Gastonia is looking to turn its FUSE (Franklin Urban Sports & Entertainment) District into more of a stay-all-night destination, not just a place you swing by for a game or event and then leave. City leaders are pushing for two big missing pieces: a hotel and a concentrated dining spot that would give visitors more reasons to linger within walking distance of Main Avenue's restaurants and bars.
The timing is not random. The downtown conference center is already handling about 400 events a year and generating roughly $760,000 in revenue, and the latest concept includes a hotel rendering prepared by RBA Group, according to the Charlotte Business Journal. City officials and developers say a hotel paired with a dining anchor could help keep more of that event business flowing to downtown merchants instead of drifting to other corridors.
Where the hotel would sit
At a recent City Council meeting, the city formally asked for proposals to build a hotel on the parking lot beside the Gastonia Conference Center at 145 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, and council members voted to seek developers for the site. Council member Donyel Barber noted that the conference center was originally built with a second-level connection meant to link directly to a future hotel, and city leaders talked about a property with up to 100 rooms, per reporting from the Gaston Gazette.
A planned dining anchor
The city's long-range planning documents also call out 212 West Main Avenue as a near-term public-private dining destination that would help stitch together the FUSE District and Main Avenue businesses. That recommendation appears in the City of Gastonia's comprehensive plan, which maps out coordinated projects for the conference center, a future hotel and upgraded streetscapes intended to boost walkability, pedestrian activity and lodging tax revenue; see the City of Gastonia plan for details.
FUSE District momentum
The push for a hotel and dining hub comes as other projects are already reshaping the FUSE District, including a proposed food hall that local TV coverage compared to Charlotte's Optimist Hall, according to WSOC-TV. County economic development updates also highlight projects such as Lenox Development Group's Hangar 618 urban-flex space as signs that private developers are betting on the entertainment corridor, per Gaston County Economic Development.
What comes next
City staff now have the task of reviewing developer proposals, weighing financing, design and parking plans before recommending any deal. Officials say the goal is to keep more group business downtown, capturing hotel room taxes and visitor spending that today often ends up at properties along Remount Road. The RBA Group rendering and the city's formal request for proposals offer the clearest look yet at what leaders hope will rise next to the conference center, according to the Charlotte Business Journal.
Downtown restaurateurs and Main Avenue merchants could see a boost if more visitors stay overnight and eat nearby, though neighbors and council members are expected to scrutinize the details around building design, parking and any public incentives as submissions roll in. City officials say the RFP process will establish a timeline for picking a developer and moving the project from glossy rendering to actual construction.
