Economic Recovery Framework

The City of Fayetteville's next Economic Vitality Plan LOGO_Fayetteville Economic VItality-01 (003)

On March 16, 2021, the Fayetteville City Council passed a resolution of intent expressing its support for the development of the next economic development plan. For the past five years, the City's economic vitality efforts have been guided by the Fayetteville First Strategic Plan. 

Much has happened in Fayetteville since the adoption of the Fayetteville First Plan. The expansion of internal economic development staff, and adoption of initiatives such as the Energy Action Plan, Welcoming Plan, 2040 Land Use Plan, and Cultural Arts Corridor Master Plan present an opportunity to reset Fayetteville’s economic development efforts to ensure they are in concert with these initiatives. Most importantly, the need to set guiding principles for Fayetteville’s economic development efforts has never been higher in wake of the economic consequences and changes brought by the pandemic, as well as the need to make equitable economic development efforts a priority. 

In March of 2020, Fayetteville’s Workforce Development Plan efforts came to a complete halt as the COVID-19 pandemic impacted our community. The initiative was rooted in a detailed labor analysis that became obsolete as the United States' unemployment rate climbed to 14.7% in the following month (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Industry shifts and the alterations to how commerce is conducted in wake of the pandemic are factors that impact the goals, strategies, and action items proposed by the Workforce Development Plan. Adaptation of the existing plan will provide a major start to this initiative with an immense amount of work already in place. 

Deliverables and Data

The Economic Vitality and Recovery Plan will be composed of three deliverables; Appendix I: Detailed Analysis of all Taxable Sales, Appendix II: Economic and Labor Analysis, and the plan itself. You can review the deliverables completed thus far below.

Focus Areas of the Plan

Economic Vitality touches nearly every facet of a community. Many of Fayetteville's other Master Plans have economic health benefits, including initiatives such as the Cultural Arts Corridor, Energy Action Plan, Welcoming Plan, City Plan 2040, Mobility Plan, and 71B Corridor Plan. Recognizing this, the City's new Economic Recovery and Vitality Plan will focus on economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the following areas:

  1. Workforce development and job-skill training opportunities for all;
  2. Economic equity and inclusion for populations facing barriers to economic mobility, such as minorities, women-run businesses, residents in poverty, and neurodiverse residents, to name a few;
  3. The support, growth, and retention of small businesses in Fayetteville;
  4. Growth concept-oriented economic development with an emphasis on the creation of workforce and attainable housing as well as the attraction and creation of new jobs to Fayetteville. 

There are numerous avenues to get involved in the development of the plan and ensure your voice is heard. View and access all of the public input opportunities that are currently open: