Condos planned for Fayetteville
FAYETTEVILLE – A developer wants to bring big city living to downtown Fayetteville.
John Chen, the owner of the Prince Charles Hotel, announced plans last week for 1,000-condo complex that will include a hotel with a rotating restaurant, a day care, a grocery store, a gym and a parking deck.
The structure will also include a tower that will eventually climb 30 stories into the sky behind his hotel, three times taller than the next tallest building.
Michael Fisher, one of the managers for the hotel, said John Chen wants to build a place where people can have the conveniences of city living.
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"He wants to bring Fayetteville back downtown, get everybody involved," Fisher said. "We have all these new condos that have gone up that have been pre-sold. We have a lot of interest in downtown living."
The project is still in the early stages of development. Developers predict the project will cost more than $200 million to complete.
Larry Clubine, the president of the Fayetteville Downtown Alliance, said he believes the project is ambitious. But if successful, he said it will bring people downtown.
"We are going to see more developments, maybe not at this scale," Clubine said. "But this part of what you are going to start seeing, more announcements of developments to bring more people living downtown."
Some residents are concerned its modern design will clash with the rest of the downtown area. They're also not happy with the prospect because more people living downtown means more traffic to contend with.
"It is hard getting down here already. I had to wait for a train for 45 minutes," Tina Busse said. "I almost ran out of gas. I was not happy."
Developers say the portion of the complex lining Hay Street will complement, not clash with, nearby buildings.
Fisher hopes by releasing the concept design early, they will win over the hearts and minds of Fayetteville residents.
"We are looking for a lot of community interest in it," Fisher said. "We got to get the public involved because we want to make Fayetteville a destination instead of just a spot on the map."