
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The traffic barrels and construction cones have been put up along College Avenue in Fayetteville, the first steps in a years-long process of rezoning Highway 71B to an Urban Corridor. Businesses along the affected stretch of construction — which runs from about North Street and Memorial Drive — are experiencing some headaches, especially with traffic, but have a positive outlook for the long-term future of College Avenue. 'It's been hard here at Rick's (Bakery) just because it's been challenging trying to turn into the place,' Kennedy Kern, an employee at Rick's Bakery, said. 'They cut off part of our entranceway, so you have to go around the building and back, so it's been really hard for us.' Crystal Bridges closing some galleries during expansion Crews appear to be digging up portions of the right shoulder when traveling north on College Avenue, which bottlenecks traffic from two down to one lane. Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn said at her State of the City address Tuesday that there will be upgrades to drainage, water and sewer lines, pedestrian and bicycle safety, landscaping and public transportation as part of the College Avenue construction. During her campaign, Rawn told KNWA/FOX24 in October 2024 that the Urban Corridor Project could present housing opportunities. She said there could be buildings that have retail units on the first floor, office space on the second floor and condos or apartments above those, or 'courtyard-style residences.' 'My administration is committed to modernizing this corridor and making it a truly walkable and accessible space where housing and businesses can thrive,' Rawn said at the State of the City. Kern said, that as a result of the increased traffic, she takes her time and 'inches' out of the parking lot, staying careful if turning right on College Avenue. If you're at Rick's Bakery and want to avoid the trouble of turning onto College Avenue, Kern suggests turning right onto Abshier Drive and then taking Hillcrest Avenue to North Street. Lindsay Neely, the owner of Pink Fern Plants + Home, said one of her concerns with the future growth of the corridor is increasing rent prices on her business. However, Neely thinks the construction will be a positive for the future of business along College Avenue. 'I think it's very exciting. I love the growth. More people means hopefully more shoppers,' Neely said. 'Although I'm not a big-city girl, I think it can be good for businesses.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fayetteville Mayor Rawn talks housing bill
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Arkansas state lawmakers say their new Senate bill is supposed to help alleviate a housing crisis, but Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn doesn't think so. Senate Bill 456, or the Home Opportunities Made Easier Act, is a state-wide mandate that would make zoning laws and regulations a moot point. The bill is an attempt to create more affordable housing throughout the state and allow for property owners to manage their land without local government interference no matter how it was previously zoned. Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn talks future developments at Washington County Veterans Town Hall Rawn says limiting local authority can have both positive and negative effects. 'It can be concerning when we start talking about the state limiting local authority to zone,' Rawn said. 'While there are some really well meaning outcomes that people may want to see, that can also lead to some really negative unintended consequences of really hindering local communities to being able to best serve the needs unique to them.' The bill has seen pushback from local communities despite being returned by the committee with the recommendation that it should pass. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn talks future developments at Washington County Veterans Town Hall
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — At this month's Washington County Veterans Town Hall on March 21, Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn spoke to veterans about future developments in the city. Rawn discussed topics including developing more housing and infrastructure to keep up with population growth, efforts to develop better public transportation in the city, and potentially having a Veteran's Day Parade in Fayetteville. She also expressed interest in working closer with Fayetteville Public Schools and the University of Arkansas as the city continues to develop. City of Fayetteville partners with Ozark Compost and Swap to provide curbside waste collection program 'Razorback Transit, we have a great relationship. University communications, we have a great relationship. I think the relationship that we really need to work on is at that administrative chancellor's office level,' said Rawn, 'We don't have to stop having those discussions about the problems right now. We need to continue those. We also have to start talking about the problems that aren't here yet, and how we prevent them. So, what is the 10-year plan? What is the 20-year plan?' Local veteran organizations said they're excited about the chance to speak to the mayor about the questions they get from the veterans they work with daily. 'Anytime you can get in front of someone from the city council, the mayor's office, the governor, a senator, those are important conversations. Especially for us in the veteran community,' said John Parker, Director of Communications for Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, 'We want to share with them what we hear from veterans all over the country, and we want to voice the concerns that we hear from the veterans and first responders that we deal with every single day.'These organizations also said the town hall has made them more hopeful for the future of the veteran community in Northwest Arkansas. 'A lot of people call here weekly, daily. You know, just asking, kind of like fishing for information of what makes this area so good,' said Ben Dykes, the Director of Washington County Veterans Services, 'And it's easy to see whenever you have our county judge here and the city mayor all on the same page. I mean, that's a real big vote of confidence.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
REPORT: Fayetteville ranked most competitive small rental market
RELATED VIDEO: Fayetteville Mayor Rawn says housing crisis top priority (Mar. 20, 2025) FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Fayetteville has been ranked the most competitive small rental market in the U.S., according to a new report. RentCafe's Rental Competitiveness Report, which examines rental market trends in 139 metro areas, identifies high occupancy rates, short vacancy periods and strong lease renewal rates as the main factors contributing to increased competition. Currently, 97% of apartments in Fayetteville are occupied, leaving 3% available for new renters. The lease renewal rate has risen to 75%, limiting turnover and reducing the number of open units. Each vacant apartment now receives an average of nine applicants, up from six at the start of 2024. Apartments in Fayetteville stay on the market for an average of 22 days before being leased. HOUSING CRISIS TIMELINE: Fayetteville ranked second most competitive small rental market in U.S. The city's Rental Competitiveness Index (RCI) score at the start of 2025 is 91.7 out of 100, ranking just behind Miami's 93.1, the highest in the nation. Apartment availability increased from 2.25% in 2024 to 3.91% in 2025, while lease renewal rates also grew from 73.3% to 75%. The number of applicants per vacant unit dropped from 11 in 2024 to nine in 2025. Rank Market Competitive Score Average Vacant Days Occupied Apartments Prospective Renters Lease Renewal Rate Share of New Units Fayetteville, AR 91.7 22 97.0% 9 75.4% 0.49% Lehigh Valley, PA 90.5 38 96.5% 13 80.0% 0.00% Lafayette, IN 87.4 34 96.6% 10 73.1% 0.00% Providence, RI 84.4 37 95.8% 11 72.2% 0.73% Little Rock, AR 83.7 32 93.8% 7 71.7% 0.00% Harrisburg, PA 82.3 41 95.6% 9 76.5% 1.07% Youngstown, OH 82.2 42 94.7% 8 74.7% 0.00% Boise, ID 82.1 36 94.9% 13 59.1% 0.77% Jackson, MS 81.3 38 93.0% 7 73.1% 0.00% Worcester – Springfield, MA 81.2 49 96.0% 15 61.9% 0.18% Rochester, NY 80.9 46 95.1% 8 77.1% 0.17% Dayton, OH 80.8 39 94.3% 7 70.7% 0.00% Madison, WI 80.4 41 94.8% 9 67.4% 0.24% South Bend, IN 80.2 37 93.9% 4 75.7% 0.00% Knoxville, TN 80.1 34 94.8% 7 67.5% 0.87% Toledo, OH 79.4 42 94.1% 6 73.4% 0.00% Amarillo, TX 79.1 31 93.4% 6 62.5% 0.00% Palm Beach County, FL 78.9 42 95.0% 10 71.6% 1.81% Lubbock, TX 78.4 33 93.9% 6 61.4% 0.00% To read the full report, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WATCH: Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn delivers 2025 State of the City
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn delivered her first State of the City address before the city council at its meeting Tuesday. Rawn outlined her expectations for sales tax revenue numbers this year, that housing remains a 'top priority' for her and her administration and an update on the College Avenue Urban Corridor Project construction — among a variety of other topics. Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn to host Veterans town hall This comes after Rawn defeated former Mayor Lioneld Jordan of 16 years in a runoff election in December 2024. You can watch the entire 2025 Fayetteville State of the City address above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
