Message from the Executive Director

In 1992 the founders of Argenta Community Development Corporation began a renewal of their own neighborhood, sparking the re-creation of a safe, vibrant and now thriving downtown area. The founders organized their own community and pulled in partners from city government, local banks and area businesses to ensure that Argenta could be a place where everyone wanted to live and work and not the crime-plagued, run-down neighborhood it had become.

Today the CDC remains a significant property owner and business resident in the Argenta Historic District, providing much needed affordable housing in an area where property values have soared. And our work hasn't stopped in the Argenta neighborhood. Argenta CDC operates a NeighborWorks® Homeownership Center that educates and counsels hundreds of individuals across Central Arkansas each year who are interested in becoming first time homebuyers. We have also expanded our affordable housing reach into other North Little Rock neighborhoods- Holt/Mid-City and Baring Cross- and are at the forefront of the residential green building movement in Arkansas.

In 2007 the CDC built four homes in the Holt/Mid-City neighborhood that are LEED-H certified, the first such homes in Arkansas. The LEED-H certification shows that not only do we create affordable housing for new homeowners, we have also made those homes more affordable to live in and more friendly to the environment. Homeowners will see their utility costs lower than comparable non-green homes thanks to more energy-efficient lighting, insulation and appliances. If affordable housing can be green, any home can be green!

The work the founders of Argenta CDC began in 1992 sparked an amazing and historic redevelopment process throughout downtown North Little Rock. Over the next few years we will build upon that legacy by expanding the impact of our Homeownership Center, reaching more potential homebuyers and providing more comprehensive asset-building services. We will also seek to re-create in the new neighborhoods we serve throughout Central Arkansas the quality, affordable housing for which Argenta CDC is known and the strong sense of community and cohesiveness that makes a neighborhood safe, vibrant and a place where everyone wants to live.

Our efforts are successful because we work hard and hold high standards, and they would not be as successful if we did not have so many outstanding partners, from our national NeighborWorks® Network to our local banks, businesses and community advocates. We are grateful for their support and hope we can count you as a partner, too.