City leaders hope social district in downtown Durham could bring boost to businesses

Durham residents may soon be able to stroll through downtown with an alcoholic beverage in hand. City leaders are considering creating a social district, similar to those in New Orleans or Savannah, where people can have an open container as they walk down the sidewalk.

Posted 10:35 p.m. Mar 24, 2022 — Updated 10:35 p.m. Mar 24, 2022

Sarah Krueger

, WRAL Durham reporter

DURHAM, N.C. — Durham residents may soon be able to stroll through downtown with an alcoholic beverage in hand. City leaders are considering creating a social district, similar to those in New Orleans or Savannah, where people can have an open container as they walk down the sidewalk.

Downtown Durham Inc. is hoping for at least one social district to be approved in the coming months.

"My hope would be that we could have a district in the downtown area by summer," said Nicole Thompson, the CEO of DDI. "It is a geographical district so there are boundaries and within those boundaries, you can carry alcohol outside of an establishment. You can take that into a retail establishment if they are open to that"

"I think it could be an incredibly good thing for Durham specifically if done well," said Shannon Healy, who owns Alley 26, a bar and restaurant in downtown Durham.

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Thompson said it would be a boost to businesses and fun for visitors.

"I think it encourages the walk-ability of downtown through the downtown area," she said. "It allows people to enjoy what downtown [Durham] has to offer [and] to see things."

The specifics - like locations and times - would have to be approved by local leaders.

"We recognize what it can do to a downtown area — the vibrancy it can bring," said Thompson.

The concept isn't new to North Carolina — Greensboro has already approved a social district and similar conversations are happening in Raleigh.

"We know that it certainly can bring much needed business, and we are very focused on how we bring more people into the downtown area as we continue to struggle with the impacts of COVID," said Thompson. "We recognize and feel this is one way to do that."

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Downtown Durham, Inc is doing a survey right now to gauge opinions on this. Thompson said so far responses have been overwhelmingly positive.

"I think it builds on a lot of the momentum that we have going for us with the streeteries, the outdoor dining, that all started during the COVID pandemic," said Thompson.

"More and more people want to eat outside ... I think the program would be more successful now because of COVID," said Healy.

Healy said as long as organizers anticipate and mitigate issues like littering and public drunkenness — he is all for it.

"Hopefully, it'll make it so there is more reason to come to downtown and maybe if people like to bar hop, they don't have to feel like they have to finish their drink to go to the next place," he said.

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