WILMINGTON — After a successful three weekends launching a pilot program in February, the Brooklyn Arts District Collective is approaching city council by August about the permanency of a social district.
READ MORE: ‘Butterfly effect’: BAD Social District a success, permanency addressed by city staff
The proposal to allow the district to launch every Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. will be considered Aug. 19, city spokesperson Dylan Lee confirmed.
A social district welcomes 21-and-older patrons to traverse a 10-block area with open containers of alcohol that have been purchased from area businesses. Social districts became legal in North Carolina 2021, with the goal to improve economic impact and help drive foot traffic to area businesses.
Locally, the BAD Collective — a group of 20 businesses on N. Fourth Street — came together to pitch the city a pilot program earlier this year. It didn’t cost the city anything, as the businesses covered all expenses — maps, cups, stickers, signage — and trash pickup with the help of Wilmington Downtown Inc.
“From the city standpoint, a lot of what we look like is managing risk,” said Aubrey Parsley, the city’s director of economic development who represented Wilmington at Wilmington Business Journal’s Power Breakfast series on Tuesday, June 17. “As an overarching comment, I think over the last few years there has been more than 50 social districts instituted in North Carolina and not one has reverted back to not becoming a social district. I think that is a fairly solid trend that the program and what’s out there tends to be working in a lot of communities. The city will continue to work with various partners to pursue those projects.”
WDI CEO Christina Haley, also at the breakfast, said she has been working closely with BAD businesses and the city to formalize a social district plan moving forward. The city informed Port City Daily early drafts of the plan would have to be accessed via a public records request or obtained by the BAD Collective.
Tara English — owner of Brooklyn Cafe, who also launched Skyline Cafe in the city’s headquarters on Wednesday — didn’t respond by press to PCD’s request for the BAD proposal. English was at the forefront of the social district’s organization efforts along North Fourth Street.
“When the street sees business, we see business,” she told council earlier this year.
Haley informed around 3,000 or more people come through in one afternoon during the pilot in February. Outspoken critics worried a social district would make way for potential safety concerns, particularly with drinking and driving, litter accumulation on the streets, and large quantities of people congregating on the Northside, which is surrounded by residential housing and therefore could be disruptive.
“We worked hard over those three days to make sure it went smoothly,” Haley said, adding many attendees had never been to the Fourth Street area before and have since become repeat customers. “There were no reports of needing any law enforcement and everybody was very well-behaved.”
In addition to BAD’s request to have a permanent Saturday social district, in mid-July the city council will hear guidance from staff on how social districts should look moving forward in other areas of the city.
“Right now, both the standards and revisions are being approved by city staff,” Haley told the power breakfast crowd.
Also in attendance Wednesday were other developers and representatives, including Andy Hewitt, president of A|C Hewitt Development, who has helped transform the Soda Pop District. Kelly Reynolds, managing director for the Cargo District on behalf of LS Smith Inc., also attended. Both showed interest in also pursuing a social district in their respective areas.
“It’s probably, from our alcohol establishments, the number one wish on the list: Can we become a social district?” Reynolds said. “We do have eight bars down there now and they are in such close proximity that there is a natural inclination to leave with your drink in hand.”
Leslie Smith, the Cargo District owner and developer, hasn’t yet approached the city with a proposal but said he is keeping abreast of the situation as it heads to council.
[Ed. note: The piece has been updated to reflect the social district will go to council on Aug. 19 — not July 15, the date the city first relayed to PCD.]
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