The “Cultural Arts Corridor” follows the Razorback Greenway from Dickson Street to Prairie Street.
Photo: Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer
City officials want help from the public in designing a project that is expected to transform the areas between Fayetteville’s most notable cultural hubs.
The “Cultural Arts Corridor” follows the Razorback Greenway from Dickson Street to Prairie Street and is envisioned as a series of public open spaces connecting the Walton Arts Center, TheatreSquared, Nadine Baum Studios and the Fayetteville Public Library.
The design is funded entirely by a $1.8 million Design Excellence Award grant from the Walton Family Foundation.
City Council members in June agreed to use the grant money to hire Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects for the design work.
The public is invited to participate over the next four months to help create the final design. City officials hope to include the project as part of a capital projects special election vote next year.
The first three meetings are scheduled for this week when the public can give ideas to help the designers develop sketches.
A kickoff is planned during the first meeting from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16 at the Walton Arts Center’s Starr Theatre, 495 W. Dickson Street. Free parking will be available in the Spring Street Parking Deck during the event. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Two more opportunities to provide input are planned for Friday, Aug. 17 and Saturday, Aug. 18 (see schedule below).
Preliminary concepts will be presented in October. Tweaks to those plans will take place in the following months with a goal of unveiling the final concepts to the City Council sometime in 2019.
Information about the project, including a map of the area, description, schedule of planned public engagement events, and a link to the city’s new community engagement portal, Speak Up Fayetteville, is on the city’s website at www.fayetteville-ar.gov/culturalartscorridor.
Public Meeting Schedule
Thursday, Aug. 16, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Walton Arts Center Starr Theatre
495 W. Dickson St.
Featuring a presentation by landscape architects Nelson Byrd Woltz. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Friday, Aug. 17, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Walton Arts Center Starr Theatre
495 W. Dickson St.
Drop in to view the plan concepts and vote for your favorite ideas.
Saturday, Aug. 18, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Fayetteville Farmers’ Market
Downtown Fayetteville
Stop by the city’s tent to view the plan concepts and vote for your favorite ideas.
