New construction is taking shape in a commercial area along Mallard Loop, next to a building leased by Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Roger Dadlani is owner of the property and referred questions to Jim Nosari, president of Little Rock-based Nosari Real Estate. Nosari said he is looking for tenants on behalf of Dadlani. Mallard Loop connects to South Olive Street across from the entrance to the commercial plaza that includes the Wal-Mart Supercenter store.
“We are looking for any good tenant who we can be proud of,” Nosari said. “I would not say we have any limitations on [the kind of businesses we are seeking]. I have made networking efforts to share that this space is available. To date, we do not have anything firm. We have to identify tenants and get them committed into a contract.”
The construction will add an 11,000-square-foot structure and expand an existing parking lot on the west side of the building, Nosari said. The parking lot, which abuts Bartholomew Bayou, is not in danger of flooding, Nosari said.
“This little area in Pine Bluff is a good retail area,” Nosari said. “People can make money in the retail business in this neighborhood.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Construction began about 60 to 90 days ago and should take four months to six months to be completed, Nosari said.
Sutliff Construction of White Hall is building the structure, site superintendent Mike Cash said. A crew of six employees worked Wednesday to build a roof. The employees labored under sunshine and temperatures rising into the upper 70s, which Cash called ideal for building. Earlier in the year, they were delayed by snow, ice and rain, he said.
“The weather put us behind schedule by a month,” Cash said. “We are trying to finish the roof by Friday.”
After Sutliff Construction finishes the roof, Cash said that other contractors will install heating, air conditioning, drywall and electrical systems.