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Mooresville to expand downtown social district and temporarily include Liberty Park for fall festival
Summary
Town staff recommended a permanent boundary expansion to include Church Street businesses at Mill 1 and a temporary expansion of the downtown social district to cover Liberty Park for the Bands, Brews and Barbecue festival on Sept. 13; staff outlined statutory requirements and enforcement plans.
Christine Patterson, director of Experience and Engagement, asked the board to approve first reading of two ordinances expanding Mooresville’s downtown social district: one to permanently add Church Street businesses at Mill 1 and one to temporarily include Liberty Park for the Bands, Brews and Barbecue festival from 4 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 13.
Patterson summarized state law that enables social districts, citing Session Law 2021-150 and subsequent 2022 updates, and outlined operational rules: permittees must use marked containers no larger than 16 ounces, verify customers are 21, and customers must dispose of drinks before leaving the district. She said the expanded boundary will help Main Street businesses participate in downtown events they were previously excluded from because of mismatched boundaries.
"The social district was put in place to support our small businesses, so we want to ensure that these businesses can participate and that they can take advantage of any opportunities that could benefit them," Patterson said.
Patterson presented a permanent boundary map that would add the Mill 1/Church Street block and a temporary map for Liberty Park for the Sept. 13 festival. She said management will include signage, barricades and coordination with the Mooresville Police Department. She also noted only businesses with the appropriate ABC permits may sell alcoholic beverages at events; for example, High Branch and Myrtle Maid were cited as the only downtown businesses with permits that allow off-location setup without additional permits.
Board members asked whether the Downtown Commission and Mill 1 businesses were consulted; Patterson said both had been contacted and supported the expansion subject to signage and operational coordination. Commissioners also asked for public outreach about the September hearings and for event-specific safety details; Patterson said staff will provide that information and will present an annual schedule of temporary social districts for board approval in January.
No final ordinance adoption occurred at the meeting; the item is scheduled for a future board reading and adoption.
