Despite Neighbors Concerns, City Approves West Little Rock Shopping Center

A new shopping center may be a sign that Little Rock is growing, but some say it`s growing a bit too far into their backyards. The Little Rock City Board of Director were met by over 100 people at Tuesday night`s meeting, as the board decided whether to allow the new center. The city voted 7 to 5 to rezone the area and allow the Pleasant Ridge Town Center to be built at the intersection of Cantrell and Pleasant Ridge Roads. But they didn`t make that decision until hearing from the residents in the area, who say they don`t want the trouble that comes from living next door to a mall. "Lifestyle center, by any other name, we know it as a mall," said Jan Baker, of the Walton Heights/Candlewood Neighborhood Association. Developers say the center means 600 jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue. But for residents against the center, the first problem is the traffic. Even former First Lady candidate Gert Clark is on the residents`s side. "It`s already overcrowded, it already has huge problems with too much traffic," she told the crowd at the Little Rock City Board of Directors meeting. The city traffic engineer says Cantrell Road alone could see an additional 3,000 cars a day. But the developer`s attorney, Phil Kaplan, says that won`t matter. "But the level of service is not going to be adversely impacted," he said. "Because they`re going to come at times different than the present traffic peaks." Their next problem is saving the hill. Schickel Development would need to lower the hill at the site, to make room for the 300,000 square foot shopping center. "What`s going to be left is going to be beautifully terraced, fully buffered from all the neigbhorhood," Kaplan explained. But neighbors say that means cutting down all the trees, leading to environmental problems. "There are some 300 to 400 trees on top of that hill right now, I know because I went over last week and counted them," Baker explained. The center would be anchored by a Parisian`s Department Store, retailed by Saks. It would also feauture two restaurants in front. Since its approval Tuesday night, the developer has 60 days to file final plans with the city.