NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BUSINESS JOURNAL Vol. 22, No. 24 • February 4, 2019 www.nwabusinessjournal.com • $2.00 Farm Comes to Town Arkansas’ first ‘agrihood’ taking shape in Bentonville By Paul Gatling A niche movement in commercial real estate development will soon make its debut in Arkansas. Springfield, Mo.-development and property management com- pany Green Circle Projects is nearing completion of an agricul- tural neighborhood in Bentonville known as an “agrihood.” In the simplest explanation, an agrihood is a residential com- munity with an urban farm as part of the property. The Urban Land Institute (ULI), a Washington, D.C.-based thought leader See BARN on Page 14 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Supply Side: Walmart suppliers improve initiatives supporting Project Gigaton Page 20 Dallas expansion PHOTO BY PAUL GATLING Melissa Millsap, from left, her husband Adam underscores Millsap and Jonathan McArthur work for Farm Team, the urban agriculture development wing growth at HP of Springfield, Mo.-based Green Circle Projects. Farm Team is focused on building the urban farm Engineering at Red Barn, an agricultural neighborhood Green Page 10 Circle is developing near downtown Bentonville. LIST Architectural & Engineering Firms Page 11 NEXT ISSUE: FEBRUARY 18 - ENERGY COVER STORY BARN Continued from Page 1 on housing and land use, says the idea of Shores and his wife, Mary Kay, owned focusing on food within real estate proj- and operated Bentonville Furniture Inc. ects can “translate into enhancements to in downtown Bentonville for 40 years. health, environmental sustainability and The store closed in May 2000 when the bottom line.” Shores retired. The community-building concept A limited liability company controlled dates back several decades, but agri- by Bentonville-based Walton Enterpris- hoods still represent only a small per- es — the business that manages the fam- centage of the overall housing market. In ily’s considerable fortune — bought the fact, the agrihood in Bentonville, called land in July 2016 for $3.17 million. Red Barn, is thought to be the first of its Matt O’Reilly, a driven entrepreneur kind in the state. and descendant of the family that found- “I am not aware of any other agri- ed publicly-held auto parts retailer PROJECTS GREEN CIRCLE COURTESY hoods in Arkansas,” said Ed McMahon, O’Reilly Auto Parts, is the developer be- a senior resident fellow at the Urban hind Green Circle Projects. He is also Land Institute in Washington, D.C. the founder of TrailSpring, a nonprofit “Several other developers have ex- focused on multiuse trail design and con- pressed interest in the concept, but this struction, and for 13 years he operated a is the first one that is coming out of the specialty outdoor store in Springfield This aerial rendering depicts Red Barn, an agricultural neighborhood in development along Northwest A Street in ground [in Arkansas].” called Dynamic Earth. He sold the busi- Bentonville. The 2-acre urban farm will be situated on the northeast corner of the property. The residential component of Red ness in September 2014 to Austin, Tex- Barn — so named for a distinctive red as-based Backwoods. Adam and Melissa Millsap, a hus- in horticulture from the University of barn situated on the southeast corner of “I have been coming to northern Ar- band-and-wife team of urban farmers, Arkansas, will oversee Red Barn’s com- the property — is being built along kansas to climb and hit the Buffalo [Riv- moved to Bentonville from Springfield munity-supported agriculture (CSA) Northwest A Street, north of Lincoln er] for years,” O’Reilly said of his con- in December and will be the on-site program, designed for people to become Junior High School. The 15.5-acre proj- nection to the region. Green Circle farmers who design and build the Red members and investors in the farm and ect is on 55 acres that once belonged to Projects now has an office at 326 S.W. A Barn farm. In Missouri, they own Ur- share in its vegetable production. the late John Shores, a prominent civic St. in Bentonville. “As the trails started ban Roots Farm, a four-season farm on “It’s subscription farming,” Millsap ex- leader and former business owner in to emerge, we were coming to [Benton- approximately 2 acres in downtown plained. “People purchase shares in the Bentonville who died in September ville] more and more. With the unique Springfield. O’Reilly described them as beginning of a season, and we’re basically 2015. He was 75. work that we do, I have always focused “major players” in Springfield’s local hired to be their farmers. We grow the on areas we know. Coming here enough food economy. food, and every week we harvest and they ‘Agrihood on A’ over the years, I became confident and Melissa Millsap said she has noticed come pick up the basket. Some farms have familiar enough with the area to want to a high curiosity level about Red Barn in a system where you can choose like a buf- do some work here.” the short time she’s lived in Northwest fet, and it’s itemized. We’ll have a few dif- Red Barn O’Reilly, 38, echoed the ULI’s list of Arkansas. ferent sizes and shares.” benefits by integrating food production “As soon as you tell people there’s go- Produce from the farm will also be sold with the urban environment. ing to be a farm a half-mile from down- to restaurants and at farmers markets. ard ulev r Bo He also hopes agrihoods like Red town, they want to know more,” she said. The farm at Red Barn will be a Certi- ige T Barn can fill one of the biggest gaps of About 2 acres of Red Barn’s develop- fied Naturally Grown (CNG) farm — LINCOLN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL the local food economy — training the ment footprint will be dedicated to field meaning grown without the use of syn- next generation of farmers. crop production for as many as 60 vari- thetic fertilizers, herbicides or genetically “People want to do this, but they eties of vegetables. It will include an modified organisms — and is expected don’t necessarily want to wear overalls apiary for honey bees and a chicken to harvest hundreds of pounds of pro- and live out in the country,” he said. tractor, a mobile coop that allows chick- duce every week. “They want access to amenities, and it’s ens to be rotated across a pasture in a The first round of produce is expect- possible to do both. Our thesis is that controlled pattern. ed by May. we can provide urban farm infrastruc- Red Barn will also have two movable ture as sort of a symbiotic amenity with high tunnels and a state-of-the-art green- Tenant Talk real estate development. And that pro- house system that stores thermal energy Red Barn’s housing options include CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF vides salary-based farming jobs that in the ground and uses that energy to townhouses clustered around green AMERICAN ART are the gateway jobs to the next genera- moderate greenhouse conditions during space and flats over tuck-under parking. Northwest StreetA tion of farmers. varying temperatures. “It’s designed for young professionals “It’s an opportunity for people to “We have so much need and desire in and for families relocating to the area,” learn on a farm and practice [farming] this market for fresh and local produce, O’Reilly said. and eventually, hopefully, open their we could open 100 farms in Northwest The developer said with the property’s Northeast A Street own farm.” Arkansas and not make much of a dent,” 138 units, he expects between 200 and said Farm Team member Jonathan 225 people will live at Red Barn. Lease Farm Team McArthur, a Rogers native and formerly rates average about $1.35 per square Even as Red Barn is a farming incu- the founder and manager of the commu- foot, but 15% of the units are earmarked bator of sorts, it will be professionally nity gardens for the Samaritan Commu- for core housing, or workforce housing, managed by a group of horticulturalists nity Center in Rogers. “The restaurant and will be discounted by about 30% be- and agriculture experts who work for industry is really growing, and more low market rate. Green Circle Projects’ urban agricul- people are moving to Northwest Arkan- “Those are targeted for people who ture development wing, called Farm sas from places where they had access to work in Bentonville and the core work- N Team, which is focused on two projects: this kind of thing.” force,” he said. “Our goal is to have those HALEY SNOWDEN HALEY the farm at Red Barn and an agri com- Besides being an amenity, the business fully-leased before we open.” DOWNTOWN Bentonville Central Avenue SQUARE plex with greenhouses powered by model behind the farm at Red Barn is to The units will be coming online in waste near at the Noble Hill landfill actually make money. phases from April through June, Source: Google Maps north of Springfield. McArthur, who has a master’s degree O’Reilly said. 14 FEBRUARY 4, 2019 NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BUSINESS JOURNAL COVER STORY Red Barn residents will also have op- portunities to integrate with the farming Ramsay Ball Departs Colliers for Green Circle operation. They can be trained in a vari- Ramsay Ball, a commercial real estate broker in Benton- Ball also is a governing board member ety of recurring tasks, such as picking, ville, is the new principal broker for Green Circle Projects. for a number of nonprofits including the planting or washing the produce.