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Council denies full A Street closures for businesses, limits events to sidewalk and Ashe Ave.
Summary
After safety and transportation concerns, Newton City Council denied requests to close A Street for multi-date events and instead allowed limited use of the sidewalk and Ashe Avenue; a separate request for periodic sidewalk events was likewise restricted to the sidewalk.
Newton City Council on April 4 declined requests from two downtown businesses to close portions of A Street for customer events, citing public-safety and traffic concerns, and instead approved limited use of the sidewalk and Ashe Avenue.
City Manager Jonathan Franklin told the council he could not recommend closing A Street because of public-safety response and transportation impacts. Jeff Allen, owner of Novel Taproom, had asked to close A Street for five evening concerts between May and October. Council members expressed differing views about the block’s size and detour feasibility. Council Member Ed Sain said he opposed closing a main thoroughfare ‘‘as it is a main thoroughfare that the city doesn’t want to get into the habit of closing for business’’ and raised public-safety concerns.
The council split 3–3 on the proposed full closure (Council Members Jerry Hodge, Jody Dixon and Beverly Danner in favor; Ed Sain, John Stiver and Roy Johnson opposed). Mayor Eddie Haupt cast the tie-breaking vote against the closure, resulting in a 3–4 defeat of the full-street closure motion.
Council then approved a separate motion to limit Novel Taproom events to the sidewalk and Ashe Avenue.
A second request from NC Realty & Appraisal (owner Bobby Deal) sought routine A Street closures on alternating Saturdays for a customer cornhole series; staff again recommended against full closures. The council approved limiting that series to sidewalk use.
Council did not adopt new policy language for recurring full-street closures; the outcomes on both items restrict commercial event activity to sidewalks or Ashe Avenue to reduce impacts on emergency response and traffic flow.
