The Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Commission has scheduled an additional meeting for May 21 to gather feedback on how to repurpose the Market House.
The meeting will take place at the Cliffdale Recreation Center, 6404 Cliffdale Road, from noon to 2 p.m.
Residents who wish to participate or provide input should use the form available at fayettevillenc.gov/markethouse.
The commission has held several meetings over the past month to hear from residents about the future of the downtown structure. It has heard from hundreds of Fayetteville residents during in-person meetings and virtual gatherings, a release said.
The Market House has been a divisive issue for years, mainly because of its history of slaves being sold there. The City Council is trying to decide how best to repurpose the building.
The Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Commission was asked by the City Council to gather additional community input on the proposed repurposing of the structure. The request came after the council heard a report from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The information gathered at the meetings is expected to be provided to the City Council for review in July.
Possibilities for repurposing the Market House have included an art display, a Black culture and history display, a marketplace for Black vendors, an educational or themed event space, as well as expanding the base and alleviating the multiple traffic lanes that encircle the Market House.
The Department of Justice worked with 80 people during two sessions in October and January to identify options for repurposing the Market House. The Department of Justice presented its report to the council in March, which is when the council decided to gather more input from residents.
