A lack of attainable housing is a statewide issue. It’s a statewide shortage, and communities across Arkansas need solutions grounded in local realities, not top-down assumptions.
Over the past few months, the Groundwork team traveled across the state on a nine-city listening tour, speaking with more than 220 residents spanning dozens of municipalities and vocations. What we heard will directly inform our statewide housing strategy and the resources we bring to communities across Arkansas. Every conversation deepened our understanding of the housing challenges Arkansans face, and every leader we met brought real passion and pride for their community.
These changemakers are the true agents of action. They'll help us build a coalition of invested Arkansans working to uplift communities and expand housing options for all.
Special thanks to the Arkansas Municipal League, which welcomed us to accompany several of its regional meetings and connect with municipal leaders.
Paragould
Our tour began in April in Paragould, a city in the Northeast Arkansas Delta whose land bank has become a model for some of our policy work. Here, we saw firsthand how vacant, abandonded and deteriorated (VAD) properties strain municipal budgets and tie up valuable land in costly, legally complex processes. Paragould's land bank offers a real path to revitalizing these properties, one we'd like to see explored statewide.
Searcy
We also joined the Arkansas Municipal League's regional meeting in Searcy, where leaders raised concerns about aging infrastructure and stalled development. One bright spot: Walnut Ridge, where a city ordinance reducing minimum lot sizes finally allowed a 7,000-square-foot lot that sat vacant for years to be developed.
Pine Bluff
In Pine Bluff, a historic city in Southeast Arkansas, VAD properties remain a major drain on city resources. The city mows an estimated 14,000-plus lots three times a year. Leaders there stressed that lasting change requires durable structures, not organizations that come and go. Tools like preapproved development plans could offer developers the consistent support they need to succeed.
El Dorado
Leaders in El Dorado echoed similar concerns, pointing to abandoned properties and a shortage of developers as key barriers. Local developers told us that "missing middle" housing, like quadplexes and small apartment buildings, are often out of reach because building codes require these structures to contain the same costly infrastructure as a hospital or airport.
Little Rock
Even in our state's capital, the challenges looked familiar. VAD properties burden the city, and urban sprawl is pushing residents farther from their workplaces in search of attainable housing. As construction costs keep climbing, the crisis is deepening here just as it is statewide. Many residents also voiced frustration with NIMBY (or “Not In My Backyard”) opposition to new development based on style or location.
Harrison
Harrison has struggled to attract developers due to its proximity to larger municipalities. Some residents have waited more than two years to hire a contractor. No new neighborhood has been built since the early 2000s, deepening a housing shortage that leaves many without good options. Aging residents, in particular, often can't downsize from larger family homes simply because smaller, more inexpensive alternatives don't exist.
Fort Smith
Fort Smith residents described a similar lack of options. Rent is expensive, and innovative alternatives, like multifamily housing, accessory dwelling units, and modular homes, are often difficult to build. The city and surrounding communities face many of the same barriers as our earlier stops: large minimum lot sizes, VAD properties, and building codes that drive up costs.
Conway
In Conway, we also heard about a shortage of attainable starter homes and housing studies that overlook a significant share of the population. Sprawl is a growing concern here too, lengthening commutes as residents move farther from where they work, shop, eat, and socialize.
Mena
Our final stop in Mena reinforced what we'd learned throughout the tour: whether rural or urban, large or small, Arkansas communities are facing the same core housing challenges. Our regulatory framework has simply made it too difficult to build a range of attainable housing options.
Keep the Conversation Going
Every Arkansas community has its own story to tell, and every perspective helps us better understand the state's housing needs.
If we didn't visit your town during this listening tour, you can still be part of the conversation. Complete our statewide housing survey or reach out to Payton Willhite, our Community Outreach Manager, to schedule a conversation at Payton@groundworkar.org
Across this tour, we saw the best of what makes Arkansas great: its people. Our attendees are heavily invested in their communities, and working tirelessly to improve the lives of those around them. The insights we gathered will directly shape our housing advocacy and the future of housing production across the state.