If you’ve been downtown lately, you might have spotted some changes happening along Fayetteville Street. Driven by the Fayetteville Street Streetscape Plan, these improvements will bring more space for outdoor dining, new seating, and fresh public art to the heart of downtown.
Last November, City Council dedicated $1 million to short term enhancements, paving the way for immediate, visible upgrades and sparking future investment along the corridor. The project area includes the 100-500 blocks of Fayetteville Street, excluding City Plaza.
Here are some of the exciting things happening on Fayetteville Street:
Phase 1: Making more space for walking and outdoor dining
- Seven landscaped areas were removed earlier this month, adding nearly 300 square feet of usable space on the sidewalks.
- This creates more space for walking, and for current and future businesses to offer or expand outdoor dining.
Phase 2: New seating that will accommodate a variety of events and activations
- Existing benches will be removed and replaced with new seating types.
- The new seating is designed to be rearranged as needed.
- Installation is expected by the end of the year.
Phase 3: New public art and intersection wayfinding
- The City put out a call for new public art, and it drew an impressive 135 submissions from artists.
- The selection panel, made up of Fayetteville Street business owners, downtown residents, and other stakeholders, selected five artists whose concept designs will be shared for public input shortly.
- Art installation is expected by the end of next summer.
For details and future project updates, visit our Fayetteville Street Streetscape Plan web page. For news and updates about all that’s happening downtown, visit our Building a Downtown for All web page.