Visitors to the new Crown Event Center in downtown Fayetteville will be able to enjoy features like a rooftop terrace and a VIP lounge, project managers said Thursday in an update to county commissioners.
Commissioner Jimmy Keefe, who chairs the three-person Crown Event Center Committee, said he was pleased with the latest update on the project, which is estimated to be completed by April 2027. Commissioners Glenn Adams and Jeannette Council also sit on the committee.
“I like everything you’re doing,” Keefe told project managers.
Project architect Bill Koonz of EwingCole said his design team was halfway through a full draft design for the center. That design should be finished by the end of April, with final cost estimates expected in May, Koonz told the committee. The county has allocated $145 million for the project, CityView previously reported.
Thursday’s update was a stark contrast from previous project updates delivered in January, when project managers first revealed to commissioners the center would be delayed and cost almost $32 million over budget because of high supply and labor costs and the complicated nature of the approved design. The center had originally been scheduled to be completed by late 2025 and cost $131.7 million, though project managers were able to bring the projected cost down from $163.5 million after modifying the building’s design.
According to Koonz’s Thursday presentation, current design plans for the center include:
Koonz said architects are strategizing on what to do with a blank 80-foot-tall wall that will face Otis F. Jones Parkway.
“When we moved the venue to the north side of the building, we end up with a very blank wall here,” Koonz said. “Right behind this wall is the wall to the venue. So [for example] you’ve got a rock concert happening behind that wall.”
Architects are looking at adding brick patterning or reliefs to dress up the wall, he said.
Adams told Koonz the county is working on a deal with the city to use its Russell Street parking lot at night. Fayetteville Police Department officers park there during the day, but the event center would be able to use the lot at night for VIP parking or Uber drop-offs, he said.
The committee’s next meeting date has yet to be determined.
Reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at lsolomon@cityviewnc.com or 910-423-6500.
This story was made possible by contributions to CityView News Fund, a 501c3 charitable organization committed to an informed democracy.
