Moses Tucker Real Estate, which led the commercial and residential revitalization of downtown Little Rock, is expanding its reach to the Capitol View neighborhood just west of the city center.
The firm recently purchased property along a hillside on Summit Street that has unimpeded views of downtown and the Arkansas River, with the intention of putting condominiums there.
“We thought it was a good place to build an infill project,” said Jamie Moses, who is overseeing the property development for Moses Tucker.
Because the land was zoned for single-family dwellings, Moses applied for a zoning change that would accommodate the multi-family condos he envisioned. City officials approved the request, pending a design review and support from the neighborhood.
Capitol View is one of Little Rock’s oldest neighborhoods, and is listed on the historic register. In keeping with that, and to appease the neighborhood, Moses initially planned to build with traditional materials and features like brick, stone, copper and pitched roofs, in the style of the early 20th century.
But he later reconsidered, believing that demand existed for a more contemporary look. Moses went to the AMR architecture firm, known for its modern designs, which rendered a sleek stucco and glass complex.
The neighbors, however, were not pleased.
“It looked nothing like what the neighborhood had agreed to,” said Kathleen Countryman, who is the city’s liaison to the Capitol View-Stifft Station Neighborhood Association. “The neighborhood kind of threw a fit about it.”
Moses addressed an association meeting to attempt to allay the members’ concerns, but to no avail.
“An urban neighborhood can have a mixture of different types of materials and style,” Moses argued.
Having lost approval for the zoning change, Moses decided to keep the contemporary appearance and build single-family homes instead. There are five lots, all of which comprise a 50-foot slope and were first platted around the turn of the 20th century.
Moses plans to begin construction on the first home by the end of 2006. The blueprint calls for a three-story building with 2,500 square feet of living space and a rooftop terrace. He expects the list price to be between $300,000 and $500,000.
If things go as planned, he will build four more houses that encompass a range of sizes and prices.
“It’s time to make it happen,” Moses said.
—Warwick Sabin
