A planned housing development in Green Forest may have implications for Berryville and Eureka Springs in coming years.
Since leaving office as mayor of Green Forest at the end of 2018, Charlie Reece has worked on a project which will bring up to 200 units of affordable housing to Green Forest in the next two to three years. The apartments will be energy-efficient and will include other “green” features, including solar power, to reduce energy costs.
Reece said the project might include some single-family homes, but it will primarily consist of 12-unit apartment buildings. Apartments will have one or two bedrooms. The project also includes some duplexes, and the complex will have its own playground. “We’ve looked at rental costs in the area, and we’ll be right at market rate with our rentals,” Reece said.
“They were very excited when I spoke to the Green Forest Planning Commission,” he said. Reece is Managing Director for The Villages of Carroll County, LLC, a consortium of investors. They plan to build on 13 acres on the west side of town, near Harps Grocery.
Reece said Green Forest has a shortage of affordable housing. While he was mayor, Tyson Foods closed a plant in Van Buren and wanted to move part of that operation to the Green Forest plant. They relocated that operation elsewhere, because they said their workers would have to commute from Harrison or Newton County.
The project has an ambitious timetable. Reece hopes to break ground in April or May. Tax credits for solar energy will soon decline from 30 to 20 percent.
If the project goes as planned in Green Forest, Reece said he would expect to begin a similar project in Berryville within 12 to 18 months. Another project would eventually follow in Eureka Springs. Reece said he is also looking to bring industry to Berryville’s Industrial Park.
More information on The Villages of Carroll County will be available at the Carroll County Home Expo and Garden Show at the Berryville Community Center on Saturday, March 9.