MEBANE – Tory Williams has high hopes for a 12-month pilot project launching Friday, June 28, that supporters say can help boost Mebane's downtown revitalization efforts.
A six-block area in the heart of downtown Mebane will serve as a testing ground for a 12-month pilot project known as the Downtown Mebane Social District beginning Friday, June 28. The district will be a defined area with loosened restrictions allowing pedestrians 21 and older to carry open alcohol containers outside of bars and restaurants where they are sold.
Williams, as general manager of Bright Penny Brewing at the eastern boundary of the district, will have a front row seat to see how it goes.
“The whole goal of it really is just to get participation and to get people to grab a drink and not be locked down to that bar and be able to walk around and explore the shops and things like that,” Williams said.
The established boundaries of the Downtown Mebane Social District run along East Center Street from the Little Shops of Mebane — at 301 N. Third St. — to North Seventh Street and along East Clay Street from the 2 Twelve Seasonal Kitchen & Bar at 212 W. Clay St. to North Fifth Street.
After the June 28 kick-off event, the Downtown Mebane Social District’s weekly hours will run from Thursday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
In September 2021, the General Assembly passed a law that allowed local city and county governments to create social districts. Currently, more than 44 cities and towns have them, including Burlington, Elon, Greensboro and Raleigh.
On May 6, the Mebane City Council voted 4-1 to create one, with Council Montrena W. Hadley was lone vote against it.
“I think it should be held on an event-by-event basis,” Hadley told the Times-News. “I would like to see more information on our own smaller cities as well, on how it's being handled and done.”
Social districts must have signs denoting boundaries, special cups bearing responsible consumption messages, clearly defined days and hours of operation and posted maps at the district’s boundaries.
Other restrictions: Only ABC-licensed establishments with on-site alcohol consumption permits inside the social district are allowed to sell beverages; cups must be 16 ounces or less; cups must be adorned with the social district logo, the name of the business where it was sold, and the date and time of purchase; and beverages cannot be carried outside the social district.
Every business in the district has the choice to opt-in or opt-out of the social district, and the business owner’s preference will be indicated by a decal displayed on the front door or in the front window.
Supporters say social districts have the potential to provide an economic spark for small businesses, spur revitalization efforts in the downtown area and enhance established annual events while creating an entertainment destination for visitors.
However, some worry that such changes to alcohol policy have potential long-term public health effects.
A 2017 study published in the North Carolina Medical Journal estimated that excessive alcohol use costs the state nearly $10 billion annually in lost productivity, healthcare costs, criminal justice expenses and motor vehicle accidents.
Emily Lowery, executive director of the Haven, a homeless shelter, said she was among those who strongly opposed the establishment of a social district in downtown Brevard when city officials considered it last year. Brevard, a city with a population of less than 9,000, established its social district last August.
“I think that being a family-centered town (it) sends the wrong message to our children that it takes alcohol to have a good time when people are carousing around town with drinks in hand,” Lowery told the Times-News. “It normalizes alcohol use and desensitizes its use by seeing it all the time.”
Williams disagrees.
Without a social district, “If you’re grabbing a drink in a bar and you want to go to the next place, you have to chug that before you leave in order to go to the next place," he said. “In this situation, you can have a drink and you can walk around with and sip it, and you're not buying three to four drinks because you're able to hold onto that drink for a while."
Last August, the Raleigh City Council expanded the boundaries of its downtown social district, known as “Sip ’n Stroll,” and hours of operation, which now runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, said Julia Milstead, the city’s public information officer.
“Based on feedback from business owners and downtown visitors, we believe the ‘Sip ‘n Stroll’ district serves as a valuable tool in increasing economic activity and vibrancy of downtown Raleigh,” Milstead said.
Williams said he firmly believes the success story of Raleigh’s Sip n’ Stroll can easily translate to Mebane.
“I don't see any sort of negative impact on the city or any of the local businesses,” Williams said. “I think we'll be able to prove it to the city that this is a benefit and not a ... [detriment].”
