Demolition on the Hi-Way Inn property in Fayetteville began this week as part of the city’s larger vision for the area in its 71B Corridor plan.
The 0.6-acre site, located on North College Avenue across from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Regional Northwest campus, was most recently used as public housing. The Fayetteville Housing Authority had plans to renovate the building, but instead sold the property to recoup losses incurred by the pandemic. AMR Architects now owns the location.
The site also underwent a third district zoning change after the Fayetteville City Council approved a rezoning request last month. Originally a commercial thoroughfare district, the Housing Authority rezoned the site to a community services district in 2019 to use the motel rooms as public housing.
After the most recent successful rezoning, the site is now an urban thoroughfare district, which allows a wider range of possible residential and commercial uses. As the previous district, urban thoroughfare has no density cap, but does allow buildings that are at least 15 feet from the road to be built up to seven stories high, up from the previous district’s limit of five stories.
The urban thoroughfare designation will aid city planners as they push for more residential uses along College Avenue. The 71B Corridor plan aims to improve the safety, convenience, and economic vitality of the road, as well as addressing congestion and increasing the availability of affordable housing.
“We think it will bring back this property that has been neglected for some time,” said Adam Day of AMR Architects.
Day further explained the Cafe Rue Orleans, a restaurant on the site, will be incorporated into a variety of uses that AMR has planned for the location.
More information about the 71B Corridor plan is available on the city’s website.
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