Riit ilo Majōl: Groundwork ej bwebwenato ippān rikaki, rijerbal, im ritel ro ilo jukjukin pād
Through Groundwork, the Northwest Arkansas Council, has been advocating for new kinds of development to create more housing in the region. Fayetteville, Rogers & Springdale has not been able to build houses at the same pace as the population has grown. Between 2010-2016, there were 2 new homes (apartment, duplex or house) built for every 3 families (households). The cost of housing has also increased. Between 2014-2019, home sale prices in Bentonville increased 60% and rent increased 17% in Springdale. 53% of household income is spent on housing and transportation.
NWA is projected to add more than 80,000 households to the four largest cities by 2040. That’s more than today’s total number of households in Fayetteville, Rogers and Bentonville combined. Groundwork also estimates that half of those households will make less than $78,000 a year. With a single-family home in NWA costing on average $295,000, most new houses remain unaffordable for nearly half of the population.
New construction of houses and apartments are regulated by zoning laws that determine how land is divided up, for what purposes, and what can be built there. In the past, these zones separated houses from businesses and from factories. However, more housing is needed for the growing population in NWA. This can result in more expensive houses or poor living conditions for less expensive housing options. People might choose to live farther from the city center to find houses that are a good price and good quality. The consequences of all of this is the segregation of the population by income, work, and often also ethnicity.
Groundwork promotes mixed-use housing developments that meet the needs of Northwest Arkansas communities. The goal is to create mixed-income neighborhoods for the region’s workers and their families – nice houses and apartments where large families can live together, near businesses, stores and parks. Through a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, Groundwork’s “Big Emma” development is the first development to mix building uses. There will be a coffee shop at street level and 77 apartments above that. Families will be able to walk to stores, clinics and parks downtown since Big Emma will be built near Luther George Park, the Regional Greenway and The Jones Center. Because of Groundwork’s investment, 30 units will be reserved for low-income families.
