What rules should cover Charlotte’s alcohol social districts? City council starts to plan
The city of Charlotte is one step closer to creating social districts, which would allow people to drink alcohol openly in outdoor spaces.
In September, Gov. Roy Cooper signed House Bill 890, a measure allowing cities and counties to define outdoor spaces where people can legally drink alcoholic beverages bought from a state-permitted business. The city- or county-designated areas are known as social districts.
The city has established a team of city staff that includes the economic development, planning and solid waste departments; Charlotte’s Department of Transportation; the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department; Mecklenburg County ABC; and Charlotte Center City Partners, said city spokesman Jeremy Mills.
The group has established its next steps:
Staff will write policy for the council to vote on allowing the creation of social districts.
Staff will create a procedure for business associations to apply and pay a fee for social district status.
The council will formally adopt social districts on a rolling basis. Ahead of the adoption of the first district, all open container ordinance language will be amended.
Once the first district is adopted, the city of Charlotte is responsible for applying for social district status with the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission.
The proposal was greeted Monday with approval by the Charlotte City Council, which wouldn’t vote on the ordinance until July.
“Hopefully this piece should not be complicated, controversial or drawn out because we’re simply adopting the framework,” Councilman Larken Egleston said. “There are areas around our uptown area that have not seen a boost outside of game day.”
The city is expected to discuss the social district ordinance later this month and vote on July 11, with applications opening by mid-July.
Councilwoman Victoria Watlington said she’d like to see more specificity in the ordinance with public safety risks addressed.
Councilman Malcolm Graham agreed with Watlington and said the idea of people walking around South Boulevard or NoDa with open containers sounds “problematic.”
“We just need to, on the front side, really get this right,” Graham said.
Greensboro, Kannapolis, Monroe, Newton and Norwood are some North Carolina cities with registered social districts already.
The rules of social districts
While municipalities and counties can set their own social district rules, such as days of the week, some regulations are mandated by the state.
That includes:
Social districts must be set up with clear signs along streets and parks in defined areas.
Bars and restaurants must provide social district-labeled cups.
Alcoholic drinks must be purchased from ABC-permitted businesses within the social district.
Drinks must be a maximum of 16 fluid ounces.
This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 10:55 AM.
