Remember the new corporate headquarters development in the works for Bank of the Ozarks in west Little Rock?
You know, the one we told you about in January?
The $17.9 billion-asset lender acquired more than 46 acres of mostly undeveloped property in a series of transactions this summer.
Those deals on the western end of The Ranch development totaled more than $12.5 million.
Most of the land was purchased in two transactions with Ranch Properties Inc., led by Ed Willis: 23.5 acres for nearly $7.9 million.
Another 14 acres was added in two deals with a pair of other Willis-led entities for nearly $3.2 million.
The final piece of the puzzle was the 8-acre Saddle Creek Church campus at 18020 Cantrell Road: $1.4 million.
Groundbreaking for first-phase construction of a 180,000-SF building is expected in the coming months. The first office building on the planned headquarters campus should be completed in 2018.
For those keeping score at home, the building represents the fourth headquarters location for the public company since moving to Little Rock in 1995 from Ozark (Franklin County).
Starting with 3,500 SF of leased space downtown, the company moved with 30 staffers to a 40,000-SF home at 12615 Chenal Parkway in June 1998.
Its current 92,000-SF headquarters at 17901 Chenal Parkway opened in December 2008 with 132 staffers. Today, it houses 214. Occupancy of the building is forecast to max out at 269 next year.