Riit ilo Majōl: https://chikinmelele.com/groundwork-ej-jinoe-nan-kajutak-big-emma-ilo-downtown-springdale/

This past summer, Groundwork announced the Big Emma project.  This is the first development of this kind in Northwest Arkansas.  Big Emma will be managed by Community Development NWA which is a local, not-for-profit developer.  Through support and investment funds from Shiloh Capital, LLC and the Walton Family Foundation, Groundwork will coordinate this partnership between public and private interests to develop affordable workforce housing in Downtown Springdale.  The Big Emma apartments will be located on Emma Ave and Park Street in Downtown Springdale near the Community Clinic and across from the Little Emma apartments.  The development will provide 77-units for families of different incomes, of which 30 will be kept for families with an income less than $90,000.  The apartment development will also feature retail space on the ground floor such as coffee shops and restaurants.  The location is also ideal for residents to walk to nearby grocery stores, health clinics, pharmacies, and recreation like The Jones Center, Luther George Park, and the Razorback Greenway.

The goal for Community Development NWA, according to Casey Kleinhenze, is to bring private and public programs and funding together.  Speaking for the Walton Family Foundation, Meredith Bergstrom said that the foundation “is excited to support this project, because it is an excellent example of public-private partnerships where multiple parties are coming together to make this happen.” Groundwork connects developers (groups that construct buildings) to city and private properties to develop house for the general workforce.  Many people in the workforce find it difficult to find a home that they can afford that is close enough that they don’t have to drive a long distance to work.  Groundwork sees Big Emma as “one of the first signs of success” in their work.

The Big Emma project was first proposed by Shiloh Capital, an investment fund owned by Springdale local residents Ken Hall, Don Harris and Tom Lundstrom. They said they are excited to scale up their previous construction of Little Emma using the city’s new zoning incentive and partnering with Northwest Arkansas Council Workforce Housing Center Community Development.  Patsy Christie, who works for the City of Springdale, explained that there is more interest in the city for multi-family housing across the city and especially Downtown.  Shiloh Capital hopes to model future developments on the success of this project. Tom Lundstrom said that they envisioned Big Emma as a development that could be used by businesses and families and they are happy that the development will include “a significant amount of workforce housing.”

Judd Semingson, speaking for the Community Clinic, talked about how great is that the Big Emma project here in Springdale is so close to their Springdale clinic location. They have 18 clinics across Northwest Arkansas, but their biggest clinic is in Downtown Springdale. The Big Emma construction will provide some housing for their nurses and case managers to be able to live within the community where they work.  He said that not only will it be a great place to live but also reduce the cost “for families that might otherwise be priced out of the market here in Downtown Springdale.”