A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME: A new baseball stadium and revitalization in Fayetteville aren't the only things driving growth in Cumberland County.

• Author: Blake, Kathy
• Position: REGIONAL REPORT: CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Starting April 2019, a Houston Astros minor-league franchise will play in a new $37.8 million, 4,800-seat baseball stadium on Hay Street in Fayetteville, a deal inked in 2016 when team president Reid Ryan, son of Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, announced the team's switch from the California League.

Ryan predicted the new agreement "will be part of a dynamic revitalization of downtown Fayetteville." He was right.

Fayetteville's first taste of pro baseball since the old Class A Cape Fear Crocs organization left in 2000 for Lakewood, N.J., has prompted more than $100 million in public and private investment toward downtown development. But that's not the only thing Cumberland County has going for it, as public and private-sector leaders work to strengthen the community and economy.

Officials throughout the city and county, from government, higher education, workforce development, health care, tourism and the military, have joined in a team effort to rebrand Fayetteville and the 652 square miles of Cumberland County. A committee has been formed to develop a unified platform to promote the next chapters of the county and Fayetteville, whose average citizen age of 29.9 is the youngest of any metro in the Carolinas, according to Robert Van Geons, president and CEO of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corp.

"Like baseball, economic development is a team sport. It takes everyone. It takes all the pieces to be in place with the right project, and to move aggressively as a community," Van Geons says. "There's never been a time when all those parties have been around the same table. We started recognizing that the EDC, the city and the convention and visitors bureau all had their individual brands, so we thought, 'Why are we spending money to do this separately when we can all put ideas into one pot and see what we have in common?' We want to be great together and tell the story of our community."

The Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau notes that tourism already has an economic impact of $504 million and is connected to 4,400 jobs with a payroll exceeding $93 million. Those numbers could grow through a concerted effort.

"The city and county governments do want to see a new, inclusive branding for the area," says John Meroski, president and CEO of the CVB. "The desired outcome is for the consistent use of messaging, imagery and sharing of resources."

Scott Dorney, executive director of the North Carolina Military Business Center, says a spirit of collaboration --military and civilian, local, state and federal, government and private sector--is a catalyst for growing the economy. The NCMBC is based at Fayetteville Technical Community College.

"The NCMBC leverages ever-stronger bonds with the chamber, economic development, Fayetteville Tech, Fayetteville State and other colleges, numerous contracting offices and public-private ventures at Fort Bragg to help more North Carolina businesses compete, win and grow jobs," he says. The NCMBC generated $958 million in defense contracts in Cumberland County in 2017.

The downtown development project associated with the Astros stadium between the Prince Charles Hotel and Amtrak station includes renovating the landmark hotel into residential apartments, adding another major-chain hotel and 81,000 square feet of office space. The upgrade, including incoming retail, is expected to add at least 580 downtown jobs with estimated total annual wages of $26 million. Projected 150 to 200 part-time game-day and event jobs could mean wages of more than $500,000. The Astros affiliate will play 70 home games a season, and Fayetteville will host the NCAA Big South Conference tournament 2019 through 2021.

Baseball and the accompanying redevelopment is just one ticket in Cumberland County's resurgence.

A $35 million parks and recreation bond has led to three splash pads opening in Fayetteville, plans for a senior center to be built in western Fayetteville near Lake Rim Park and other future projects.

"We are seeing great collaboration with Cumberland County," says City Manager Doug Hewett. "The county has helped fund our new downtown baseball stadium project and is helping fund the state's new Civil War History Center. The county also partnered with us on the Franklin Street parking deck. These partnerships are vital for the present and the future as our community continues to grow and prosper."

Cumberland County is also home to Fort Bragg, one of the world's largest military bases. About 6,500 trained personnel transition to the local workforce each year, a labor pool that has amassed 50,000 veterans and 30,000 military spouses.

In June, the Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg and The Geneva Foundation, a worldwide nonprofit that supports medical research and the health and well-being of the military, formed the Fort Bragg Research Institute in partnership with the Cape Fear Research Consortium, which includes Fayetteville Tech, Campbell...