FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Downtown Fayetteville is undergoing a renaissance that developers hope will give the city's center a new life.

Construction has just started on a $13 million mixed-use development at 300 Hay St. that will include 20 townhouses, 16 condominiums, five penthouses and 6,000 square feet of retail space.

"It's about time that people give us more credit and give us a better image," said Menno Pennink, of Pennink Properties, which is marketing the development.

Project contractor Mark Stout said the

300 Hay Development

will almost double the number of residents living downtown.

Already, more than half of the residences, which run anywhere from $140,000 to $340,000, are reserved. The townhouses are expected to be ready for move-in by next summer, and the condominiums are expected to be ready by the end of 2007.

"It also adds more of a nightlife and economic base for some of the stores so that they can be open after 5 o'clock in the evening," Stout said.