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The Morning News
Local News for Northwest Arkansas
Ruskin Heights: Phase I Completion A Year Away
By Skip Descant
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE -- The planning team for Ruskin Heights will tell you nothing is new about the design of their charming Arts & Crafts-inspired neighborhood.
Even the name of the east Fayetteville community going up on the north slope of Mount Sequoyah is reminiscent of the father of the Arts & Crafts movement, John Ruskin.
But this neighborhood with its mix of bungalows, cottages, townhomes and perks such as a local pub on the town square -- its developers refer to this as "experiential retail" -- is the icon of that often talked about gem of town planning: "new urbanism."
Phase I of the 28-acre $100 million project is ongoing. The first of the three phases will take in roughly the front third of the site. With infrastructure near completion, developers expect to begin construction -- traditionally designed and built with natural stone and wood -- in November, said Ward Davis, a developer for Ruskin Heights.
"The hardest stuff is finished," Davis added. In the first phase, housing will be mixed around 20 single-family homes, seven cottage homes, 17 townhomes, 11 live-work homes, two carriage homes and 20 loft-like apartments placed above retail and office space in Ruskin Heights' central square. Some 15,000 square feet of retail and office space is also programed for Phase I, Davis said.
"We're in discussions now with a white tablecloth restaurant, a pub, coffee shop and bakery," said Dirk Van Veen, also a developer for the project.
Once building construction begins, the developers expect Phase I to be completed in about a year.
Designed by the paragons of town planning firms, Duany Plater-Zyberk and Co. -- the parents behind Seaside, Fla. -- this mix of housing styles and commercial uses clustered tightly together has become more than just another subdivision.
"It's a strong brand," Van Veen remarked.
"We've had people buy sight unseen," he added. The firm says it's getting a lot of inquiries from out-of-town potential buyers, calling from areas like Washington, D.C., or Atlanta. And the two key demographics the development seems most attractive to are Wal-Mart vendor folks like those at Proctor & Gamble or retirees looking to downsize, but not necessarily take a cut in lifestyle choices and amenities.
"DPZ (Duany Plater-Zyberk) land projects are highly desirable projects," Davis said. And so far, Ruskin Heights has a preliminary customer base of 202 inquires.
"So if we get 10 percent of that, that's pretty good," Davis said. Sales officially open Oct. 13.
New urbanism projects may get plenty of applause for their traditional tight urban spaces, but like Van Veen noted, "it's not for everybody."
For example, the development is not appreciated by some neighbors, who say the project is out of context and ignores the existing housing patterns that they see as more rural and where homes sit on half-acre lots.
"It's too dense," said Joanne Kvamme, who lives on nearby Greenview Drive. "I think you have to build appropriately for the land you're on."
An urban setting on steep hillside translates to minimal rainwater absorption, and the city's planning policy should look for ways to increase tree canopy, Kvamme said.
"I think it's a poor location," she said.
But perhaps more irksome, Kvamme sensed the concerns about the development she and other neighbors held were all but ignored, and the design charrettes were little more than theater.
"We were totally ignored, totally disregarded," Kvamme said.
Ruskin Heights prides itself as an urban setting, and new urbanism developments often espouse a world where cars are not around.
But given the new neighborhood's location on Mission Boulevard, no one will be selling the car, Kvamme said.
"No one's going to walk there from work," she said. "No one's going to walk to downtown."
Meanwhile, back at the site and zipping around the steep hillside in his Polaris Ranger, Van Veen repeatedly stressed Ruskin Heights' egalitarian motif by pointing out the range of housing types, which in 2007 ranged from $145 to $175 per square foot. At the time, build-out prices were reported to start at $165,000 and go up to $600,000.
"It's nice, but not exclusive," Davis said.
"And everybody gets to enjoy the best views," Van Veen said as he noted a large public park space called Olmsted Park, named after the father of American landscape architecture, placed near the top of the hill.
Davis declined to discuss prices, saying Ruskin Heights was in the middle of "setting prices now."
Money for the project is financed through Locally Global Investments, a Memphis, Tenn.-based investment firm, which has guaranteed the project, said Ruskin Heights officials.
"They are the financial strength in the project," Davis said.
"They're a very safe and secure investment house," Ward added. "And in fact, we're one of the smaller projects in their portfolio."
Both Van Veen and Davis have been named as defendants in a June 2008 federal lawsuit alleging developers mislead investors in Eastpoint Redevelopment, a Florida beachfront development, that was never built.
According to court documents, the developers are accused of securities fraud for marketing the failed project. Plaintiffs seek to recover their lost investments and collect punitive damages.
"We did not mislead anybody," Van Veen said. "We fully expect a jury to clear us of any wrongdoing."
"It is unfortunate that a few investors who lost money in the Florida real estate market are looking to blame others," he added. "In reality, everyone knows that Florida real estate was one of the largest victims of the real estate bubble burst. We lost money on this project, too."
Ruskin Heights developers Van Veen, Davis and Morgan Hooker -- who've on occasion referred to themselves as "town founders" -- hope Ruskin Heights will bring to Fayetteville a community opportunity in a local housing market already saturated with options.
"If you want to live in an active neighborhood, you've got the historic districts, and that's about it," Davis said.
"And we just took something that already works in other place," Van Veen said.
Ruskin Heights Specifics
Ruskin Heights is on Mission Boulevard near Crossover Boulevard. Complete build-out of three phases will include 295 residential units and 58,500 square feet of retail or office space.
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