Hendrix's Village seeks to complement downtown

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of articles about the development of downtown Conway and the Conway Downtown Partnership.

While Conway and the Conway Downtown Partnership are trying to breath new life into an old downtown, Hendrix College is attempting to breath life into an old college by building a new downtown - or Village as the academics prefer to call it.

The Village's concept originated when Andres Duany and architects from the firm Duany Plater-Zyberk (DPZ) held a "charrette" in January 1995. Charrette refers to the little cart into which architects place their drawings before deadlines.

Then President Ann Die and the Hendrix Board of Trustees sought out DPZ to develop a master plan for the college's construction. DPZ planned the college's construction, but while there, Duany said he could not help but realize the potential the "nature trails" held. He and his crew drew a quick sketch of a proposed village and that started the ball rolling.

Ten years later, Hendrix President Timothy Cloyd invited the firm back to Hendrix to reassess the college's needs and situation, and this time planning the Village took precedence over all other activities. Their first session resulted in a rough draft for a development that follows the tenants of "New Urbanism," a style of architecture that DPZ helped develop. The plan sat on the back burner until DPZ returned to Hendrix in January of 2005 but dominated the discussions.

Now, the Village is inevitable and construction will begin during spring 2007 - if everything goes as planned.

WHAT IS IT?

The Village seeks to create a unique experience for those who live and visit. In brief, New Urbanism creates neighborhoods in which residents must walk no more than five minutes to reach a grocery store and other small shops, according to "Suburban Nation," which Duaney and Plater-Zyberk cowrote.

"This is a 21st century version of the traditional downtown," Courtway said. "It will be a place where students, faculty and Conway citizens can walk and enjoy the shops."

DPZ has planned other communities along the same lines, including Seaside, Fla. "The Truman Show" featured Seaside as their filming location, and in 1989 Time Magazine listed the city as one of the 10 "Best of the Decade" for its achievements in the field of design.

Hendrix's development will not be as large asSeaside, but by no means will it be small. The college owns 129 acres between Interstate 40 and Harkrider Street. The land once housed a scattered assortment of athletic fields and facilities, along with a tree farm. However, last year the college began moving its playing fields to the lot's southern edge to make room for the Village, which will require 100 acres.

Hendrix hopes to begin the Village's first phase of construction in spring 2007. Courtway estimated construction would require five phases, but he said the college and the developer - Traditional Neighborhood Development Partners, LLC of Durham, N.C., - could not elaborate on further phases because it is likely they will change.

The Board of Trustees voted May 5 to break ground on phase one. The first phase will include 68 single family detached houses, 23 townhouses and live/work homes, 75 apartments and 68,683 square-feet of retail/office space. The college's Board of Trustees approved the development unanimously at their meeting May 5.

Courtway mused that retired professors, as well as those still teaching, might live in the neighborhood. A draw for the development is that students and professors will mix with the residents and thus create an active experience for everyone.

George Covington, who owns Covington Properties and serves as chairman of the Conway Downtown Partnership, has trouble conceptualizing Hendrix's vision.

"It's hard to imagine what Hendrix is doing," he said. "But Hendrix has a very good following that are going to have to support it."

The Village is a risk, but Courtway stressed that Hendrix has commissioned multiple studies of whether Conway can support such a large development. Courtway understands the risk involved, but he also said Hendrix has planned the development to allow for room to maneuver. Plus, developing a downtown to complement a college is not unheard of. Princeton helped develop Princeton, N.J., and TND currently is developing Trinity Heights for Duke University.

HELPING CONWAY

The Village's plan is to work with the existing downtown in order to createsynergy.

Hendrix hopes to connect itself with the traditional downtown and link the two commercial areas with Hendrix at the center. The CDP and city of Conway hope to stretch the city's streetscaping to Hendrix's southern entrance, for which Hendrix President J. Timothy Cloyd pledged monetary assistance.

"Really, keeping everything together helps both Hendrix and the traditional downtown," Courtway said. "We hope to bring in a Barnes & Noble-style bookstore and create a place where students and faculty can walk and enjoy certain shops."

The DPZ plans also call for Hendrix to one day construct a steeple or bell tower on campus that is in line with Front Street. Front Street will then have St. Joseph's steeple on its south side and Hendrix's tower on the north end.

Courtway also serves on the CDP Board of Directors and CDP Director T.J. Johnston said the partnership and Hendrix work with one another.

"The downtown and Hendrix complement one another. It will be interesting to see how the blend of old and new work together," Johnston said.

DPZ's urban planning philosophy will seek to ensure that the Village will not become an island in the center of Conway. During the charrette process, Duany stressed that the Village should connect itself to other neighborhoods by means of access roads.

A key to the village will be drawing the students outside of the boundaries of Hendrix's campus. Students will leave campus to visit the Barnes & Noble that will also double as their campus bookstore. The college has embraced town-planning of the "New Urbanism" school. New Urbanism strives to create atmospheres similar to what exists in classic downtowns like Conway's before the theater left. Placing the school's bookstore in the Village's downtown will create a gathering point where students and residents will meet on a daily basis. Those who gather might decide to shop in one of the other stores or sit at a restaurant for lunch.

Courtway has a pedigree that lends itself to accomplishing goals in Conway. He graduated from Hendrix in 1975 and served three terms as a state representative, from 1995 to 2000. He has also served on the Washington, D.C., staffs of Sen. Dale Bumpers and Sen. David Pryor. He is the son of the late Robert F. Courtway, who served as Hendrix Athletic Director and long-time faculty member.