Fayetteville has begun searching for its first Downtown & Urban Development Manager, moving from months of discussion to action as the city seeks a single leader to coordinate downtown development, business support, and day‑to‑day problem solving.
Applications opened August 23 and will close Friday.
The move comes after months of debate over how the city should invest in its core, and years of frustration from council members who want more growth and business owners who say they struggle to get basic issues addressed.
A Push That Began with Business Complaints
The idea originated in May, when Councilmember Malik Davis told colleagues he had been meeting with downtown business owners and residents who felt the city lacked a clear point person for downtown issues.
“My request for council is to get a dedicated staff member that works for the city of Fayetteville, whose focus is downtown and downtown development, and also manages the downtown and its revitalization efforts in making our downtown stronger, knit downtown,” Davis said during the work session on May 4.
Davis noted that cities like Raleigh, Winston‑Salem, and Durham already have similar roles. As the sixth‑largest city in North Carolina, he said, Fayetteville should, too.
“I think the city has to take charge in making sure that we have been responsible for our downtown,” Davis added.
Mayor Mitch Colvin agreed, saying the city currently responds to downtown problems “per issue” without a single accountable leader.
“You really don’t have a point person in the organization that I’m aware of that answers that call,” Colvin said.
Budget Maneuvering Makes Room
During June budget talks, the downtown manager position repeatedly resurfaced as part of the council’s “parking lot list,” a set of items that could be added only if money was shifted around.
The role was budgeted at $150,000 including salary and benefits.
Councilmembers Shaun McMillan and Stephon Ferguson raised concerns about spending priorities, but the majority supported adding the position. Councilmember Derrick Thompson was among the strongest advocates.
“If we want to have a booming city, we need to have a booming downtown,” Thompson said.
Ultimately, the council chose to take more money out of its main operating fund—$8.25 million instead of $5,05 million, according to the final budget document. That freed up enough money to add the downtown manager position.
The additional funds also provided funds for downtown events ($275,000) and expanding the Drones as First Responders program ($795,000). Cuts were made elsewhere, including removing $110,000 for mental‑health unit vehicles that were part of a new initiative with the Office of Community Safety.
Fayetteville is also moving to strengthen its presence downtown by reinstating a dedicated police officer for the district—a role that had been paused due to a lack of funding. The city’s communications manager, David Scott, confirmed to CityView the position isn’t new, but rather a refilled vacancy.
The move comes as the city restored funding for eight previously frozen police officer positions in this year’s budget—a $1,095,056 allocation that expanded the department’s staffing capacity enough to bring back the downtown post.
The final budget passed June 22. The city’s 2027 strategic plan followed on August 10.
Sgt. Antoine Kincade Sr. said the department has always maintained routine patrols downtown, but the dedicated assignment was temporarily halted.
“With recent increases in police staffing, we’ve been able to reinstate this dedicated role to serve as a direct point of contact for local downtown business owners and focus specifically on the unique needs and concerns of the downtown district,” he said.
According to a July 23 Facebook announcement, the department’s official name for the role is a Parks Patrol & Downtown Beat Officer. Duties will include downtown business and visitor engagement, patrols of parks and greenways, community outreach, special event coverage and general public safety.
Applicants must already have two years of experience as a sworn North Carolina law enforcement officer, and the city lists the salary range as $50,550 to $84,585, depending on experience.
What the Downtown Manager Will Do
The job description outlines a sweeping portfolio: economic development, redevelopment, placemaking, historic preservation, public‑realm maintenance, business recruitment, and coordination across nearly every city department.
According to the job posting, the manager “ensures Downtown Fayetteville remains clean, safe, welcoming, economically competitive, and attractive for residents, visitors, businesses, and investors.” The salary range is $77,122 to $98,331. The city said the selection process would last up to six weeks after the job posting closes on Friday.
Key responsibilities include:
- Downtown coordination—serving as the city’s primary liaison to businesses, property owners, developers, and partner organizations.
- Economic development—recruiting and retaining restaurants, retailers, entertainment venues, and office users.
- Capital project oversight—managing streetscape improvements, lighting, gateways, public art, pedestrian amenities, and beautification.
- Public‑realm maintenance—addressing cleanliness, graffiti, landscaping, sidewalks, lighting, parking, signage, and accessibility.
- Public safety coordination—working with police, fire, community safety, and outreach providers on quality‑of‑life issues.
A Downtown with Momentum—and Setbacks
Downtown Fayetteville has roughly 200 businesses, according to the Cool Spring Downtown District business directory, including 23 restaurants, 27 retail shops, 120 professional services, and several attractions such as the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, the History Museum, and the Gilbert Theater.
The city has made recent investments trying to help downtown, including $200,000 in the 910 Festival, $350,000 in the Black Voices Museum, and hundreds of thousands of dollars and in-kind donations to the Dogwood Festival and other local events.
Major development projects are also underway, including a hotel and apartment tower atop the Hay Street Parking Garage and a proposed 126‑room full‑service hotel on Gillespie Street, announced by Cumberland County in May.
But downtown has also suffered losses. The county’s cancellation of the $145 million Crown Event Center in June 2025 after construction started removed what many saw as a future economic anchor.
Colvin has also asked city staff to put together a feasibility study for a downtown convention center.
Business Owners: Hopeful but Wary
Some downtown business owners said the new role could help—if the city follows through.
Isabella Effon, owner of Taste of West Africa on Person Street, told CityView she’s been disappointed by past promises.
Asked whether the liaison-style role sounded helpful, she replied, “We’ll see,” adding that, when these kinds of promises are made she has been made to feel more like a “ statistic” than anything else. “ These things do not excite me anymore,” she said.
Effon said she has struggled to get results when contacting the city about certain issues, such as repairs to a sidewalk in front of her business.
“We’ve had people fall, literally fall, where the ambulance had to pick them up and clean up blood,” she said. “We’ve complained and complained. Nothing is being done.”
She also pointed to 4th Friday, the free monthly street festival run by the Cool Spring Downtown District, as an example of how her block feels overlooked. The event runs from March through October and regularly closes Hay Street for vendors, music and activities—but Person Street stays open, she said, and gets none of the same attention.
“You have street closure, so things will happen on Hay Street and everything. And you leave Person Street. There’s no street closure. We have to program it ourselves,” she said. “Meanwhile, we’re all taxpayers.”
Kelly Hathaway, who owns Greg’s Pottery on Maxwell Street, and has been in business for 21 years, said she heard about two new roles only recently and is not clear on the specifics.
Hathaway said that she rarely sees city representatives visit local stores. “I hope that the new person actually walks around and goes into the stores and makes their face and name known,” she said.
Hathaway said she hopes the new liaison will be proactive in engaging with local businesses, addressing issues like sidewalk maintenance, making rent more affordable, and bringing new businesses to the area.
Government reporter Rachel Heimann Mercader can be reached at rheimann@cityviewnc.com or 910-988-8045.
