Crews work to clear the site of a former Tyson factory building in southeast Fayetteville.
Staff photo
City officials want to know what residents would like to see happen to the former Tyson factory property at Huntsville and Happy Hollow roads.
A public input meeting is planned from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8 at Happy Hollow Elementary school to discuss ideas for use of the land formerly home to the East Gate Plaza shopping center and more recently, a Tyson Mexican Original tortilla and corn chip plant.
The 11.2-acre property was purchased by the city for $1.1 million in 2004. Part of the land was used to build a new fire station and for right-of-way dedications to realign and widen Huntsville Road. Iowa-based Kum & Go recently purchased 1.8 acres of the property for $1.115 million to build a new fueling station and convenience store. After dedicating required right-of-way for planned interior streets, the city will be left with just under 6 acres of land to hold, develop, or sell.
One idea, proposed by council members Matthew Petty and Sarah Marsh, is to repurpose some of the former factory’s industrial equipment into aesthetic amenities to be placed on the remaining city property in a park-like setting similar to Seattle’s Gas Works Park.
After next month’s input session, city leaders and key stakeholders from the public will work to develop a master plan for the site. Ideas will also be collected using an online survey beginning Aug. 8 at accessfayetteville.org.
Happy Hollow Elementary is located at 2175 E. Peppervine Drive.
