Cumberland County issues RFP for Project Management and Owner’s Representative Services for Crown Theatre and Arena Modernization; results from public input survey under review

By Staff Report, posted Oct 14, 2025 on BizFayetteville.com

Cumberland County has released a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking qualified firms to provide Project Management and Owner’s Representative Services for the modernization and renovation of the Crown Theatre and Arena, collectively known as the Crown Complex.

This step marks continued progress in the County’s plan to transform the existing Crown facilities into a modern, accessible and first-class event venue that supports the region’s cultural and economic vitality.

The selected firm will serve as the County’s representative, overseeing daily coordination, schedule review, construction progress and quality assurance. Responsibilities will include assisting with contractor and architect selection, budget monitoring and ensuring that all project milestones are achieved on time and within scope.

On June 4, 2025, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners voted to discontinue construction of the previously proposed Crown Event Center in downtown Fayetteville and instead pursue full renovation and modernization of the current Crown Theatre and Arena. The updated project will build on prior feasibility studies and community engagement, ensuring alignment with the County’s vision for accessibility, functionality and fiscal responsibility.

Cumberland County encourages responses from local, minority-owned, women-owned, Veteran-owned, disabled Veteran-owned and small diverse businesses, as well as firms that have not previously worked with the County.

Key Dates

RFP Issued: Oct. 13, 2025
Questions Due: 5 p.m., Oct. 28, 2025 and must be emailed to County Manager Clarence Grier at cgrier@cumberlandcountync.gov
Proposals Due: 5 p.m., Nov. 14, 2025 (five hard copies and one digital PDF on a flash drive)
Interviews: Week of Dec. 15, 2025
Selection Notification: Week of Jan. 5, 2026

The complete RFP document, submission requirements and supporting materials, including prior studies and meeting minutes, are available at: www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/commissioners-group/commissioners/crown-event-center-committee

This is the latest update on the continuing developments following the decision to cancel construction of a new Crown Event Center in downtown Fayetteville.

During their Agenda Session held on Thursday, Oct. 9, county commissioners received a formal update of the results of a community survey launched in early September to gather public feedback on the future development options for the now empty Gillespie street lot originally chosen as the home of the cancelled Crown Event Center.

County Manager Clarence Grier presented results from the survey regarding future use of the vacant Crown Event Center lot. The survey received 1,376 responses over the course of 10 days between the launch date of Sept. 4 and the closing date of Sept. 14, 2025.

Overall sentiment showed that parking is the dominant priority across all responses, especially in relation to access to the county courthouse and downtown revitalization.
Many residents also continue to express support for the canceled Crown Event Center project plan, urging reconsideration for bringing it downtown.
Suggestions for community centered mixed use facilities such as green space, youth programs, an aquatics center or farmers market were common.
An emerging theme of distrust in leadership, concerns about fiscal responsibility and worries about crime and safety were also present in written responses.

Over the course of the survey’s social media campaign, it received a total of 18,312 views, reached 8,481 social media users and had 812 clicks to open and take the survey. The primary group that engaged registered as women ages 55-65.

County Manager Clarence Grier shared that the full survey response results totaled 12 pages. The Board plans to further review the results at a future meeting in November.

Screen shot of the projected survey results during the Agenda Session held on Thursday, Oct. 9. Full survey results have not been made available online.

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