When it comes to local government, few things can be more fun and even inspiring than developing a plan for the future.
The master illusionists known as consultants, planners and landscape architects are in their prime when they're asked to help a community cast a vision, to borrow one of those hope-filled phrases that get government leaders all aglow. So much of what government does is constrained, sometimes by politics, but always by money. But dreaming big doesn't require a budget. When we're given the opportunity to dream about a new future for important pieces of a community, it's a thrill ride.
What’s the point?
In creating a new “civic space” alongside the Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville must ensure its parking solutions don’t do damage to the area’s businesses and venues.
Some people don't get too excited by these exercises because they've seen one too many of them end up on the proverbial dust-collecting shelf in three-ring binders someone will eventually be assigned to trash once some other plan for the future is adopted. But we've seen enough of them to know this: They have long-term implications and should not be ignored.
These high-level, dream-big processes can be easy for people to ignore if they're more attuned to the concrete (figurative, not the cement-and-water kind) action, or if they want a real proposal they can react to. The process of forging a million different ideas into a vision can demand, for some, a little too much imagination and raises skepticism that what is conjured up won't necessarily look anything like the end result.
But communities wanting to re-imagine some part of themselves have to start somewhere. Fayetteville, which continues building its status as a star of the regional performing arts scene with the expanded Walton Arts Center and the new TheatreSquared facility under construction, is working to build new concepts for what they call a "cultural arts corridor."
Spurred by a $1.8 million grant from the Walton Family Foundation, the idea is to link cultural attraction -- those two performing arts centers, Nadine Baum Studios, the Fayetteville Public Library and new parkland just west of the library expansion already under way -- through green space, trails and other facilities that will "activate the outdoor environment."
"The plan," according to the city, "will incorporate playful recreation elements, public art, streetscaping, enhanced pedestrian paths, and open-air gathering spaces while integrating the natural landscape with the urban. When complete, the 50-acre corridor will serve as a vibrant and memorable civic space for entertainment, community, and expression that also showcases the unique character and culture of Fayetteville."
Last week, the public got a look at multiple preliminary design concepts that undoubtedly inspired some "wow" reactions. If something like these ideas is achieved, this public space could be transformative in much the same way the Walton Arts Center, completed in 1992, was in breathing life into a once-ailing Dickson Street. These designers imagine a public space that improves civic life and encourages social interaction. Think of how Fayetteville cherishes the Farmers Market on the downtown square. What's envisioned as part of the arts corridor might be like that, but manyfold.
See, we told you dreaming's easy.
Here's the real challenge: parking. That will come as no surprise to anyone who hits Dickson Street at busy times. Anchoring the north end of the arts corridor is a civic space that could easily become one of the most popular spots in all of Fayetteville, if it's done right. Its location? Just west of the Walton Arts Center.
Yes, where all that parking is.
"This is an opportunity to have a really active civic space that is essentially the center of this corridor," said Zuzana Ponca, project manager for Nelson Byrd Waltz Landscape Architects.
And that sounds awesome, except for that to happen, the parking lot that has been crucial to Dickson Street's economic health would disappear. Imagine how well the Walton Arts Center could have functioned through the years without that lot. And yes, Fayetteville is not just about automobiles; it's about walking and biking as recreation and transportation, too. But the arts center, and the coming TheatreSquared performance facility, do and will draw people from throughout the region, often in dresses, suits and something a little more than gym shorts. Bicycles, pedestrians and mass transportation won't cut it; people want to drive their cars and park decently close to their destination. And thankfully, the Walton Arts Center is a destination for more than just Fayetteville residents.
We believe it when the folks promoting the civic space on what's commonly referred to as the Walton Arts Center parking lot (it's actually owned by the city) say it, too, can become a destination for events. It is crucial, however, that parking for existing events -- the quality performances of the arts center and TheatreSquared, among other locations -- be readily available and easy to use. Dispersing the parking needs throughout the area is not likely to make the Dickson Street experience more inviting to folks from out of town, at least based on what exists today. It's been less than a week since a non-Fayetteville resident volunteered he tries to avoid the city's entertainment district because he hates the parking. It's not an uncommon concern.
Does that mean keep the parking lot? Not when such amazing opportunities are out there for its more community-minded use. But it's important that Fayetteville, in its search for a park-like setting to replace the asphalt, doesn't destroy the facilities that nurture a golden-egg-laying goose known as the Walton Arts Center and all the other performance venues.
The experts engaged by the city know the need for parking exists -- they prefer to call it mobility and connections. Call it what you will. But for the long-term future of a performing arts center the city has worked exceptionally hard to keep, improve and expand, easy parking of automobiles nearby must be preserved. The experts say the corridor has the potential to build on the identity of Fayetteville by creating places people near and far will want to visit.
A 70-year-old Bella Vistan dressed to the nines for a performance of A Bronx Tale isn't likely to check out a VeoRide bike to ride from his car to the theater, particularly in the rain. As much as the creation of a civic space has great potential to build upon the success of Dickson Street again, it will be unwise if it comes by cannibalizing easy parking near the arts center.
Commentary on 10/14/2018