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Chaffee Crossing — Fort Smith, AR

Chaffee Crossing is the fastest-growing part of the Fort Smith area, a master-planned district on the city’s east side spanning parts of Fort Smith and neighboring Barling. It occupies land that belonged to Fort Chaffee, the U.S. Army post established in 1941, and its mix of new neighborhoods, trails, historic district, and commercial development has made it the region’s signature growth story.

From Army post to neighborhood

Fort Chaffee was built in 1941 as a World War II training camp, and over the decades it trained soldiers, processed refugees, and hosted film crews — Elvis Presley famously received his Army haircut there in 1958. In 1995, the federal Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission recommended closing the post. Most of the land, roughly 65,000 acres, was kept for military training and is still used today by the Arkansas National Guard as the Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center — one of only a handful of Guard training sites nationwide rated Level 1 by the Department of Defense.

The remaining 7,000-plus acres were transferred for civilian redevelopment. The Arkansas legislature created the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority (FCRA) in 1997 to manage that land, and the district it built became known as Chaffee Crossing.

What’s there today

Chaffee Crossing today combines residential subdivisions, commercial and industrial employers, schools, and one of the region’s best trail networks. The Chaffee Crossing Historic District preserves original barracks-era buildings, several of which now house restaurants, breweries, museums, and small businesses; in 2020, the city approved a permanent entertainment district covering the historic area. Mountain-bike and walking trails wind through the wooded sections, and new construction continues to push the district’s boundaries outward.

The area’s next chapter is transportation: the planned Interstate 49 extension through the east side of the metro runs directly past Chaffee Crossing, with a new Arkansas River bridge to the north. See getting around Fort Smith for how that corridor fits together.

Living in Chaffee Crossing

Most homes here are newer construction, from starter homes to custom builds, alongside the district’s growing commercial services. Because so much of the housing stock is new, buyers weigh different questions than in Fort Smith’s established neighborhoods — builder warranties, HOA rules in newer subdivisions, and lot drainage on recently graded land.

Home services are an active market in a district growing this fast. For roofing on new and newer construction, see roofing contractors serving Chaffee Crossing; for wiring a new build with connected devices, see smart home installation in Chaffee Crossing or the dedicated guide from Smart Home Installation Fort Smith.

FAQ

Is Chaffee Crossing part of Fort Smith? Partly. The redevelopment district spans land in both Fort Smith and Barling, which is why addresses in the district can carry either city’s name.

Is Fort Chaffee still an active military base? Yes. The Arkansas National Guard trains on roughly 65,000 acres at the Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center. Only the redevelopment land (about 7,000 acres) became Chaffee Crossing.

Why is Chaffee Crossing growing so fast? A large supply of developable land close to the city, an active redevelopment authority, the historic district’s food-and-drink scene, and the coming I-49 corridor have all pulled investment east.