Arts center’s leadership favors corridor project

On April 9, Fayetteville residents will be asked to extend the city’s existing one penny sales tax to cover more than $226 million in projects that will improve our services and amenities — with no increase in taxes.

We fully support all ten initiative questions up for approval on April 9, and the cultural arts corridor holds special significance for those of us based in the entertainment district.

As an anchor institution, Walton Arts Center has always advocated for the needs and interests of our constituents. When the initial designs for the cultural arts corridor were unveiled last year, they did not include proximity parking that patrons need and the entertainment district businesses expect. We engaged volunteers and patrons in partnership with Dickson Street businesses to get involved.

Thanks to our combined efforts, the city earmarked $10 million to build replacement parking within close proximity to Walton Arts Center as part of the cultural arts corridor. In fact, the city has now committed to replacing all existing parking in the West Avenue parking lot prior to development of that lot.

In preparation for a new parking lot location, the city commissioned a study to evaluate multiple replacement parking options. Presently, three sites have risen to the top based on their proximity to Walton Arts Center and the city’s financial requirements. All three parking sites are across from Walton Arts Center.

The Walton Arts Center Council is confident that any of these locations will accommodate Walton Arts Center and entertainment district patrons for years to come. With these assurances, the Walton Arts Center Council approved a motion in unanimous support of the bond initiative.

The cultural arts corridor is a bold, exciting vision for our entertainment district. The development of the West Avenue lot has been the subject of much prior debate because other proposals did not address meaningful replacement parking or have dedicated funds for new parking construction. As a business community, we cannot afford the development of the West Ave parking lot without proximity replacement parking being a tangible component of any new plan.

Walton Arts Center believes the $30 million cultural arts corridor is the most creative proposal we have seen for the development of the West Avenue lot. It addresses all of our concerns and enjoys the full support of the Dickson Street Merchants Association.

Walton Arts Center supports the development of a cultural arts corridor in the entertainment district because it meets our parking needs and redefines our city as a regional arts destination.

We support all 10 bond initiative questions to keep Fayetteville moving forward.

PETER LANE

Fayetteville president, CEO Walton Arts Center