Bentonville Parks and Recreation’s Quilt of Parks Project began as an effort to improve existing parks and plazas within the city’s downtown by adding beautiful new green spaces, plazas, and gardens, and stitching them all together in a cohesive, pedestrian-friendly way. From Lawrence Plaza to the new Dave Peel Park, the Master Plan seeks to build on Bentonville’s charming downtown, prepare the city for continued prosperity and meet the growing demand for beautiful outdoor spaces.

In June 2020, the Bentonville City Council approved a plan converting NE A and SE A Street in Downtown Bentonville into the A Street Promenade. The A Street Promenade will feature Bentonville landmarks including Compton Gardens, the Razorback Greenway, Lawrence Plaza, 21C Museum and Hotel, Benton County Courthouse, Dave Peel Park, and the Downtown Bentonville Square. Popular restaurants such as Tavola, Tusk and Trotter, Aoi Sushi, and The Hive will serve as the original settlers of the Promenade, with future establishments certain to join in the future. Most importantly, the Promenade will link multiple public spaces in Downtown Bentonville with a strong connection, allowing users to experience Downtown as one public space in a common setting.

As the design team continues to develop the core of the Plan, we want to hear your feedback on two options for a pair of parks at the southern end of the new A Street Promenade. The original Master Plan includes an expanded playground at Dave Peel Park and a new event park in the 2nd Street Parking Lot. An alternative to the Master Plan sees Dave Peel Park renovated to become an event park, and the existing 2nd Street Parking Lot becoming a brand-new playground park. Take a look at our progress and provide comments via the survey linked at the bottom of the page.

Stitch Together the Quilt of Parks

Serving multiple purposes, the promenade needs to be conceived as much more than a streetscape. As the stitch that holds the quilt together, the promenade connects all open space as a linear park, plaza, and garden.

Respond to Land Use

Every block has a unique set of architectural uses. The promenade should respond to those environments through physical and temporal programming: placing dining furniture near restaurants and event spaces near cultural attractions, for example.

Empower Program Partners

Provide a stage for the activation of flexible spaces through partnerships with local organizations.

Sustain and Enhance Local Character

Celebrate Bentonville’s essence of place through the curation of visual, cultural, social, and environmental qualities.

Celebrate the Ozarks

Continue the powerful tradition set out by Dr. Neil Compton, the physician and conservationist who founded the Ozarks Society to Save the Buffalo River, and extend the ecology and geology of the Ozarks into downtown Bentonville.