Fayetteville Crown Event Center Concept Approved by Cumberland Commissioners
The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners have approved a revised conceptual plan for a new, larger Crown Event Center set to be built in Downtown Fayetteville.
The Commissioners unanimously approved a recommended conceptual design for a three-story facility on Gillespie Street, in what is currently the parking lot for the Cumberland County Courthouse.
The revised plan, which was discussed at the Board’s most recent work session – on May 11 – increased the size of the facility, and the footprint on which it will sit. As part of that revision, the County announced it had purchased the buildings sitting adjacent to the parking lot, currently housing the Yarborough, Winters & Neville Law Firm.
“The conceptual design you are about to see includes a .31-acre property located at 215 East Russell Street, currently occupied by the Yarborough, Winters and Neville Law Firm,” Assistant County Manager for General Government & Stewardship Brian Haney said in the meeting. “The County acquired the property earlier today and that it will allow for enhanced efficiencies related to the design and operation of the new Crown Event Center.”
The new concept plan calls for the front of the facility to face Gillespie Street, with a glass façade, and a third-story rooftop terrace overlooking downtown.
“The recommended concept includes a two-story lobby and a rooftop terrace that faces Gillespie Street, which will serve as the ‘front’ of the facility,” Haney said in a release. “The three-story concept also includes a main event hall that can hold 3,000 attendees, additional meeting and event space on the first floor, and VIP spaces on the second floor designed to enhance the facility’s ability to generate revenue.”
The newest version of the facility was discussed at the May 11 work session, and called for a “Stakeholder Requested Program” of 131,445 square feet in the facility, and an increased cost of $131,703,300. The original plan for the facility was an 89,000-square-foot building. That project was originally approved with an $82,500,000 price tag.
While final designs have not been submitted for the Crown Event Center in Downtown Fayetteville, 3D-renderings of initial concepts were shown at the meeting Tuesday. The facility is expected to open sometime in 2025.
