There are 18 performing arts centers in every major North Carolina city except Fayetteville.

Cumberland County Commissioner Jimmy Keefe told Up & Coming Weekly that’s about to change, and that one may finally be on the horizon after decades of discussion.

Talk of a new performing arts center has been ongoing for at least 20 years, with its earliest mention in the city's 2002 Renaissance Plan. Keefe has been involved in the process for more than eight years.

The main takeaways of a survey confirmed the area's desire for a facility and showed a need for it to cater to a younger and more diverse market — that’s according to Conventions, Sports and Leisure, Executive Director, Adam Kerns. Kern’s firm conducted the study.

Keefe said the most viable source of funding for the center would be food and beverage taxes.

“We can do this without any additional taxation.”

Keefe envisions a 90,000 square-foot multi-purpose center on three to four acres of city or county-owned property in downtown Fayetteville.

“Everything is moving in the right direction for a facility to be up and running by 2025,” Keefe said.