Development of affordable housing for veterans, eventually named Patriot Park, began about 2018 on land at the southeast corner of College Avenue and North Street.
Previously, a floor of the Washington Regional building on North Street had been leased to serve as a veterans home for a limited number of residents.
The land catty corner across College Avenue, owned by Washington County, had been a large parking lot for Washington Regional Medical Center before its operations were moved to North Hills Medical Park.
Construction of the the housing project began by 2024 with site preparation, and building construction started in 2025. It finished in 2026.
The housing complex includes nine residential buildings with a mix of mostly single bedroom apartments but also two-bedroom and three-bedroom options.
Sen. Jim Petty of Van Buren, a leading proponent of the project, told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: “There is a tremendous need in all of Northwest Arkansas for all affordable housing, but the veteran in our community is probably one of the most underserved.”
Rent for a one-bedroom unit at Patriot Park will range from $326 to $515 a month; a two-bedroom will range from $390 to $646 a month; and a three-bedroom apartment will range from $418 to $772 a month.
About 20,000 American veterans lived in Washington County at the time construction occurred.