Urban Design Plan

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Expanding the Downtown Experience for Businesses, Residents, and Visitors

In February of 2020, the Fayetteville City Council adopted the Downtown Urban Design Plan to guide development and investment in the Downtown over the coming years. City staff is beginning the first phase of the implementation this plan. Phase 1 focuses on three of the articulated Urban Design Initiatives: (1) Create two tiers of Downtown Zoning Districts (see attached map); (2) Improve Downtown’s Gateways; and (3) Foster Downtown Living.

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History/Timeline of Downtown Urban Design Plan

July 2017: Fayetteville awarded Revitalization and Economic Development Grant from the State of NC; hires consulting group (led by Urban Design Associates and assisted by Stewart Design, Walker Parking Consultants and SFL+a Architects)
August 2018: Consulting group and citizen steering committee (appointed by City Council) host a Public Open House and three days of Stakeholder Meetings to discuss the plan and gather input
October 2018: Consulting group and steering committee hold a Charrette, a second Public Open House, a Public Meeting, and an information booth at the City’s Fourth-Friday events that week.
- Resulting recommendations include: expand the Downtown District by extending the boundaries of the Hay Street experience; establish Downtown District as a neighborhood by increasing residential options/availability; enrich the pedestrian experience by improving walkability and bike-ability (mobility), enhancing streetscapes, and managing parking
March 2019: Fayetteville Downtown Urban Design Plan completed
February 2020: City Council adopts the Plan

Proposed Downtown Zoning Districts

Update Zoning and Development Standards

1. Create a two-tiered Downtown District of “Downtown Tier 1 (DT-1)” and “Downtown Tier 2 (DT-2)” to expand the downtown experience beyond Hay Street (Rezoning).

Existing zoning is varied and does not follow a logical pattern, which makes development non-cohesive and the process complicated. Proposed new zones:
- DT-1 – core district: Hay and Person Streets between Robeson Street and Cool Spring Street. The area will include core office, commercial, and entertainment uses with range of residential uses; pedestrian-oriented with compact development, various business types, continuous building frontage. Busy and lively with 18 hour/day activities
- DT-2 – extension of the core (encircling the core blocks): Grove/Rowan Street to the north, Russell Street to the south, Fountainhead Lane/Hale Street to the west, and North C Street to the east. This area will permit uses that foster the walkable urban character to expand the downtown experience and combine commercial and residential uses. The standards will be slightly more relaxed than DT-1 (less stringent for developers/businesses), but still prioritize the pedestrian experience, mixed-use, and varied activities.

2. Modernize design standards, permitted uses, and parking requirements in the Downtown

Buildings will be compact (small scale and close together), oriented to the street, with minimal or no setback from the sidewalk (continuous frontage)
No required off-street parking minimums for businesses; if parking is provided, it must be on the side or behind the building (unless not feasible due to topography etc.)
Auto-oriented uses (e.g., gas stations, drive-thru restaurants) will be limited to arterial streets (Green, Rowan, Grove Streets); the rest of the streets will prioritize pedestrians/bicyclists
No new parking lots permitted (parking decks are still okay) - The 2017 Parking Study found that during peak hours, fewer than half of the currently available parking spaces were being used

Reasons/benefits of the changes

Recommended changes are based on extensive community input combined with proven urban design principles
- Goal is to drive our community forward and continue the work that was started before the pandemic
- Changes clarify development procedures, attract residents and visitors to the area, and encourage commerce
- Encourages and guides responsible development that promotes mobility, safety for pedestrians and bicyclists
- Supports the downtown area as both a destination and a mixed-use, walkable neighborhood
- Grows the success of Hay Street
Simplifies/clarifies zoning requirements – the existing Downtown zoning is sporadic, with some satellite parcels zoned “downtown” that are not connected to the core area. Further, the parcels that encircle the core area, which are slated to be rezoned to DT-2, currently include five different zoning classifications, which would be reduced to one single classification (DT-2); this would simplify the development requirements, so that they don’t change from block to block
Downtown is a place for people to get out of their cars, participate in the public realm, and enjoy the beauty of the area; the driving force is the pedestrian experience, the opposite of a strip mall