Two months after the Cumberland County Commissioners voted to halt construction on the $145 million new Crown Event Center in Downtown Fayetteville, the public is being asked to weigh in on the future of the site.
Commissioners have put out a nine-question survey to get public input on what to do with the empty site.
Commissioners voted 5 to 2 on June 4, 2025, to stop all construction. That vote came three months after plans were paused for review by a law firm.
After it stopped work on construction, the board said it will pursue a full renovation and modernization of the existing Crown Complex. The county manager was then directed to develop a plan and framework for the redevelopment of the Crown Arena and Theater.
Crown Center Timeline
November 2022 – Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approves the Dick Street parking lot as the new site for the Crown Event Center. The board has also voted to deem EwingCole as the architect for the project.
May 2023 – The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approves a new concept design for the Crown Event Center in Fayetteville. The complex will be made of five venues and will include a two-story lobby, a rooftop terrace facing Gillespie Street, a main event hall that will be able to hold 3,000 attendees, meeting and event spaces on the first floor, and new VIP spaces.
January 2024 – Cumberland County commissioners just settled on the final designs for the facility. The community has mixed reactions after the unveiling…