Changing the keys

Gary Ciccone and Chancellor Darrell T. Allison mark the transition in ownership of Bronco Square. Photography by Ezekiel Best.

FSU acquires Bronco Square for $5 million, debt-free

A staff report

Fayetteville State University is now the full owner of the Bronco Square shopping mall. The $5 million debt-free acquisition includes the new Innovation Hub, a free-standing Chick-fil-A, and a Starbucks on campus.

FSU Chancellor Darrell T. Allison announced the university’s purchase and expansion on October 12 at a “Changing of the Keys” ceremony in Bronco Square’s parking lot off Murchison Road.

“We want to play our part in this city, in this region, in this county, so that we can, too, be a more viable partner here,” Allison said. “As Fayetteville State grows, so does Fayetteville, so does Cumberland County, so does this region.”

Prior to the acquisition, the university owned 50 percent of the shopping mall. Gary Ciccone, a former Fayetteville lawyer, owned the other half. As he handed over the keys to Bronco Square, Ciccone also made a generous $150,000 donation to FSU.

The revitalized Bronco Square building, about 32,480 square feet, comes with a new parcel of land. The current bookstore will now be converted into the FSU Innovation & Entrepreneurship Hub, a 6,500 square foot space supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs. The Hub will include conference rooms, training capacity for up to 40 people, and 184 parking spaces. Opening is scheduled for May 2022.

The new free-standing Chick-fil-A will be placed at the corner of Bronco Square, and the Starbucks will be built

The HUB will feature flexible, tech-supported configuration for individual workspaces, conference rooms, group meetings, and casual coffee conversations.

on campus, said Trevor Ferguson, president of higher education for Aramark, FSU’s food and restaurant partner.

In 2020, Aramark and FSU opened a McAllister’s Deli in the same shopping center.

The “Changing of the Keys” event included remarks from Chancellor Allison; Wesley Fountain, FSU’s Associate Vice Chancellor for Community Relations and Economic Partnerships; Gary Ciccone, local business leader; Ulysses Taylor, Chair, FSU Development Corporation, and Interim Dean of the Broadwell College of Business and Economics; Scott Hamilton, President of the Golden LEAF Foundation; Glenn Adams, Chair of the FSU Board of Trustees, FSU Endowment Board, and the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners; and the Honorable Mitch Colvin, Mayor, City of Fayetteville.

Business leader Gary Ciccone donates $150,000 to Fayetteville State University.

Photography by Ezekiel Best.