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Lincolnton is about to join a plethora of other North Carolina cities and towns in allowing those consuming alcoholic beverages to take their drinks with them throughout a designated area known as a social district.

Social districts are trending. The North Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation in 2021 allowing municipalities to designate areas where open containers of alcoholic beverages purchased from licensed stores can be consumed outdoors on sidewalks.

Prior to COVID-19, possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages on public streets was not permitted unless it was in a designated area during a special event. The General Assembly passed a pandemic law expanding outdoor dining and alcohol consumption, but that law expired Aug. 15, 2022. 

Since the new social district law was passed, social districts  have been implemented across the state. By the end of January 2023, there were social districts in 25% of North Carolina's 100 counties.  By the end of March this year, 55 North Carolina cities and towns had one. 

Hickory, which already had a commons area where customers of three adjacent businesses could consume alcoholic beverages outside, established a larger social district under the new law.

Gastonia approved a social district in April of last year allowing outdoor consumption of alcohol from CaroMont Park on the west to Broad Street on the east.  

Newton has a social district, as do Mooresville, Huntersville, Salisbury, Albemarle, Monroe and Statesville. Cornelius has one, so does Huntersville; Davidson has two.  Charlotte has approved one and has at least four other neighborhoods in that city expressing an interest in establishing one. Shelby hasn't yet approved one, but the Uptown Shelby Association asked the city council to consider one at a meeting last Fall.  Carly Bostic, executive director for the group, said 27 out of 31 merchants and property owners responded in favor of one in a survey.

The proposal for Lincolnton's social district came from the Downtown Development Association.  

At a public hearing at the March City Council meeting, the meeting room was packed to capacity and others participated in the public hearing on the Social District proposal from the lobby of City Hall. A majority of those who spoke were against the Social District proposal. 

Following the public hearing, City Councilman Roby Jetton made a motion to deny the request, and was joined in his opposition by Council member Jill Tipton.  That motion failed when Kevin Demeny and Christine Poinsette voted 'no' and Mayor Ed Hatley broke the tie with his 'no' vote.  Poinsette then made a motion to approve the request for a trial period of six months and only Thursday through Saturday instead of every day. Hatley broke a tie vote on that motion by voting 'yes.'   

Before the public comments, Lincolnton Police Chief Brian Greene told the Council he had talked with multiple other towns that had social districts and none of them said they had experienced any problems with them.  Hickory Mayor Hank Guess told reporters recently that his city's social district had helped increase business in the social district area for other businesses in addition to those who sell alcohol.

One opponent recalled when Lincolnton approved having an ABC store and later 'liquor by the drink' after earlier turning down both.  "They told us it would bring a lot of new restaurants," he said; "I'm still waiting for a Red Lobster."  

Older readers will remember when Lincoln and Gaston counties were 'dry.'  To buy beer or booze legally, many made the trip down NC27 to Mecklenburg County or up US321 to Catawba County.  

Few are still living who can remember the time following Prohibition when beer and wine were sold in Lincolnton and there was even a bar on the square across the street from the courthouse. 

Contrary to some of the opinions oft-expressed on social media, the social district once it becomes a reality will likely be litle noticed. A Gastonia police officer told this reporter he hadn't seen anybody walking up and down that town's Main Street with a mixed drink, wine or beer and had only seen the allowed public consumption in the area adjacent to the FUSE district baseball park.  "If you didn't know we had it, you wouldn't know it from seeing it," he said.

Contrary to the accolades for Hickory's social district expressed by Mayor Guess, retail dollars in most towns have increased--in part because of inflation and other factors that likely had as much or more to do with the business growth at Union Square as did the social district expansion.  It is true that using specialized software designed to measure foot traffic, Hickory has noticed an increase in the social district. More foot traffic typically leads to more customers patronizing local businesses. 

The approval of liquor by the drink and on-premises beer & wine sales didn't produce a rush of new restaurants including chains coming to Lincolnton; but the rest of North Carolina also updated their ABC laws, so it didn't really change the competition that much.  It is, of course, true that restaurants who serve alcohol make money with it--and unlike food, it doesn't have a very limited shelf life.  If Lincolnton didn't have the same ABC laws as other towns and cities, that would likely be considered a negative in considering locating a restaurant here.  

Unlike almost all of the other cities and towns social districts, Lincolnton's will--for the first six months--only be legal Thursday through Saturday 11 AM - 11 PM.  

When the Social District is activated, special signage will designate approved areas (Courtsquare to Laurel Street and one block north and south from Main).  Those who buy an alcoholic beverage in a specially marked cup that shows where it was purchased and the date and time will be allowed to consume up to two such beverage purchases in those areas and only on the date of purchase.

One of the concerns about social districts has been that they may contribute to excessive alcohol consumption, but there is no evidence so far that supports that argument. There has also been no evidence in North Carolina's social districts that they have increased public drunkenness.  

I began research connected with the social district proposal in January.  Of all the comments I heard from various people on both sides of the issue, what that Gastonia policeman told me seems most relevant: "If you didn't know we had it, you wouldn't know it."

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