American Commons and Festival Landing

The American Commons and Festival Landing was conceived by the Little Rock Downtown Partnership, the Donaghey Project at UALR, and MRA International Inc. of Philadelphia after the defeat of the Diamond Center and Project 2000.

The American Commons and Festival Landing concept would create a zone in the heart of the city that included niceties like upscale restaurants, boutiques, a farmer's market and marina, and a multipurpose arena. On May 20, 1994, the plan for an "American Commons and Festival Landing" was unveiled to the public. The accompanying report made several key recommendations, including the formation of a public-private development corporation to build an entertainment district bounded by the Arkansas River and Third Street to the north and south and I-30 and Broadway to the east and west. The proposed zone was called the "River District," which would encompass a downtown "campus" for conventions, conferences, festival events, and learning centers linked to the "information superhighway (the "American Commons" part), and a farmer's market, sports center, "discover center," and children's museum (the "Festival Landing" part).

References

• Kevin Freking, "Vision Turns Downtown LR into 'American Commons,'" Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 22, 1994.