City planners preview Downtown Master Plan draft, cite 1,100+ comments and September target for draft

City planning staff briefed the Fayetteville Advertising & Promotions Commission Jan. 26 on progress toward a new Downtown Master Plan, describing extensive public engagement and a timeline that targets a public draft in September and adoption by year‑end.

Britton of the city’s long‑range planning division said the team held roughly 40 events and has received more than 1,100 comments to date. "We have been very busy this fall, starting engagement well before you generally see it happen on a city planning project," Britton said, adding the city used a digital platform (Conveio) to gather open‑ended comments and plans to host larger public meetings in spring and summer.

Key priorities staff reported hearing include stronger tree canopy, public transit options, more "third spaces" that are not commoditized, and logistics improvements for festivals and major event weekends so visitors can easily access downtown during concurrent events. Britton said the downtown plan will be treated as the city’s investment plan — clarifying "what the city's investments need to be in order to support that private side development."

Staff encouraged commissioners and the public to engage through the project page and provided email and text contact points for questions. The planning team said consultants will be brought on board to expand capacity and test planning concepts in 2026.