A social district resurfaces Tuesday night

A possible social district – or even two – were back on the agenda for Tuesday night’s work session for the Wake Forest Town Board after being rejected two years ago.

Jennifer Herbert, the downtown development director, led the board through what the district would entail. It is an area where a person could carry an alcoholic beverage in a special plastic cup from one bar to another on a public street. She noted that such a district is recommended in the downtown plan by the firm of Houseal Lavigne that was explained later in the evening by Nik Davis.

The district(s) plan covers everything from the design of the sticker for the plastic cups, the signs for the businesses participating in the district and the responsibility for collecting the trash.

A downtown survey found that businesses would benefit from the social district. There are 14 businesses in downtown with ABC licenses.

Commissioners had questions about the costs such as additional police presence, and it was clear taxpayers would be paying for it. Herbert said it was difficult for her to designate where the district would be, but she wants it to cover all the licensed businesses. However, she also said the Renaissance plaza could have its own.

Commissioner Ben Clapsaddle asked the town staff to develop some courses of action. Commissioner Nick Sliwinski said  the Friday Night On White area and the Bodega restaurant would be a great place to start. Commissioner Keith Shackleford described an area starting at the Bodega and encompassing Freddie’s and Norse Brewery.

Franklinton, Youngsville and of course Raleigh all have social districts.

The meeting began with a proclamation for Plaid Friday and Small Business Saturday for downtown businesses.

Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Director Ruben Wall announced a new agreement with the Wake Forest Boys and Girls Club in which the town pays for a new floor in the gym and town basketball teams have access to the gym for practice.

Another new idea came with Lisa Hayes, the organization performance director, who came with a major update for the revision of the special events policy that includes a section on parades, including motorized parades. When was the last time we had a parade in town?

The parade section includes everything from the age of the drivers to the plan in case of emergency. Hayes said a parade is a good way to bring a community together and celebrate our diverse population.

Much of the meeting was taken up by presentations of other proposed plans, including the proposed downtown plan. It includes implementing the Miller Park master plan. Commissioner Faith Cross said there will be a loss of a lot of parking if the proposed mobility hub – also known as a train station – is built where the old freight station parking lot now is.

The other presentations were for the update of the Unified Development Ordinance by Jackie Berg with Houseal Lavigne and the Multi-Modal Transportation Impact Fee Study by Nilgun Kamp with Benesch.

###