Growth doesn’t wait for perfect plans, and neither should we. In this conversation with Pea Ridge Mayor Nathan See, we dig into the nuts and bolts of turning a fast-growing town into a resilient, welcoming city, without losing the neighborly spirit that drew people there in the first place. From his years in the street department to the mayor’s office, Nathan brings a builder’s mindset and a clear lesson from UCA’s Community Development Institute: community development is everyone’s job.
We talk strategy where the rubber literally meets the road: Highway 72. That corridor is the hinge on which Pea Ridge’s future swings, shaping safety, retail attraction, and freight access. Nathan shares new momentum on funding, the realities of phasing to four lanes, and why site selectors watch mobility before they ever run the numbers. Then we zoom out to regional planning: wastewater capacity, stormwater, and shared solutions that outlast election cycles and city limits.
The human side of growth takes center stage. A poverty simulation at CDI reshaped how Nathan writes policy and frames tradeoffs, pushing the city to design for families who juggle school schedules, limited transit, and tight budgets. We unpack a community-led rebrand that signals a modern identity while honoring local history, plus a pragmatic approach to parks, annexation, and long-range land use. Housing affordability gets a bold treatment through innovative construction, high school workforce pathways, and the search for a distribution hub. And for small business owners, Nathan outlines an 18-month storefront concept designed to turn hustle into sustainable brick-and-mortar.
If you care about smart growth, inclusive planning, and practical leadership, this story offers a field guide: build the network, set the timeline, and make every win visible.
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