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Crown Event Center

For information about parking around the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse, please visit this link.

Latest Project News

Courthouse Parking Lot Closing Oct. 23 for Crown Event Center Groundbreaking (Oct 15, 2024)

Crown Event Center Committee Approves Contract to Begin Construction (Sept 12, 2024)

View exterior and interior architect renderings of the Crown Event Center HERE

The Crown Complex, located at 1960 Coliseum Drive, Fayetteville is comprised of five venues, including a 2,440-seat Theatre and 4,500-seat Arena that opened in 1967; and a 10,880-seat Coliseum, 60,000-square-foot Expo Center and 9,200-square-foot Ballroom that opened in 1997.

The original Crown Theatre and Arena must close by November 2025, and the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners has approved the construction of a new state-of-the-art multipurpose event center (the Crown Event Center) to replace these facilities. The Crown Event Center will be located in Downtown Fayetteville at the intersection of Gillespie Street and Ottis F. Jones Parkway on the block between the County’s Historic Courthouse and the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse.

In 2022, the Board of Commissioners hired MBP Carolinas as the owner’s representative for the project and established a three-member Crown Event Center Committee includes Commissioner Jimmy Keefe, who chairs the committee, Board of Commissioners Chairman Glenn Adams and Commissioner Jeannette Council. Cumberland County Civic Center Commission Chairman McBryde Grannis serves on the Committee in an ex-officio capacity. A Project Delivery Team (PDT) was also established, which is comprised of key County staff and representation from MBP Carolinas, current Crown Complex Manager Oak View Group (OVG), project architect EwingCole and Construction Manager-at-Risk (CMaR) TA Loving/Metcon.

The County held a kick-off meeting for the new Crown Event Center project on April 20, 2022. On Sept. 6, 2022, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approved guiding principles for the project following an engagement process that included members of a Community Engagement Committee comprised of representation from current users of the Crown Complex, community members, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, the business community, and municipal and civic leaders.

The guiding principles are a set of value statements intended to establish a common direction for the project and inform decision-making throughout the project.

graphic outlining guiding principles for crown event center

The project architect also engaged the Community Engagement Committee and other stakeholders to provide feedback on what they believe needs to be included in the new Crown Event Center to make it successful. This information was incorporated into the process

On Jan. 23, 2024, the Crown Event Center Committee approved a building program totaling 134,000 square feet and a total project budget of $145 million.

The architect completed the 100% Design Development package in April 2024, and on June 17, 2024, the Crown Event Center Committee authorized the project to move into the Construction Document development phase

On Sept. 16, 2024, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approved a contract amendment with TA Loving/Metcon for sitework and demolition to allow the project to move into the construction phase. An additional contract amendment will be brought to the Board for structural steel and concrete, followed by an amendment that includes all remaining bid packages.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Crown Event Center will be held on Oct. 25, 2024 at 2 p.m.

Architect rendering of people standing in an event center lobby

Additional information related to the project and the Crown Event Center Committee will be posted on this page throughout the duration of the project.

Feasibility Study Presentation

Crown Complex

Feasibility Study

Committee Agendas & Minutes

Crown Event Center Committee Meeting Wrap-Up

Sep 12, 2024, 13:26 PM by Diane Rice

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Crown Event Center Committee met Wednesday, Sept. 11, to approve the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the sitework portion of the project and to receive a project update from the Crown Event Center Project Delivery Team.

Assistant County Manager for General Government & Stewardship Brian Haney shared that the approved contract with Construction Manager at Risk TA Loving/Metcon was for preconstruction services with the intent of bringing the GMP back as a contract amendment following the bidding process. He said the Project Delivery Team (PDT) has been mindful of adhering to the approved project timeline and budget, and that in order to maximize efficiencies in the project schedule, the PDT recommends splitting the project into three phases with three GMP amounts. The first phase, which was bid by TA Loving/Metcon on Aug. 27 with a re-bid on Sept. 3, is for sitework and demolition. The second phase will include structural steel and concrete, as well as long-lead items like switchgear and the generator. The third and final phase will include all remaining bid packages.

Matt DeSilver, Regional Manager with MBP Carolinas, the County’s Owner’s Representative for the project, said the GMP for the sitework phase (GMP-1) came in at $3,414,411. Haney said the recommendation to the Committee was to approve the GMP-1 amount and direct that it be submitted to the full Board of Commissioners at their Sept. 16, 2024 regular meeting for approval as part of a GMP-1 Amendment to the Construction Manager at Risk contract. Approval of the amendment will allow the project to transition into the construction phase for sitework. The Committee voted unanimously to approve the GMP-1 amount.

The Committee discussed the following additional ITEMS OF BUSINESS:

Declaration of Official Intent to Reimburse Expenditures: Robin Deaver, Finance Director and Chief Financial Officer, presented. U.S. Treasury regulations and guidelines that involve debt financing transactions require that a governmental entity declare its intent to use debt financing for a given project before expenses are incurred. A reimbursement resolution must be approved so that the County can reimburse itself for any expenses paid before debt is issued. The Board of Commissioners adopted a reimbursement resolution for the Crown Event Center project on April 4, 2022, however at the time the project cost was not expected to exceed $82.5 million. Deaver requested approval of a revised resolution that updates that amount to the Board’s approved project budget of $144,455,422. The Committee voted unanimously to recommend this item for approval by the Board of Commissioners at the Sept. 16, 2024 regular meeting.
Approval of Capital Project Budget Ordinance Amendment B250150: Robin Deaver, Finance Director and Chief Financial Officer, presented. Deaver requested approval of a Capital Project Budget Ordinance Amendment to account for a temporary $30 million transfer from the County’s General Government Capital Investment Fund that will be needed to fund the first two phases of the project until debt is issued in early 2025. Upon debt issuance, this transfer will be reimbursed in full. The Committee voted unanimously to recommend this item for approval by the Board of Commissioners at the Sept. 16, 2024 regular meeting.

The Committee also received an overall Project Update, which included a review of the project schedule and future GMP submissions, discussion that County staff are working to coordinate a groundbreaking event and provide information on alternative parking options in the area once construction begins, and an update from the PDT’s recent interior design meeting.

The Crown Event Center Committee is comprised of Cumberland County Commissioner Jimmy Keefe, who chairs the Committee, Board Chairman Glenn Adams and Commissioner Jeannette Council, along with Cumberland County Civic Center Commission Chairman McBryde Grannis, who serves in an ex officio capacity. The Project Delivery Team (PDT) is made up of County staff, and staff from the County’s owner’s representative MBP Carolinas, project architect EwingCole, construction manager at risk (CMaR) TA Loving/Metcon and Crown Complex Manager OakViewGroup (OVG).

For more information on the Crown Event Center project, go to cumberlandcountync.gov/crowneventcenter.

Contact Us


Phone:	910-678-7724	Address: 117 Dick Street Fayetteville, NC, NC 28301


Email:
Contact:	Brian Haney, Assistant County Manager

Contact Us


Phone:	910-678-7724
Email:
Contact:	Brian Haney, Assistant County Manager
Address:	117 Dick Street Fayetteville, NC, NC 28301