Murphy – The town council is considering a “social district” downtown to allow alcoholic beverages to be carried in open containers on the street.
Council member Keisha Dockery proposed the move, patterning it after similar ventures adopted by other towns within the state.
“It sounds real intense at first, but they can be very regulated,” Dockery said. “We set the exact alley, sidewalk, streets, and it has to be in a container that all the restaurants sell that would be matching, like our city logo would be on them. So you can only buy them from our restaurants and bars downtown, you can’t bring coolers in, stuff out of your vehicle, nothing like that.”
Dockery and Downtown Development Director Laura LaChance both acknowledged that such a district is still a relatively new approach by towns in North Carolina. The move was made possible after a bill allowing cities and counties to implement social districts passed the General Assembly in September.
Salisbury officially launched its own social district July 1. Sylva got its social district off the ground in April as part of a six-month test program in which the town will look to see if calls to the police department increased following the creation of the district.
Dockery said those places have seen increased tourism and tax revenue as a result. LaChance said she has already been in communication with Police Chief Justin Jacobs to discuss the possibility of a social district in Murphy.
“Chief Jacobs has a fair point that it is new,” LaChance said. “... I know in Sylva it is going well, they haven’t had any issues so far, and it was April that they initiated theirs.”
Sylva limited its social district hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1-9 p.m. Sunday. LaChance added that Sylva chose to allow alcoholic beverages to be brought into certain retail establishments, which are noted by special signage that Murphy businesses would likewise need to adopt.
“A retailer had to opt-in to allow for alcoholic beverages, so it wasn’t assumed,” LaChance said.
“And if you purchase a beverage from one ABC license holder, you cannot take it into a second one, you have to dispose of it and obviously you have to dispose of it before you leave the district.”
As for containers themselves, Dockery said those could come in the form of disposable, clear cups or reusable stainless steel cups – either of which would feature the town logo.
Council members Gail Walker Stansell and Barry McClure both suggested integrating a social district into the Murphy Art Walk, which is held on the first Friday of each month from May through December.
“It’s a great idea, and I think Art Walk would be a fabulous place to start because that just fits it,” Stansell said.
Town council members intend to further discuss a social district during their August meeting.