UPDATED: Council to consider changing several Fayetteville street names

Stone Street in front of Fayetteville High School could soon be renamed Bulldog Boulevard as a tribute to the school’s mascot.

Todd Gill, Flyer staff

Update: City Council members unanimously approved both proposals during the May 1 council meeting.


Two proposals that would change four street names and 11 residential addresses near the University of Arkansas and Fayetteville High School campuses are on the May 1 City Council agenda.

Stadium Drive proposal

Map: Flyer staff

The first change would rename of a portion of South Garland Avenue and all of Paris Avenue to South Stadium Drive.

Developers of a proposed student apartment complex at the top of Paris Avenue recently requested the street be renamed to something with a direct connection to the University of Arkansas.

Currently, South Garland Avenue becomes Paris Avenue once it crosses Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Combining the two names could help clear up confusion for motorists, said Greg Mitchell, the city’s GIS coordinator.

Plus, he said, an upcoming university project which would extend Stadium Drive to MLK creates an unexpected opportunity to eventually consolidate four street names into one. When headed south, Stadium Drive currently becomes South Virginia Avenue near Pomfret Hall, then South Garland Avenue near Bogle Park, then Paris Avenue near Fayetteville High School.

Mitchell said 10 houses on Paris Avenue would be affected by the renaming and that homeowners were notified of the possible address change by certified mail. So far, Mitchell said he’s received no complaints or inquiries.

There was some talk Tuesday of renaming Virginia Avenue now instead of waiting for the university’s plans to come to fruition, but Mitchell said an additional 23 residential addresses would be affected so he didn’t recommend that change at this time.

Bulldog Boulevard proposal

A second proposal would rename the street in front of the current Fayetteville High School main entrance to Bulldog Boulevard.

That section of road currently has two names. It’s called West Stone Street from Buchanan Avenue to Delaware Avenue, but changes to South Clinton Drive from Delaware to South Garland Avenue.

Staff documents indicate the request came from school district officials as a tribute to the high school’s Bulldog mascot.

Map: Flyer staff

Consolidating the two names could help to clear up any current confusion, but would still leave the stretch of road with a name change at Buchanan Avenue once it becomes Stone Street again. Renaming the entire stretch, however, would require changing 33 residential addresses which is something staff did not recommend.

Mitchell said the current proposal would only affect one residential address, located on Clinton Drive, but noted that it would be the second time the house’s address had changed in the past two years. The road was previously called California Boulevard before being renamed in August 2010.

Mitchell said that particular homeowner had also been contacted through certified mail, but had not responded.

If passed, the total cost of new street signs for both proposals is expected to be roughly $675.