If you’ve driven down I-540 recently, you might have noticed a large area of red dirt being moved around just off the Porter Road exit.
As it turns out, the development will soon be the new home of Adventure Subaru.
Officials with the Fayetteville car dealership yesterday held a groundbreaking ceremony for a planned 20,000-square-foot building that will accommodate 200 new and used cars.
When considering a location for expansion, founder Don Nelms said it was important to him to keep Adventure Subaru in Fayetteville.
“My relationship with this city goes back over 40 years,” he said. “I used to tell people ‘I’m a former Texan.’ Now, I’m definitely an Arkansan…and a Fayettevillian.”
New location rendering,
Miller Boskus Lack Architects
Nelms first began selling Honda vehicles in Fayetteville in the early 1970s. By 2000, Nelms had expanded his dealerships to include Chrysler, BMW, Chevrolet, Toyota, Acura, Lincoln-Mercury, and Subaru franchises.
Shortly after combining the dealerships into the single-location Nelms Auto Park (now known as Fayetteville Auto Park), Nelms sold all of the franchises except for Subaru.
In a partnership with his two sons, David and Dennis, Nelms relocated the Subaru dealership to its current location at 2781 N. College Ave.
“Our family and all of our employees are excited about having a state-of-the-art facility to better serve our customers,” said Dennis. “The new location will mean better access for customers throughout the whole region.”
The new Adventure Subaru dealership will be located at 2269 N. Henbest (Shiloh Drive) off I-540 at the Porter/Mt. Comfort Rd. exit.
The facility is expected to be completed in April 2012.
