Highway 70 Preservation Study To Be Presented Friday

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A study that will help control development on Highway 70, one of the primary gateways to downtown Hot Springs, will be presented by the School of Architecture’s Community Design Center (UACDC) Friday, Dec. 8 at 4:00 p.m. at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

The study is the first part of a year-long analysis of a 3-mile section of Highway 70 that extends from Border Terrace Road on the east to the planned interchange with Martin Luther King Expressway (State Highway 270) on the west.

The initial study included an inventory and analysis of the highway and development of design and preservation recommendations that will ultimately be part of a comprehensive plan for the 3-mile corridor. The UACDC evaluated topography, hydrology, vegetation and tree cover, natural features, built elements, existing buildings, land use and land ownership. In addition, preliminary recommendations will be presented with respect to land use, district regulations, landscaping, preservation, parking access, natural land features and sign control.

The study was contracted by the Fifty for the Future organization, headed by President David M. French, in collaboration with the City of Hot Springs, the Chamber of Commerce, the A and P Commission, Quorum Court Justices and property owners along the corridor.

School of Architecture students Charles Ashley and Katherine Finnegan, both of Little Rock, Deric Louton of Hot Springs, Jason Miller of Piggott, Elizabeth Prewitt of Fayetteville and Gregory Williams of Magnolia worked with David Evan Glasser, director of the UACDC and Sevinç Yavuz, professor of architecture, on the initial analysis.

The second portion of the study, which will be completed in May, will focus on methods for implementing the proposed recommendations.

The UACDC was established by the School of Architecture in 1995 to help Arkansas communities without the resources or staff to undertake comprehensive planning or community design studies. The Center emphasizes maintaining the quality and character of historic downtown areas, promoting local efforts to discourage sprawl and encouraging preservation of irreplaceable open space.

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