City permits top $75M in 2025; Amazon, city parks, UACCB Farm, Lyon football stadium among key projects

The Amazon distribution center, also known as Project Riverstone, that is being constructed at the intersection of North St. Louis Street and White Drive in Batesville.

2026 looks bright with new developments, says Code Enforcement

By Andrea Bruner, White River Now

Slim Chickens. New subdivisions. Expansion at the White River Health Oncology clinic.

Just a month into the new year, building permits are coming in at a steady rate at the Batesville Code Enforcement – and that’s after a banner year for permits in 2025.

Developments at Lyon College and LaCroix Optical helped push the city of Batesville’s building permit total to $75 million in 2025, according to Code Enforcement Officer Chad McClure.

He said his office has been extremely busy with activity in January, with permits for the White River Health Oncology & Infusion expansion, the new Slim Chickens on St. Louis Street, and what McClure called “a major multifamily development” in northwest Batesville around Jean Street (off North Central Avenue, a block from Broadwater Lane).

“There’s a couple of different owners that are putting together two big development tracts,” McClure said. “This property is situated northwest of Jean Street, and it’s acres and acres of undeveloped property that’s in the city limits.”

He said preliminary plans show over 100 multi-family units being added in that subdivision, known as Enclave Estates. “Those will start being permitted this year; they’re still in the design approval.”

McClure said there will be a lot split as there is more than one developer, but both are using the same engineering firm. “It’s a big, big project,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Rivertown subdivision, by the old Batesville Country Club off Harrison Street, has been approved for construction. McClure said this is about 70 acres with 90 residential (single-family) lots and 15 commercial lots planned.

“Last year, 2025, we had 247 permits with a valuation of $75 million. We had nine single-family homes – that’s a lot for us. Some years we’ve had zero; some years, we’ve had four. We’ve got 24 new multi-family units and 34 multi-family remodels,” he said, referring to Main Street Flats on East Main, where the old Independence Inn (and Kelley-Wyatt’s) was located.

Remodeling work there is being done in phases, starting with the interior building, McClure said, but he said there may be work in the old hotel as well.

Another residential development is planned behind Natalie’s with what McClure said will be 60-70 apartment units, separate from the nine-unit development on Dogwood East.

Furthermore, he noted, “We are expecting Waffle House to get through per meeting here in the next couple of months.”

McClure said that last year his office recorded a valuation of $75 million in building and project permits (including residential, commercial and industrial categories). In 2024, the city recorded a valuation of $15.2 million.

He said there have been years when the city had $10 or $11 million in permit valuations, so this is a good, solid number for Batesville.

McClure said this is also a good “barometer” of the city’s economic health.

“I think it is doing great. I think construction is a very good measuring piece in the health (of the city). We have people, investors pumping money into our community, and we’ve got growth across all segments. We have some industrial, we have lots of commercial, we have multi-family and single-family. I think those are all good indicators,” he noted.

Of the 247 permits issued in 2025, the vast majority of permits were issued for new commercial or commercial remodel, McClure said.

Coming at $26 million, Project Riverstone (Amazon distribution center) is a third of that valuation for 2025, while the city’s new Riverside Park expansion came in at $13 million, and the city’s Events Center at the park makes up another $9.4 million.

An aerial view of Bad Boy Mowers Stadium on the Lyon College campus. Image: Lyon College

Both colleges had major projects in 2025, as well. Lyon College built a new football stadium coming in around $1.5 million, while the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville remodeled the old IUSI pole plant for its Farm and Ranch Management (FARM) program at $3.4 million.

Other notable projects include:

· Optics West, LLC (LaCroix), addition, $3.7 million;

· Sonic (Davis Family Investments), new construction at 1300 N. St. Louis St., $2.3 million;

· Lyon College, football stadium new construction, $1.6 million;

· McDonalds/Amy Switzer at 3097 Harrison St., $1.4 million;

· James Mobley (Maw’s Downtown Table, which McClure said had stopped construction and sat dormant, but work has since resumed), commercial remodel at 325 Main St., $1.1 million;

· The Heights, six new multi-family units at 2100, 2098, 2094, 2090 and 2080 Poke Bayou Loop and one at 713 Brooks St., $175,000 each, for a total of $1.05 million;

· Independence County, remodel of building at 1800 Myers St., $901,000;

· Azemi Holdings, LLC, new residential apartments 1-9 at 1499 Dogwood East, $700,000;

· Main Street Flats (Jacob Praught), remodel 34 units into apartments, $470,000;

· Citizens Bank, 655 St. Louis St., commercial remodel, $384,000;

· Peco Foods, new office and training building, $340,000;

· Batesville Downtown Foundation, River Haunt new construction at 189 W. Main St., $300,000;

· Ozark Mountain Poultry, commercial/industrial addition, $218,000;

· Al Smith, multi-family residential at 1100 15th St., $200,000;

· Phillip Pack, commercial remodel at 2040 Fitzhugh St. (Ascent Children’s Health Services), $200,000;

· Bruno Azemi, 395 22nd St., apartments 1-24, electrical permits, $150,000;

· Dollar General Market (PB General Holdings), sign, electrical and plumbing permits, $185,000;

· Southern Bank, 1583 St. Louis St., sign permit, $117,000;

· Four Mark Holdings (Markowski), 509 Ferrell St., addition/upgrades, $50,000;

· Fuller Bumpers, new commercial at 133 Broad St., $35,000.

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And, Crystal Johnson, Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, announced at the chamber’s annual meeting and gala on Friday night that a new hotel is set to break ground in 2026, as well. Johnson told White River Now that the Marriott Fairfield Inn will be located behind the Hampton Inn.

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A glance back at the previous five years:

· 2024 – 156 total permits issued, $15 million valuation, five new single family homes, with notable commercial to include Lyon College, commercial remodel, Batesville School District fine arts center; Elite Storage of Arkansas (climate storage units on 24th Street); city of Batesville Main Street streetscape; Dollar General Marketplace in Westside; Five Below; Ollie’s Bargain Outlet; The Board on 3rd restaurant; 7 Brew Coffee; and Poke and Paddle;

· 2023 – 145 total permits issued, $73.88 million valuation, three new single-family homes, 27 multi-family, with notable commercial to include Batesville School District fine arts addition ($46.68 million), Lopez gym, Access Medical, Independence County Senior Citizens Center, McGaha Investments, T-Mobile, and the city of Batesville Public Works building;

· 2022 – 181 total permits issued, $21.96 million valuation, three new single-family homes, 27 multi-family, with notable commercial to include Life Plus addition, ALDI, White River Health orthopedic building, Bruno’s Pizza, Scooter’s Coffee, Planet Smoothie, Adler Building renovation and Edward Jones (Main Street);

· 2021 – 165 total permits issued, $16.8 million valuation, nine new single-family homes, zero multi-family, with notable commercial to include Mid-Town Plaza, Crumbs Up Bakery, Nova Joe’s, 109 Main restaurant, Walmart remodel, Car Wash USA, Take 5 Oil Change, Batesville Community Theatre on Main Street, and Las Playita’s Restaurant;

· 2020 – 173 total permits issued, $11.1 million valuation, four new single-family homes, 40 multi-family, with notable commercial to include Stella’s Pizza, Best Dam Steakhouse remodel and Phil Pulley office (industrial park area).

Image of Amazon Distribution Center: White River Now