FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- The growth throughout Northwest Arkansas is spurring an apartment-building boom in Fayetteville.
There are currently 47 open building permits for 973 units in Fayetteville compared to just five permits in 2015 for 308 units.
Maggie Nevers moved to Fayetteville right out of college for a job and looked far and wide for an apartment that was modern and affordable, but not considered student housing.
"There are not a lot of options, it's really a hit or miss," she said. "You're either in the suburbs or far away. There isn't a good central location for apartment complexes."
When Nevers came across Uptown Fayetteville Apartments, which is nearing completion across the street from the Razorback Malco Theater, she knew this was the area where she wanted to live.
"I'm excited that they are developing new apartments, and I'm so excited that there is so much potential for this area," she said. "I just think this is the new place to live. I think this is going to be the future."
Uptown Fayetteville Apartments have more than 300 units and 17,000 square feet of commercial space for restaurants, shops and other services. Sarah King with marketing and community outreach for Specialized Real Estate Group said they knew there was a great demand for apartments in Fayetteville.
“We looked at this uptown region in particular and saw that this was an area that had a high density of employers," she said. "There are a lot of people who work in this area, but not a lot of housing up here."
King said they started development and design for the apartments almost four years ago, but didn't break ground until last year.
“We know a lot of people want to live bike-friendly-not-use-their-car-as-much lifestyle, so we feel we are offering a lot of people a really wonderful commute to work,” she said.