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County cancels downtown Crown

By Faith Hatton, posted Jun 5, 2025 on BizFayetteville.com

Editor's note: This article was updated on June 5, 2025 to include more detailed information. The original story posted on June 4, 2025 can be found below.

After being in the works for two years, the Crown Event Center project, slated to be built in downtown Fayetteville, has been officially canceled by the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners. 

After a comprehensive review process during a special meeting called in order to discuss the Crown Event Center Project, County Commissioners voted to scrap the project in a five to two vote. 

During the meeting held on Wednesday, June 4, County Manager Clarence Grier held a presentation for commissioners providing an update on the project following a 30- day pause put into place on March 5, 2025 so the Board could request a renewed evaluation.

In his full presentation, Grier presented the board with GMP3 (Guaranteed Maximum Price3), the third and final cost estimate provided by the contractor, along with estimates to renovate the existing Crown Theatre and Arena and a downtown parking assessment.

PowerPoint slide provided by: Cumberland County. 

According to figures presented, the project would have seen a $7.7 million increase in GMP3 pricing, with a final price tag of $125 million as of May 28, 2025 instead of the $117 million reported in January. 

The grand opening for the completed event center would also have been set back nearly a year, with an estimated grand opening slated to take place in February 2028 instead of in April of 2027 as originally planned. 

According to the presentation, approximately $36 million had been encumbered and expended for the project already in its early stages. 

Estimates to renovate the Crown Theatre by itself and The Crown Theatre and Arena together range from $24 million to $190 million based on the different design options and what types of renovations would be chosen. 
PowerPoint slide provided by: Cumberland County. 

Also included in the presentation were estimates to renovate the Crown Theatre by itself and The Crown Theatre and Arena together. These plans range from $24 million to $190 million based on the different design options and what types of renovations would be chosen. 

After lengthy discussions over parking concerns, ADA compliance and reviewing the cost to renovate the existing Crown Event Center, located at 1960 Coliseum Drive in East Fayetteville, the Board made the following motions:

Following the adjournment of the meeting, Board of Commissioners Chairman Kirk deViere met with the press in a follow up Chats with the Chairman press conference to address some concerns about the status of the project and how the Board will move forward with the project officially cancelled. 

“This decision wasn't made lightly. I believe that it reflects our commitment to fiscal responsibility, transparent governance and practical solutions that best serve our community’s long term interests,” said deViere. 

deViere shared that the next steps include terminating the contracts with project partners and looking into requests for qualifications for development framework around renovation for the Crown Arena and the Crown Theater. 

He also commented on what will come next for the parking lot in front of the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse which was in early stages of development for the project before the pause went into effect months after demolition had taken place. 

“I'm sure I will get the question, what comes of the parking lot, the former courthouse parking lot. I will say that we will look at development opportunities. We have not discussed this as a board, but I believe that we'll look at development opportunities both from a private sector as well as potentially, maybe, a public private opportunity,” said deViere. 

Primary revenue for the project is coming from the County’s Prepared Food and Beverage Tax (F&B). Discussions did take place during the meeting about how those dollars could legally be used and how long the tax would continue to be in effect.

“You heard our manager talk about $185 million of total capacity of what we could do with F&B dollars. So we're going to use all of that for this Crown Event Center. Are there other options? And there are a lot of different ways that you can use the F&B dollars based on the session law and as it's laid out. Are there different things that you can do with it, from a tourism standpoint, or other things? So do we want to put all our eggs in one basket? And I think that's part of some of the concerns and conversation that I heard from the board, and I think you heard some of that tonight.” 

While the project will no longer be coming to downtown Fayetteville, deViere made sure to mention the county still believes in the growth and development of downtown Fayetteville. 

“I think our county remains committed to a vibrant downtown Fayetteville. Remember, Fayetteville is the county seat. There's a lot of other municipalities across this. So we look at the renovation project that you'll see down at the Crown Event Center now as that continues to move forward,” said deViere. “There's continued investment there and economic growth that we can put into a commerce corridor that's already been established for many years, that we can ensure that we grow.” 

“I don't want the downtown community to believe that the county does not believe in the viability of downtown. Clearly you heard the deliberations around tonight, the cost of this, and other factors that led into the vote. This is not an indicator whether we believe in our downtown or not,” said deViere. 

The full presentation given by County Manager Clarence Grier is available online here. 

The full three hour and twenty-six minute meeting and following press conference was streamed live on the County’s YouTube page and can be viewed here.

 

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Original article posted on June 4, 2024 can be found below. 

After a comprehensive review process, in a 5 to 2 vote, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners has voted to discontinue the construction of the new Crown Event Center in Downtown Fayetteville and instead pursue a full renovation and modernization of the existing Crown Complex.

The decision came from a special meeting held today, June 4, to discuss the Crown Event Center Project. 

In a presentation to Commissioners, County Manager Clarence Grier highlighted additional costs for the project, following the pause put into effect earlier this year, bringing a new price tag of $153 million for the updated project. A new timeline was also presented setting the Crown Center’s grand opening from April 2027, as originally planned, to February 2028. 

In his full presentation, Grier presented the board with GMP3 (Guaranteed Maximum Price3), the third and final cost estimate provided by the contractor, along with estimates to renovate the existing Crown Theatre and Arena and a downtown parking assessment. His presentation can be found on the County’s website.  

After lengthy discussions over parking concerns, ADA compliance and reviewing the cost to renovate the existing Crown Event Center, located at 1960 Coliseum Drive in East Fayetteville, the Board made the following motions:

“This decision was not made lightly,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Kirk deViere. “But it reflects our commitment to fiscal responsibility, transparent governance, and practical solutions that serve the long-term interests of our residents.”

The original Crown Theatre and Arena opened in 1967, with the Crown Ballroom added in 1997. In 2022, the County embarked on an effort to construct a new Crown Event Center downtown. Over three years, the project went through several milestones, including hiring a project team, approving designs, community engagement sessions, and a groundbreaking in October 2024.

In early 2025, the Board of Commissioners voted to pause construction and requested a renewed evaluation. The Board directed staff to explore renovation alternatives, leading to today’s final decision.

The full three hour and twenty-six minute meeting was streamed live on the County’s YouTube page and can be viewed here. 

This is a developing story. The Greater Fayetteville Business Journal will continue to update this story as it develops.  

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