Fayetteville Mayor Ed Johnson
Fayetteville has always been a great place to live and raise a family – close enough to Atlanta to access jobs and activities, far enough away to stay a quiet, tight-knit community. Yet, eventually, superheroes found out about us. It’s hard to keep our city’s pleasures a secret when Ant Man, Black Panther, Captain American, Guardians of the Galaxy, Superman and Spiderman move in.
With continued growth at Trilith studios and the new U.S. Soccer’s headquarters, Fayetteville is shaking off its sleepy image. In fact, we’d argue that it is leading the way for exciting growth on the Southside over the coming decades. Through planning for smart growth, Fayetteville is transforming into a cool destination in the Atlanta region.
As city leaders, our goal is to prepare diligently for this progress without losing the special qualities that attracted so many to Fayetteville in the first place: safe neighborhoods, great schools, a high quality of life and strong sense of belonging.
Transformation thanks to Trilith
The development of Trilith Studios instantly and forever changed Fayetteville’s trajectory. Trilith is now the largest film studio in North America, boasting 1.5 million square feet of production facilities nestled on 700 acres.
What is unique about the Town at Trilith is movie stars and production folks may commute by foot. On a tour of the Town at Trilith you’ll find 235 acres of homes designed to look like walkable European villages. Eventually it will grow to 750 homes.
Not far from the studios, QTS is constructing the state’s largest data center on nearly 700 acres. This facility will benefit residents by providing a strong tax benefit without additional demands on city services. And it is on course to become the largest data center in the world.
The U.S. Soccer headquarters groundbreaking took place in April and is scheduled to open its doors in 2026. The Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center will include a dozen soccer fields and over 100,000 square feet of indoor courts for all 27 U.S. Soccer National Teams, plus high-performance facilities, locker rooms, meeting rooms and offices. Having an asset like this also brings in significant tourism. Projections from economic developers suggest this project will create over 50,000 hotel room nights per year. Fayetteville is already becoming less reliant on our residential tax base. But that economic boost is already providing benefits to those who call Fayetteville home.
Soccer is no stranger to Fayetteville. Our city has long boasted some of the best recreational and select programs in the country. The sport’s popularity was reflected in the big turnout for Fayetteville’s first-ever Kick’n Rhythm Festival in August which celebrated our connections with Atlanta United, U.S. Soccer and several local soccer associations.
Our progress won’t occur in a vacuum. The city has plans, and we consistently communicate with residents to build consensus.
To this end, on 38 city-owned acres adjacent to downtown, we’re planning a live-work-play community that will provide a variety of housing options along with new restaurants, entertainment, retail shops, trails and public greenspaces. The proposed project is an extension of the successful Fayetteville City Hall & City Center Park project, which opened in 2021. More people than ever are now gathering in these spaces and enjoying community life together. It will not only take our gathering opportunities to a new level, but it will also offer much-needed connectivity for our downtown streets and pathways. So, not only will people enjoy our downtown spaces more, but they will also be able to do so while they leave their vehicles at home. Those who drive vehicles will have more options to move through downtown without burdening the existing major corridors.
We’ve seen the success of the Battery and the Atlanta Braves, Avalon in Alpharetta, and Halcyon in south Forsyth County. They provide not only workforce housing, but also jobs centers and a regional destination. Our project brings this proven winner to the Southside, with a plan by Lamar Wakefield– a man whose versatility and leadership made these very different projects happen.
The planned Fayetteville Town Center
A future trail system
The vision requires stitching the city together through a trail system conceived long before Trilith or U.S. Soccer entered the conversation. Ultimately, Fayetteville residents will be able to use the system to access the city’s three hubs: the Fayette Pavilion shopping center to the north; all the amenities in our central downtown district; and the growing number of attractions developing to the west surrounding Piedmont Fayette Hospital, Trilith, and the future U.S. Soccer facility. As we connect the city’s hubs, we’re also creating a regional hub – a metro Atlanta leader in the creative arts, sports, arts and entertainment.
These trails will offer users a connection to nature, take cars off the road, create an outlet for exercise and provide activity that deepens human connections. Our residents will benefit from a robust and growing tax base, transportation options, and escalating property values.
We hope you come visit, but we offer you a fair warning: You might decide to stay.
Ed Johnson has been the mayor of Fayetteville since January 2016.
