Organizer withdraws downtown street-fair permit after residents and business owners raise concerns

An applicant withdrew her request to close downtown streets for the annual Mooresville street fair after an extended public-comment period during the Feb. 4 meeting of the Mooresville Town Council.

The petitioner — identified in council discussion as Regina Shelby, who said she runs the event as a private business — told the council, "I'm just gonna withdraw my permit and we're gonna call it a day," after several downtown business owners and residents spoke against the event's current format and operation.

The public comments focused on four recurring concerns: taxpayers' overtime costs for town employees and police during the events; lack of transparency about where vendor fees go; event management being run by a single private organizer rather than a nonprofit or business association; and cleanup and impacts to adjacent residential streets.

Rob Samuels, a Mooresville resident and taxpayer, cited public-record data from past events, saying the town paid about 63 to 66 hours of overtime at some fairs and that taxpayers "are subsidizing these events that Regina Shelby puts on." Samuels said vendor lists from past fairs showed most vendors came from outside Mooresville and questioned whether the events delivered intended benefits to downtown merchants.

Angie Turley, who identified herself as a downtown business owner, said she opposed the current organizer because she does not live in town and that her own property required post-event cleanup after prior fairs. Miranda Sparks, another downtown business owner, urged establishing a committee to run the event so proceeds and structure would provide clearer benefits to local organizations.

Resident Vicky Bailey said closing Main Street pushes traffic onto residential streets such as West Washington Street and asked why the fair cannot be held at a larger venue such as Pioneer Park.

Shelby, speaking during the hearing, said she had been producing a hand-drawn downtown map to distribute for free and had charged for advertisements to help pay for production; she said delays by artists meant the map was not yet complete. Shelby said she provides a $2 million policy for the event and that she carries insurance for the event itself. She told council members she would not pursue forming a 501(c)(3) for the event and that she preferred events that benefit downtown businesses.

After Shelby announced the withdrawal, the council recorded for the minutes that the petitioner had withdrawn the request and moved on to other agenda items.

The council did not take a vote to deny or approve the permit because the petitioner withdrew the application on the record. Council members Jeff (council member), Josh (council member) and others indicated concern about the event's current structure and expressed support for a future model run by a nonprofit or an organized downtown association.

The council also discussed options for future events. Council member Josh said he favored channeling event proceeds to churches or townwide causes if the organizer does not form a nonprofit. Council members Angie Turley and others volunteered to form a committee to develop an alternative event model and to present it to the council.

The minutes record the petition withdrawal; the council did not adopt any ordinance or policy changes at the Feb. 4 meeting related to street-fair permitting.

Ending: The council left the door open to future events run by a nonprofit or association and asked interested downtown stakeholders to work with staff and council members to propose an alternative plan. The withdrawn permit stops the current application from moving forward but does not change existing town permitting processes for future applicants.