TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Adam Lindsay, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Sheila Thomas-Ambat, Public Services Director
Alicia Lanier, Stormwater Project Manager - Special Projects
DATE: August 4, 2025
RE:
Title
Cross Creek Channel Improvements - Advance to 15% Design
end
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
1, 2, 3, and 4
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Supports Goal 3. City Investment in Today and Tomorrow, through the Strategic Objective 3.1 Enhance City street connectivity, traffic flow, and stormwater systems.
Executive Summary:
The Cross Creek Channel Improvements option involves re-grading the stream channel from MLK Freeway to Green Street to provide a defined channel and flood corridor and increase the capacity of Cross Creek. Replacement of bridges and culverts through this corridor would be part of this project. Based on preliminary concept development, this option has a planning level construction cost of $50M plus necessary project acquisition, the specifics of which would be established through the development of a more detailed concept. Of the options considered, the channel improvement provides the largest reduction in flood depths and extents within the downtown area. Staff recommends Council provides consensus to advance the Cross Creek Channel Improvement option to 15% design using Enterprise Funds of $534,050.
Background:
The City of Fayetteville (City) previously engaged Hazen and Sawyer (Hazen) to study the Cross Creek watershed as part of t he City’s watershed master planning program. Through the watershed masterplan development, Hazen identified that the primary system, Cross Creek, has significant flooding within the downtown area. Historical flooding has resulted in significant property damages, and disruption to community and economic activity in the downtown area.
As part of the Cross Creek Watershed Master Plan development, Hazen identified and evaluated high level concepts for proposed solutions to address flooding concerns, including detention, diversion, floodplain buyout, and capacity increases, which was the most feasible option that was recommended to advance to conceptual design. Increased capacity opportunities involved modifying channel and floodplain geometry to reduce the flooded width and increase the conveyance capacity of the channel.
Hazen presented to the City Council on September 5, 2023, to summarize existing flooding concerns and discuss key advantages and limitations of the evaluated conceptual proposed solutions. The presented analysis noted that both Rose Lake and the channel improvement concept help reduce flooding along Cross Creek, with the channel improvement concept especially helping to address flooding downtown. Additionally, the analysis demonstrated that implementation of both concepts enhanced flood reduction. The City Council consensus resulting from this meeting was to pursue funding sources for both the channel improvement and Rose Lake options. City Staff subsequently requested Hazen to provide a scope of work to advance both of these efforts. The Rose Lake preliminary design scope has been presented separately. The proposed services for conceptual design scope for Cross Creek channel geometry improvement includes supplemental survey and data collection, channel improvement alternatives development, hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, benefit cost analyses, and preliminary engineering report including 15% Design Plans. A key component of the conceptual design scope will also include framework for a strategic communications plan which will include developing a project brand, key briefing materials for City staff and Council members, and public engagement. These preliminary design services are anticipated to be complete within 11 months of notice to proceed.
Issues/Analysis:
Downtown flooding concerns from Cross Creek are significant, with flooding beyond the banks of Cross Creek during a 5-yr event and many road crossings downtown having a level of service of 10-yrs or less. The geometry of Cross Creek through the downtown area, contributing runoff from upstream and nearby areas, and development within the effective floodplain are key contributing factors to flooding concerns.
By reducing the flow of contributing runoff downstream, dry detention at Rose Lake is expected to reduce downstream flood elevations generally by 1- to 2-ft during a 10-yer storm event. The flood reduction benefits of Rose Lake diminish as Cross Creek approaches downtown such that Rose Lake does not fundamentally solve downtown flooding concerns. The Rose Lake option could likely be implemented within a general timeframe of the next 5 years with further benefit-cost-ratio (BR) analysis and adequate funding.
By providing more capacity for storm flows and a defined floodplain, the Cross Creek Channel Improvement concept is expected to substantially reduce flood depths and extents in the downtown area. During a 10-yr storm event, flood depths were modeled to be lowered by 3- to 4-ft, and flood extents during a 100-yr storm with improvements in place are similar to a 10-yr storm under existing conditions. Due to the project’s extent, cost, and complexity, implementation is likely to occur over a longer period of time (10+ years) with options for implementing distinct phases of the conceptual improvement.
By proceeding with further evaluations of the Channel Improvement Option, the City will be better poised to create an implementation plan and acquire properties as opportunities are presented. This evaluation will also allow for more informed decisions regarding future development plans within the downtown area. This option provides substantial benefits related to roadway flooding, disconnected structures, and traverse road crossings, as well as many co-benefits. The Channel improvements option will provide environmental and public benefits including recreational opportunities, and water quality benefits. The Channel Improvements option is scalable, incremental, and could be implemented in phases.
The Channel Improvement option BCR is 0.17, primarily due to the high cost (~$50M plus property acquisitions) and benefits of the project that are not captured by the preliminary BCR. The scalable approach coupled with a more detailed evaluation and concept design could raise the BCR substantially by accounting for economic disruption avoided and other damage reduction benefits beyond the simple structure and content damage estimates included in the current BCR. Additional funding is needed for advanced concept development and more detailed evaluations of costs and benefits.
Budget Impact:
No budget impact.
Options:
1. Council provides consensus to advance the Cross Creek Channel Improvement Option to 15% design.
2. Council does not provide consensus to advance the Cross Creek Channel Improvement option to 15% design and remands back to staff with additional guidance.
Recommended Action:
Staff recommends Council provides consensus to advance the Cross Creek Channel Improvement Option to 15% design.
Attachments:
CRO Channel Improvements August 2025 Council Meeting_Updated 2025.07.24.pptx
WA - CRO Channel Improvements and Exhibits 2025.07.10.pdf