Fayetteville Art Corridor

What is an arts corridor and why do Fayetteville officials want one? In this podcast, listeners will learn more about Fayetteville's proposed cultural arts corridor project, such as: • What an arts corridor is and what sparked the idea in Fayetteville • Why the city is likely to build the arts corridor regardless of whether voters approve the funding plan in an April 9 election • Why city leaders believe it's important to tie existing amenities together • What city leaders plan to do about parking the civic space would displace • Discussion about the economic impact the arts corridor might be expected to have • Whether the civic space is an anti-Bikes, Blues and BBQ project (https://bikesbluesandbbq.org/) Fayetteville residents will be asked in April to provide $30 million to build what city leaders call a "civic space" on the city-owned parking lot at West Avenue and Dickson Street. That parking lot, with 290 spaces, now serves as primary parking for the Walton Arts Center's performances. The project (http://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/3456/Cultural-Arts-Corridor) on the April 9 sales tax election is referred to as a cultural arts corridor that includes the civic space as well as a trail/park connecting the area's arts-related amenities, from the new TheatreSquared performance space (https://ournextstage.org) to the Fayetteville Public Library, which is now expanding (https://www.beyondwordsfpl.org/), and beyond to land the University of Arkansas is transforming into Windgate Arts and Design District in south Fayetteville. This podcast features an interview with Breck Gastinger, a senior associate with Nelson Byrd Woltz (https://www.nbwla.com), a landscape design and engineering firm funded with a Walton Family Foundation grant to the city for design work on the project. He's joined by Zu Ponca, an associate with the firm, and Peter Neirengarten, who is sustainability director for the city of Fayetteville and is leading the city's efforts on the project. Visit nwaonline.com for more stories on the Arts Corridor. https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2019/jan/30/fayetteville-council-sees-final-concept/ https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2018/dec/07/public-helps-shape-planned-arts-corrido/