Home Page Departments Board of Commissioners Crown Event Center

Crown Event Center

The Crown Complex, located at 1960 Coliseum Drive, Fayetteville is comprised of five venues, including a 2,440-seat Theatre and 4,500-seat Arena that opened in 1967; and a 10,880-seat Coliseum, 60,000-square-foot Expo Center and 9,200-square-foot Ballroom that opened in 1997.

The original Crown Theatre and Arena must close by November 2025, and the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners has approved the construction of a new state-of-the-art multipurpose event center (the Crown Event Center) to replace these facilities. The Crown Event Center will be located in Downtown Fayetteville at the intersection of Gillespie Street and Ottis F. Jones Parkway on the block between the County’s Historic Courthouse and the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse.

In early 2022, the Board of Commissioners hired MBP Carolinas as the owner’s representative for the project and established a three-member Crown Event Center Committee, which includes Commissioners Vice Chairman Glenn Adams, who chairs the committee, and commissioners Jeannette Council and Jimmy Keefe. Cumberland County Civic Center Commission Chairman Mark Yarboro serves on the Committee in an ex-officio capacity. A Project Delivery Team (PDT) was also established, comprised of key County staff and representation from MBP Carolinas, current Crown Complex Manager Oak View Group (OVG) and project architect EwingCole.

The Crown Event Center Committee held a kick-off meeting for the new Crown Event Center project on April 20, 2022. On Sept. 6, 2022, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approved guiding principles for the project following an engagement process that included members of a Community Engagement Committee comprised of representation from current users of the Crown Complex, community members, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, the business community, and municipal and civic leaders.

The guiding principles are a set of value statements intended to establish a common direction for the project and inform decision-making throughout the project.

graphic outlining guiding principles for crown event center

The County hired EwingCole as the project architect in November 2022. Once on board, EwingCole engaged the Community Engagement Committee and other stakeholders to provide feedback on what they believe needs to be included in the new Crown Event Center to make it successful. This information was incorporated into the Conceptual Design process, which resulted in the Board of Commissioners approving a building program of 131,500 square feet and an updated project budget of $131,703,300 on May 15, 2023.

Next, the PDT moved into the Schematic Design process and on Aug. 15, 2023, the Crown Event Center Committee approved the schematic design for the new Crown Event Center. This includes a rendering of what the exterior of the building will look like.

The PDT is currently working through the Interior Design process. The Board of Commissioners also selected TA Loving/Metcon as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMaR) for the project. County staff are working to finalize a contract to bring the CMaR on board and integrate them into the project.

Additional information related to the project and the Crown Event Center Committee will be posted on this page throughout the duration of the project.

Feasibility Study Presentation

Crown Complex

Feasibility Study

Committee Agendas & Minutes

Commissioners Approve Multi-Purpose Event Center Items

Apr 4, 2022, 14:38 PM by Jon Soles

The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the Capital Project Budget Ordinance to establish the budget for the Multi-Purpose Event Center.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners today unanimously approved the Capital Project Budget Ordinance to establish the budget for the Multi-Purpose Event Center capital project in an amount not to exceed $82.5 million and adopted a resolution of official intent to pursue tax exempt financing.

The budget includes the $80 million estimated cost that was part of the feasibility study presented in September 2021 to the Board of Commissioners. The additional cost is approximately $2 million contract for the Owner's Agent and $500,000 in estimated debt issuance costs. Debt takeout is expected to occur in early 2024, before construction begins. Until debt proceeds are received, the costs incurred on the capital project will be funded by fund balance of the County’s Food and Beverage Tax Fund. Upon receipt of debt proceeds, the Food and Beverage Tax Fund will be reimbursed.

The following projected expenditures are appropriated for this project:

Expenditure

Surveying $ 48,000

License & permits $ 100,000

Contingency $ 9,052,000

Architect $ 5,500,000

Owners Agent $ 2,200,000

Engineering (Geotech) $ 100,000

Construction $ 65,000,000

Debt Issuance Costs $ 500,000

Transfer to the Food and Beverage Fund $ 2,500,000

The following associated revenue is appropriated for this project:

Revenue

Proceeds from Debt Issuance $ 82,500,000

Transfer from the Food and Beverage Fund $ 2,500,000

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners and the Civic Center Commission determined to replace the Crown Theater rather than to spend additional funds renovating it. In accordance with the Commission Act, the Commission has worked with the Board of Commissioners in planning for the construction of a replacement facility for the Theater.

In other action related to the event center, the Board approved a contract with MBP Carolinas to serve as the owner’s representative for the project.

“It’s a big day for Cumberland County,” said Commissioner Jimmy Keefe, who is a board member on the Multi-Purpose Event Center committee.

Contact Us


Phone:	910-678-7724	Address: 117 Dick Street Fayetteville, NC, NC 28301


Email:
Contact:	Brian Haney, Assistant County Manager

Contact Us


Phone:	910-678-7724
Email:
Contact:	Brian Haney, Assistant County Manager
Address:	117 Dick Street Fayetteville, NC, NC 28301