CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte’s first social district is launching in early March.
Boundary signs are up in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood and organizers are finalizing details and materials with participating restaurants and bars.
As new construction comes into the area, Russell Ferguson, a partner at Dish, hopes the incoming social district will help preserve older businesses.
"Changing demographics in the neighborhood have really sort of changed what the area's felt like," Ferguson said.
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Dish has been a staple in Plaza Midwood for more than 20 years but it's not immune to hard times.
"It's been very tough going through labor shortages, inflation," Ferguson said.
Ferguson thinks sipping and strolling will encourage people to explore different spots.
"We think it's just one more tool in a toolbox to try to save historic parts of Charlotte," he added. "It’s a positive force. It can help us all work together to promote the neighborhood."
However, not everyone is drinking up the plan. Several comments online pointed out concerns with safety and liability.
"As long as an ABC permittee is following the responsible safe serving training, there should not be an issue at all," Jason Phillip Michel, the executive director of the Plaza Midwood Merchants Association, said.
Michel said participating places are trained by police and ABC. Plus, they're going to slowly roll out the stainless steel cups so bars have time to adjust.
The cups will be $8, reusable, and must have a bar’s sticker on them to be valid. When a customer goes from one participating place to the next, they'll exchange their cup for a new one if getting a second drink to go.
"It’s incentivized to return it or keep it," Michel explained. He said if someone returns a cup to a participating bar or restaurant, they'll get a credit for it.
Michel said they're finalizing the list of participants but plan to start with 12 to 15 businesses. The hours of operation will be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.