It's no secret that population growth is a big issue in Northwest Arkansas, but for some communities, competing with larger cities to address that growth can be its own headache. Ozarks at Large's Daniel Caruth has more.
In 2026, the population of Siloam Springs is projected to hit near 22,000 people. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau ranks it along with the communities of Centerton and Bella Vista as one of the fastest growing towns in Arkansas at around 3.5% per year. For context, over 20 years ago, that population was just around 12,000.
Ben Rhoads says the Siloam he remembers moving to in 2003 looks a little bit different today.
"We are mostly a service based downtown offices, that type of thing. And now we're a little more of a destination restaurants. We have a new library, memorial park, but we've also just seen the development like everywhere else. Highway 412 has many more businesses on it now than it used to. And just more subdivision development."
Rhoads is the senior planner for the city of Siloam Springs and says while the growth is welcome, it can also cause a lot of problems, especially when it comes to housing.
"We've actually talked to different home builders in our area in Northwest Arkansas, and they've said, well, it just doesn't make sense financially for them to come to Siloam Springs."
He says the need is there, but the return on investment is better in larger metro areas, especially when it comes to the kinds of housing projects the city needs. He says about 80% of the city's housing is made up of single-family detached homes, which limits options and often prices people out of the market.
"What's happening is that seniors who have equity that want to downsize might be moving into a smaller home. That's a starter home. That would be they're competing against the same people that are wanting to enter into homeownership for the first time. I mean, I have personal stories, friends of mine that can't, you know, buy into the market because of so much competition. We really want to provide other options."
So that's why the city is proposing a new voluntary incentive program to reduce upfront costs for developers. The proposal includes cost share agreements for construction and land use studies, as well as waiving some development fees for things like utility installation.
"The only one that's not really financial that we are going to offer is zoning restriction reductions. One thing that will be unique about this program is we will adopt this as an ordinance. And so with the passage of an ordinance, we would then be able to grant broad authority to reduce things like setbacks, building setbacks, and other site restrictions that are tied up in the zoning code."
He says the incentives will make it easier to get developers who can work on projects like senior living facilities or infill housing, which can also ease the burden towns face due to urban sprawl.
"Oftentimes we see these new housing developments come in and they come on the periphery of town, where it's the greenfield development essentially, where cities are having to accept miles of new streets and sewage systems and water, storm collection pipes and those types of things which require a maintenance component. So one of the advantages of considering infill development is you already have all the infrastructure there. This is just a vacant lot that's within a subdivision that has never been built on for whatever reason. And we would incentivize development so individual home builders can put a unique house or custom built house on some of those lots."
He says the program is also focused on bringing in more executive housing and working on conservation efforts. Ultimately, Rhoads believes this incentive program will make it possible for Siloam Springs to grow smarter.
"There's definitely a desire, I think at all levels, from the grassroots up to preserve our identity and keep Siloam Springs, Siloam Springs, if that makes sense. So if we relied only on new subdivisions, we were just going to be another town with nothing but endless subdivisions. You know, we lose so much of a character we don't have, you know, we forget what town you're in. So the infill housing, it gets you the housing, but it allows for that greater density in already well established neighborhoods."
The city is seeking public comment on the incentive proposal during an open house on Thursday, June 11 at Siloam Springs Public Library from 4-6 p.m. Afterwards, planners will update the proposal and submit it to the Planning Commission in July and eventually to the city's board of directors for approval as early as September.
For Ozarks at Large, I'm Daniel Caruth.
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