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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 Commissioner Jimmy Keefe, who chairs the committee, Board of Commissioners Chairman Glenn Adams and Commissioner Jeannette Council. Cumberland County Civic Center Commission Chairman McBryde Grannis 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), project architect EwingCole and Construction Manager-at-Risk (CMaR) TA Loving/Metcon.

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. The Board approved a Schematic Design on Aug. 15, 2023.

TA Loving/Metcon was brought on as CmaR in September 2023, and the PDT began working with the CMaR to reconcile project cost and schedule. On Jan. 16, 2024, the PDT provided an update to the Crown Event Center Committee that the cost of building the new Crown Event Center had increased due to a larger building program and unprecedented escalation in certain trade areas. The Crown Event Center Committee directed the PDT to redesign the facility to fit within a total project budget of $145 million. On Jan. 23, 2024, the PDT presented a redesigned facility with a building program totaling 134,000 square feet and the Committee authorized the PDT to continue moving forward with the redesigned facility. The PDT estimates breaking ground on the new facility in September 2024 with construction completed in early 2027, however the team will continue working to shorten the timeline to complete the facility as early as possible.

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

Cumberland County Commissioners Approve Budget for FY2023

Jun 7, 2022, 10:18 AM by User Not Found

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Cumberland County Commissioners passed the Fiscal Year 2023 annual budget tonight. The budget passed in a 4-2 vote. Commissioner Charles Evans was not present. The budget maintains the County’s current property tax rate of 79.9 cents per $100 valuation and makes investments in the Board’s strategic priorities.

The approved budget includes the following changes from County Manager’s recommended budget:
• An additional $30,000 in funding for Cumberland HealthNet
• An additional $3,000 in funding for Vision Resource Center
• A reduction of $33,000 for Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County
• An additional $50,000 FCEDC for marketing
• A reduction of $50,000 for Utilities
• An increase of $300,000 in grant funding for Enhanced Mobility
• An increase of $200,000 in funding for the MPO
• An increase of $2,000 for the Vice Chair’s salary

The approved budget includes just under $553 million in expenditures across all County funds, with $362 million appropriated for General Fund expenses, which represents a $22 million or 6.5% increase over the FY2023 General Fund budget.

The budget provides funding to address the Board of Commissioners’ ongoing priorities including:
• Continuing to move forward with the replacement of the Crown Theatre and Arena with anticipated site review and selection, land procurement, updating and refining project cost estimates, and procurement of a design/construction team.
• Allocating $258,600 to move forward with Phase 1 of the Gray’s Creek Water Project to serve two elementary schools and residential customers located along the route
• Moving forward with addressing homelessness including identifying potential sites for a homeless shelter.
• Maintaining local funding for mental health services and recommending utilizing existing MCO fund balance to increase levels of mental health and substance abuse services in the county.
• Providing $390,254 for a pilot project to provide in-home case management and care coordination to help address the social determinants of health and reduce barriers and gaps in services to those most in need.
• Including $50,000 for a pilot transportation program to address transportation access issues for citizens receiving services from the Public Health Department.

The budget seeks to address the County’s recruitment and retention issues of finding and maintaining an experienced, well-trained workforce. Initiatives include:
• Funding for a 4% cost-of-living adjustment for County employees.
• Additional market adjustments to increase the entry level salary rates for sheriff’s deputies and detention officers.
• $95,000 to conduct an organization-wide classification and market study to address salary compression, inequity, and competitive pay within ranges.
• Funding for a pilot project to transition social workers in DSS to permanent remote work, which could be expanded to other County departments in future years.

Additionally, the recommended budget also includes:
• $755,657 for 15 new positions (not including the new positions related to the in-home case management and care coordination program).
• $84.3 million in current expense funding for Cumberland County Schools, representing 43.47% of the property tax rate and an increase of $1.3 million from FY2022.
• An additional $3.9 million in funding to Cumberland County Schools for School Health Nurses, School Resource Officers, and School Crossing Guards.
• $14.2 million in current expense funding for Fayetteville Technical Community College, which is an increase of $935,000.
• $2 million to replace 32 vehicles (21 from the Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center).

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