Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1125688
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JUNE 5-11, 2019 UCW 11 Residents and business owners in Fayetteville's historic Haymount com- munity will soon see some significant improvements at the five-point in- tersection at the top of the Hay Street hill. e North Carolina Department of Transportation has earmarked $10,000 for preliminary engineering for a project designed to make the area safer for pedestrians and motor- ists, according to Eric Vitale, a planner with the Fayetteville Area Metropoli- tan Planning Organization. e city of Fayetteville has already created new crosswalks where High- land and Oakridge Avenues intersect the business district. e other three roads, Hay Street, Morganton Road and Fort Bragg Road, are state-maintained streets. e DOT will completely remake the confluence of the five road- ways with new crosswalks, traffic signals and push-button pedestrian controls. e speed limit along Morganton and Fort Bragg Roads in the business center was reduced to 25 mph several years ago when an elderly pedestrian was struck and killed. In March of last year, the five-point commercial district was transformed into a pedestrian-friendly area on a Saturday afternoon as part of a Build a Better Block project. "e purpose of this project (was) to revitalize the area, test ideas for the future, increase pedestrian safety, engage the commu- nity and boost the economy," Vitale said in a news release. During the event, Hay Street, Mor- ganton Road and Fort Bragg Road were temporarily converted into a pe- destrian-friendly area with narrowed traffic lanes, widened sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks, benches and plazas. "Fayetteville is a perfect place for a Better Block project, especially con- sidering that out of the 141 cities in the country with a population greater than 200,000, Fayetteville ranks last in walkability," Vitale said. Much of the one-day outlook was familiar to panelists who took part in a local Urban Land Development Institute public meeting a year earlier, in April of 2017. It, too, proposed changes for Haymount Hill — in con- junction with the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center planned for Arsenal Park. A technical assistance panel presented recom- mendations on strategies to leverage the future of the History Center, which is expected to generate on- and off- site income of $5 million annually. As many as 130,000 people are projected to visit the History Cen- ter, which will become a branch of the state history museum complex. e technical assistance panel was to assess and provide advice on the challenges to create a more vibrant mixed-use Fayetteville neighborhood following the eventual opening of the History Center. e group was also supposed to address pedestrian and transportation needs. But the Urban Land Development Institute plans never came to fruition. City officials who may know why that is have declined to elaborate. "e group hasn't met in more than a year," said Deputy City Manager Kristoff Bauer. "e city no longer has someone on staff who is actively working the walk- ability study from a few years ago," added city spokesman Kevin Arata. It will be up to FAMPO and the DOT to carry Haymount's walkability devel- opment forward. Building a better Haymount by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS e five-point intersection at the top of Haymount Hill is set to see some upgrades. "Cumberland County's Community Newspaper" "Cumberland County's Community Newspaper" The right choice ... here to stay Independent Free Community Newspapers TARGETED Our town. Our people. This newspaper is delivered to almost all of the people in the towns that you need to reach. PROVEN We've been bringing buyers and sellers together for decades. When times are tough, choose the paper that is here to stay AUDITED We have the numbers! Our receivership and readership are unmatched in the community. You need our numbers, because we provide the audience you need.