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Local artist Rob Sharp shows a preliminary concept for a proposed hotel on the south side of the proposed public square of the Cultural Line in downtown Fayetteville. (City of Fayetteville)

The city’s arts council will share information on how to incorporate art into a new hotel development in downtown Fayetteville.

Council members this week saw the first concept of a seven-story hotel planned for the south side of the Ramble public square, which is part of the city’s ongoing cultural arts projects.

The field will eventually replace the 290-space parking lot on the side of the Walton Arts Center once construction is completed on the adjacent parking lot.

$30 million in funding for the street art is included in voter-approved bonds, but some parts of the project will require partnerships with private developers, said Peter Nierengarten, the city’s environmental director.

“The partnership’s funding was only sufficient to build the exterior of the project, so the featured buildings were a placeholder for the partnership’s development,” Nierengarten said.

The city began the RFP process in the spring, Nierengarten said, to find a partner for the proposed building at the south end of the public square.

Shortly after that process, city officials began discussions with Fayetteville developer Brian Reindl, who owns the Metro District building just south of the public square where the Cork & amp; Keg, Rolando’s Restaurante and many other businesses are located here.

View of the proposed hotel from the northeast. (City of Fayetteville)

Fayetteville architect Rob Sharp is leading the design of the hotel, while Windsor Aughtry of South Carolina is the hotel consultant for the project. Sharp said Windsor Aughtry specializes in projects set up in college towns in the Southeast. Fayetteville’s CR Crawford Construction was selected as the general contractor.

Sharp said the plan is to work with the landscape of the public space, which reflects the daylighting of a currently closed stream that will create a watershed in the park’s open space with a walkway that will connect the northern and southern boundaries of the place.

“We wanted to establish a part of our building in direct response to this street,” Sharp told the council.

When approaching the hotel from the north, people will first see a restaurant with indoor seating and an outdoor cafe, along with a store front and a hotel room that will contain a transit area. so that people can see through the building.

The city’s trail system, which currently runs through the West Avenue parking lot, will be moderated by public space, but Sharp said a second route is being planned.

View above of the planned hotel and public sector. (City of Fayetteville)

City-owned public restrooms will also be included on the west side of the building for those visiting the public space.

As for the structure of the building, Sharp said that the plan is to break up the project so it’s not just a big building with the same style on every side.

The east side will look like some of Dickson Street’s historical past with its railroad and industrial heritage. Sharp said a few remnants of those buildings remain in the area, such as the Porter Produce building near Grub’s, the Arsaga warehouse building and the industrial building on West Avenue.

“What we’re talking about is a real effort to build a building in the spirit that these original buildings were built in,” Sharp said.

The west side will have a more modern look that resembles the new TheaterSquared campus, the Walton Arts Center, and the Fayetteville Public Library. This side of the hotel will feature charcoal-colored brick, painted steel, aluminum windows, and a rooftop bar with balconies and patios facing the field.

Sharp showed several drawings of the project, and said the goal is to be as detailed as possible to get buy-in from the City Council, which will ultimately decide the future of the project.

Reindl Properties owns about one-third of the land needed for the hotel. In order to build it as designed, the City Council will agree to sell the remaining two-thirds of the property to Reindl.

Floor plan of the proposed hotel. (City of Fayetteville)

Sharp said details are being provided so the City Council can have peace of mind knowing the project won’t be delayed.

“With a community group like this, sometimes a beautiful design is shown and promises are made at the beginning, but when it’s built, it doesn’t look like what was presented,” Sharp said. “We want to make sure what is delivered is what was promised.”

Councilwoman Sonia Harvey, who also serves on the arts council, questioned whether a public theater stage would still be included at the far end of the site if a hotel were built. Nierengarten said the stage, which may include other Walton Center for the Arts programs, is still in the works near the grassy knoll where the audience can enjoy a mini-performance. Any speakers needed will be shown from the hotel building, he said.

Technical council member Bob Stafford asked if the multi-story building on the north end of the field was still in the works on the property of local residents Ted Belden and Greg House. The initial concept for this site showed a four-story, multi-use building with some sort of food hall on the ground floor. Private developers also said they could build a hotel across from the public square at the northwest corner of Dickson Street and West Avenue.

Sharp said the hope is that the technology council can provide guidance on how technology can be incorporated into the project.

“My client is not an artist, and I’m not an artist, so we try to reach out to people who are skilled to help identify opportunities that can be used in art,” Sharp said.

The developers, he said, will consider special art spaces, such as an area on the roof of the hotel where local artists can design different works of art that look like fish in the an open aquarium.

“Everyone is always familiar with the paintings, which are good, but there are certainly many other things that can be done,” he said.

An overview of the planned hotel and public space. The dashed red line shows the public property that private developers will need to buy from the city to build the hotel. (City of Fayetteville)

Harvey said she was already a fan of the idea.

“This is amazing,” Harvey said. “I really like the furniture. It’s a beautiful marriage of modernity and history.”

Havey said the project reminds her of a popular hotel and restaurant on the side of downtown Bentonville Square.

“It’s kind of like 21c, but it’s local,” Harvey told Sharp. “Is that how you would describe it?”

Sharp said that while technology will play a role in designing the space, he wouldn’t go so far as to compare the project to the 21c Museum Hotel.

“21c is like a moonshot for technology,” Sharp said. “I don’t think we’re quite there yet.”

Jessica DeBari, who serves as president of the Arts Council, recommends looking at Toronto’s Gladstone House for inspiration. The hotel focuses on permanent and rotating installations by local and regional artists rather than showcasing famous international art.

“People go there specifically because they know they’re going to have a different experience every time,” DeBari said.

Harvey said that perhaps a group of community-accredited artists could serve as a sort of advisory board to give input to developers through the rest of the design process.

“I like the idea of ​​having a continuing subcommittee that works to make sure there’s a good representation of a diverse group of artists,” DeBari said.

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