The small residential enclave along River Mountain Road in west Little Rock has captured the redevelopment imagination for several potential commercial projects over the years.
Costco and Dick’s Sporting Goods are a couple of recent names associated with the Country Homes Addition parcels. Negotiations and talks have come to naught so far.
However, the lay of the land with its relatively flat ground at a prominent corner makes for an alluring idea: Assemble the five, wooded residential properties into a 45-acre commercial site at the northwest corner of Cantrell Road and Interstate 430.
Converting the neighborhood to commercial use would mean tearing down five houses and possibly a church that replaced a Country Homes residence, a prospect appealing to the major property owner but not universally welcomed.
The catalyst for commercial redevelopment is Bonnie Harvey, who owns three of the five residential Country Homes properties representing nearly 35 acres.
“They needed my property to pull off what they wanted to do, but I just didn’t want to move,” said Hugh Pollard, who’s lived at the entry to River Mountain Drive since 1987.
Even if he agreed to sell, Pollard isn’t sure a proposed commercial project would survive the rezoning battle that would ensue.
The biggest obstacle could be the impact on River Mountain Drive, the only vehicular access route to the Little Maumelle River boat launch and the south end of the Two Rivers Park Bridge as well as a bike access to the Arkansas River Trail.
The Country Homes Addition is a remnant of a real estate spread that originally totaled more than 1,000 acres.
The once-rural subdivision was part of a jigsaw puzzle of properties assembled from more than 50 ownerships by Charles Minor Taylor, a prominent businessman of his day.
Country Homes, divided into eight plots, totaled about 80 acres of Taylor’s northernmost holdings in the area. He established the subdivision in 1939 along the north side of Highway 10, about 8 miles from downtown Little Rock.
The bulk of Taylor’s estate south of Highway 10, known as Pleasant Valley Farms, became the foundation for the Pleasant Valley residential development.
The area was forever changed when the route for Interstate 430 cut through the middle of Country Homes to reach the Arkansas River.
Plot 1
Now part of the grounds of Trinity Assembly of God at 11120 Cantrell Road. The one-time home site was bought for $270,000 in August 1976 by Central Assembly of God Church.
The property was owned by Haywood and Omie Dickey, who acquired it in December 1943 for $7,500.
The sellers were John and Lillian Heffernan. They purchased the land for $1,100 in April 1943 from Charles Taylor.
Plot 2
The 2,816-SF home built in 1957 is owned by retired advertising executive Hugh Pollard.
Pollard acquired the 5-acre property for $455,000 in May 1987 from Little Rock philanthropist and businessman Fred Darragh Jr. Darragh entered the ownership picture in June 1985 in a $406,500 deal with Little Rock automobile dealer Clifton Peck.
Peck bought the property for $300,000 in January 1981 from Ruth Depalo. She and her husband, Joseph, purchased it for $50,000 in April 1962 from John and Dorothy Fulmer. The Fulmers had owned the property since December 1946.
Previous owners included W.F. and Helen Hall, July 1946; Speed and Barbara Reavis, November 1945; Richard Duncan Sr., November 1945; and J.W. and Lucille Gause.
Plot 3
The 2,940-SF house built in 1947 is owned by Bonnie Harvey. Her husband, businessman Ed Harvey, transferred his interest in the home along with two other Country Homes properties to her in August 2008. The move was made a step ahead of creditors seeking repayment on debts he personally guaranteed associated with the meltdown of his Little Rock trucking venture, Continental Express.
The Harveys purchased the residence for $877,000 in August 2006 from Sam and Rosalinda Winstead.
The Winsteads bought the nearly 10.8-acre property for $631,000 in October 2003 from the estate of Fred Darragh Jr.
Darragh’s ownership dates back to November 1953, when he acquired it from McCombs and Frances Hardy. They purchased the land in November 1946 from Charles Taylor.
Plot 4
A 6,975-SF home owned by Bonnie Harvey. The Harvey family bought the 8.7-acre property in March 1982 through Dace Corp. in a $350,000 deal with Rease and Helen Mitcham. The Mitchams purchased it for $18,000 in July 1948.
Previous owners include J.I. and Elsie Newton, November 1946; William and Lois Stern, May 1946; and Ben and Alyne Hogan, June 1939.
Plot 5
The nearly 7-acre property, still known by some as the Darby family compound, is home to three dwellings: a 5,300-SF main house, a 2,750-SF house and a 1,743-SF guest house. This, too, is owned by Bonnie Harvey.
William Darby, president of National Old Line Insurance Co., bought the property in September 1953 from the sister of Charles Taylor, Elizabeth.
The Harveys acquired the property along with more than 8 acres adjoining to the north in July 2000 through Great Plains Acquisition Corp. at a $742,586 foreclosure sale. The previous owners were Melvyn and Darlene Bell.
The Bells purchased the property in two transactions totaling $1.1 million in October 1985 from Clifton Peck. Peck bought the spread for $225,000 in March 1977 from the Darby family.
Plot 6
A 3,665-SF home built in 1970 is owned by Little Rock investment banker and horse racing enthusiast Harry Rosenblum. He acquired the residence for $600,000 in July 1983 from David and Judith Snowden. The nearly 5.2-acre property is composed of neighboring land to the north that was added and what was left of Plot 6 after the I-430 right of way was carved out.
The Snowdens bought the combined property for $400,000 in April 1982 from Maurine Lucette Darby White, one of William Darby’s four daughters. The Arkansas State High-way Commission deemed the remaining 1.82-acre piece of Plot 6 surplus land and sold it to White in March 1971 for an undisclosed sum. The first owners of Plot 6 were William and Helen Hughes, who purchased the tract in October 1944 from Charles Taylor for $1,900.
They were followed by B.A. and Nellie Rhinehart, Novem-ber 1949; and William Dabbs Jr. and his wife, Martha, February 1960.
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