EDITORIAL
Continuity, Vision for the Win
OUR TAKE
The success of Argenta is a testament to leadership continuity and developer vision.
The announcement earlier this month of the $25 million mixed-use development planned for downtown North Little Rock highlights what can be accomplished when political leaders stay focused and developers hold to the vision.
The blossoming of the Argenta neighborhood isn’t an accident. Successive North Little Rock mayors over a generation — Pat Hays, Joe Smith and now Terry Hartwick — have worked to attract development to the area, and they’ve succeeded. The progress wasn’t always linear, but as ever, persistence has been key.
The latest development will feature a 90-room Aloft hotel, a 7,000-SF event venue, and Willy D’s Dueling Pianos, which is moving to North Little Rock’s River Market District after more than 20 years.
Little Rock’s loss of Willy D’s is North Little Rock’s gain, and the move is the latest evidence of the converting arcs of Argenta and the River Market, enabling Little Rock leaders can recapture some of the vision and perseverance that built up the River Market District in the first place.
This latest project by North Little Rock developer Nabholz Properties Inc. of Conway also illustrates the vision of developers like Greg Nabholz, who in 2022 detailed for Arkansas Business his plans for the area around Simmons Bank Arena.
“This project builds on years of momentum in Argenta and continues our commitment to investing in North Little Rock’s downtown,” Nabholz said in this month’s announcement. “It serves as a gateway to Argenta — amplifying the energy of nearby projects like the new North Little Rock Convention Center, the planned 2nd Street Promenade, and Argenta Plaza with its future ATG Pavilion.”
The momentum began 30 years ago, with the approval by Pulaski County voters of a one-year sales tax to build an arena and Little Rock and North Little Rock’s Statehouse Convention Center. That voter support, boosted by vision, continues to bear fruit.
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Page 20 | Arkansas Business | November 17, 2025