- Charlotte officially opened it's social district
- Charlotte becomes the first city in Eaton County to have a social district.
- Watch the video above to learn about the social district
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I'm here in Charlotte, where they have officially become the first city in Eaton County to have a social district. City leaders believe this will help downtown grow.
"Really is about having a drink or two enjoying some activities going and having a good time with your friends and family," Charlotte Rising Executive Director Annie Williams said.
Charlotte Rising Executive Director Annie Williams and her team spent two years working on this project. and she believes it will bring more people downtown.
"The best part is we have small business Saturday coming up this weekend," Charlotte Rising Executive Director Annie Williams said.
Now you might ask yourself what is a social district? It's an outdoor area where people can buy an adult beverage from participating businesses and drink them while walking or sitting in specified common areas outside of the establishment, or take it to certain other restaurants and bars.
"We're excited about doing this, this is going to bring more vitality to the downtown and support all the festivals we have," Charlotte Mayor Tim Lewis said.
We previewed the district's opening last week. I posted the story on Facebook. Some viewers commented with safety concerns, including the possibility of more drunk driving. I listened and then took those concerns to Charlotte Mayor Tim Lewis.
"When I first started looking at this project, that was the number one thing I look for, I looked at other cities that ahve done this and I talk to other officials, and I found there is very little miss behavior going on in these projects," Charlotte Mayor Tim Lewis said.
We'll keep you updated as more time passes with the social district open. Looking ahead, Williams and her team believe the district is a step forward for the city
"The amount of foot traffic we're going to have is astronomical," Charlotte Rising Executive Director Annie Williams said.
Williams tells me there will be more than 60 vendors for the first event with the social district in place for Small Business Saturday, this weekend.
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