Task force rejects Fayetteville Museum of Art plan

Fayetteville, N.C. — A task force voted Monday night that it is not financially feasible for the Fayetteville Museum of Art to build a $12 million facility in Festival Park.

Instead, the panel recommended four possible sites for a scaled-down version of a new museum.

Two of the recommended sites are in Festival Park, but would take up less space. One site would be along Ray Avenue, while another would go along Rowan Street.

The other proposed sites include the parking lot behind the Advanced Internet Technologies building in downtown and the Festival Park Plaza building that sits near the traffic circle at Maiden Lane.

The museum had hoped to build a nine-story, $12.5 million facility in the heart of the popular downtown park. Opposition to that plan has grown over the last several months, however, with questions swirling about the museum’s troubled finances and its ability to raise money for a new building.

The task force plans to meet with Mayor Tony Chavonne and city council members in the coming weeks to get feedback on its recommendations. An official presentation to the full city council isn’t expected until March.