Tuesday night three Wake Forest town commissioners turned off the spigots for the beer and liquor that could be flowing in the proposed downtown social district by voting against approving the district.
Commissioners Jim Dyer, Nick Sliwinski and Chad Sary voted no on Commissioner Adam’s Wright motion to approve the district while Commissioner Keith Shackleford and Wright voted for it.
But on Wednesday, Wright issued a statement reflecting his belief the social district is something town business owners want. “I wouldn’t label this dead just yet. I am still going to work this project as it is something that a lot of our downtown businesses want – as demonstrated by the downtown business alliance sending a letter of approval,” Wright wrote.
He continued, “Due to timing with FNOW planning, we may have to take it up later this year. So, I would presume we will talk a lot about it ok the campaign trail. At the end of the day, I want to do what is best for our community and our downtown businesses. I work for them and will do what they deem best.”
Before the vote, Sliwinski related several times that he had visited downtown, looking at where the social district had been proposed – It changed shape and affected streets several times – and wondered how it could be enforced.
Sary said he was on the fence about the district and had several reservations.
Downtown Manager Jennifer Herbert displayed the latest district map, which showed the district confined to South White and East Owen streets. Norse Brewing, whose owner had strongly supported the social district, was not included, but White Street Brewing, whose owner had reportedly strongly opposed the district, was in the district. The district map also excluded the Renaissance Plaza, where Page 158 Books owner John Lucey was anxious to be a part of the district although his plea would not be considered unless another business owner in the plaza asked for inclusion. The current map also did not consider two projects that could welcome inclusion in the district – the proposed food hall in the former S&W Chevrolet building on Roosevelt Avenue and the conversion of a former Holding Cotton/paper warehouse on South White Street into a restaurant and other uses.
Herbert had worked on the district for several months and showed the commissioners photos of the proposed plastic drink cups on which the brewery or bar would write the customer’s name and time the cup was filled along with color-coded door stickers which would indicate which downtown businesses were selling beer and/or liquor, which welcomed customers with drinks in hand and which did not.
She is also responsible for the planning and preparations for Friday Night on White in the summer.
At the beginning of the meeting the commissioners heard three presentations about proposed subdivisions which had been heard by the planning board in December. The planning board voted to recommend the commissioners approve two of the three – the Averette Woods subdivision on Averette Road and the Reserve at Dunn Creek – and voted unanimously not to recommend approval of the Harris Road subdivision, citing many ways in which it did not meet or did not conform to town standards and requirements.
There will be a public hearing about the three subdivision plans during the town board’s business meeting on January 17.
At the close of the meeting Town Manager Kip Padgett raised the subject of a North Carolina Department of Transportation plan to improve the management of the 43 traffic signals in Wake Forest. There is apparently a delay in the implementation, caused in whole or part by the need to repair or install a handicapped ramp at an intersection,
But the DOT plan is going to be overtaken by a new method of controlling traffic lights which includes the ability of fire engine crews to change traffic signals from red to green.
The short discussion, which also included Engineering Director Joseph Guckavan and Chief Information Officer Adam Oates, required some background, not offered. The Gazette will follow up on this topic in coming weeks.
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3 Responses
Seriously this is why Wake Forest is the laughing stock of the triangle.
This is disappointing. WF already has the strictest police force in the triangle; what do they expect to happen besides folks having a good time in the downtown they have been trying to revitalize forever. It’s decisions like this which are why downtown WF will forever be known as “Mayberry” as a friend of mine referred to it when I showed him the nightlife here.
But alas, lets STILL keep approving massive housing subdivisions which we don’t have the infrastructure for. We like THOSE tax dollars.
So disappointed in the WF commissioners.
Wowww, what a joke. Yes, by all means! Let’s keep downtown boring and old and stagnant!