Input sought for arts corridor design

FAYETTEVILLE — The public will have another opportunity to help shape the planned cultural arts corridor downtown.

Two public sessions are scheduled this week at the Town Center, 15 W. Mountain St. Free parking will be available at the center parking deck, according to a city news release.

The sessions will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

Landscape architecture firm Nelson Byrd Woltz will provide results from previous rounds of public input and reveal a conceptual design for

the corridor. The sessions, plus an online survey, will serve as the public’s final opportunity to provide input before the final design and construction begin.

The city’s administration has proposed dedicating $30 million to construction of the arts corridor in its list of projects to be included in an upcoming referendum on a bond issue. Voters will be asked to renew the city’s 1 percent sales tax to issue bonds of about $226 million for capital projects. The special election is tentatively scheduled for April 9.

The City Council will review the list of bond issues during its meeting Tuesday.

The council is scheduled to consider the final design for the corridor sometime early next year.

The corridor design will incorporate recreational elements, public art, streetscaping, pedestrian pathways and open gathering spaces, integrating natural and urban landscapes, according to the news release.

The project was made possible through a nearly $1.8 million design grant from the Walton Family Foundation.