Fayetteville Renaissance Plan
Fayetteville's previous downtown plan was a success by almost any measure, guiding more than $30 million of reinvestment over the decade following its adoption. But the plan needed updating to reflect new conditions, including shifting community attitudes about downtown's identity.
Following a national RFQ process, Fayetteville hired the SCJ team to update the plan, and, while being mindful of recent controversies, to involve the public every step of the way. SCJ team members worked closely with City staff to lead a process featuring a downtown storefront studio, a web-based survey, and several well-attended workshops, generating broad consensus for downtown's strategic future and support for new directions in development. Since the downtown planning area was more than 3,000 acres in size, we devised a dance-floor exhibit and workshop exercise to emphasize the distances involved and the need for proposed connections to link important places. Participants literally rubbed elbows as they made recommendations for prioritizing strategic actions. The final plan called for increased attention to those neighborhoods immediately adjacent to the commercial core—a departure from the earlier, center-focused plan, and, aided by heavy public involvement, the new plan was adopted by unanimous and enthusiastic vote of the City Council.
Client Reference:
Victor Sharp
Former Community Development Director
910.273.0523
victor.sharpe@ymail.com
Dates of Involvement: 2014 – 2016
Cost: $75,000
