FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2020
Contact: Peter Nierengarten
Environmental Director
Sustainability Department
479-575-8272
pnierengarten@fayetteville-ar.gov
City Provides Virtual Update on the Cultural Arts Corridor
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The City of Fayetteville is offering the public a virtual update on the progress on the Cultural Arts Corridor project, including a 3-D overview video and new images of the corridor’s primary elements. The update can be viewed on the City’s Cultural Arts Corridor webpage: http://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/culturalartscorridor.
Fayetteville’s Cultural Arts Corridor is planned as a series of connected outdoor public spaces in the heart of the city. This project is part of a Bond package approved by Fayetteville voters in April of 2019 and will be built in two phases. Phase one, including improvements to the Fay Jones Woods, Razorback Greenway and West Avenue, is scheduled to begin in July 2020.
Improvements to Fay Jones Woods will celebrate the Ozarks native ecology and restore Tanglewood Branch. Key features include trails, gathering spaces, informal paths, native plantings, a boardwalk and more. Construction methods will allow for maximum preservation of the existing forest.
The section of Razorback Greenway running through Fay Jones Woods will be repaved, with texture changes and signalizations at key crossing areas. New trail connections will improve access to surrounding streets and the Fayetteville Public Library, and LED lighting and signage will improve visibility and safety for all who use the trail.
The West Avenue Streetscapes project will maximize walkability and improve access to the Fay Jones Woods and nearby cultural and educational institutions. Street resurfacing, parallel parking, shade trees and rainwater harvesting features will be integrated on both sides of West Avenue between Dickson and South Streets. Raised crosswalks and signage at key intersections will be added for improved safety.
The next phase of construction will include the West Avenue Civic Plaza and a new parking deck. The schematic design phase has been completed for the West Avenue Civic Plaza. Construction will begin after the new parking deck is complete, as specified by language in the 2019 Bond package. Design on the parking deck began in January 2020, and deck construction will begin in late 2020.
The new parking deck will be located on the depot lot and the northwest corner of West and Dickson Streets. Design plans include a five-story parking deck with approximately 350 parking spaces, a police substation, first-floor retail spaces and more. The deck will include multiple entrance and exit points, with flexibility to manage large events and to add additional floors for retail or parking if needed in the future. Provisions have been made to protect the historic train depot and accommodate the freight building currently serving as Arsaga’s at the Depot.
For more information about the Cultural Arts Corridor, visit www.fayetteville-ar.gov/culturalartscorridor
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