Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Local businesses press council to speed social‑district vote as others urge caution
Summary
Business owners including Lucky City Brewing urged the council to expedite a proposed downtown social district to boost downtown commerce; other council members and merchants warned more preparation was needed and raised concerns about enforcement, cleanup and vacant storefronts.
Reidsville — A heated public comment period at the March 11 Reidsville City Council meeting centered on a proposed downtown "social district," with business owners urging faster action and other council members urging caution.
Robert, representing Lucky City Brewing, told the council the brewery was close to financial tipping point and argued that approving a social district sooner would help businesses survive the coming months. "We've done a year and a half of turnaround...this social district is another tool that we need in order to make this happen," he said.
Perry Savis, co‑owner of Dirty Laundry, told the council he and his family are investing nearly $1 million to open downtown and urged the council to move quickly to create economic opportunities for new businesses. "I'm not asking for the world... but I would ask all of you to tell me when the last time someone's confronted Council and said hey I want to open up a business downtown and put almost a million dollars into it," Savis said.
Council members and other merchants raised practical concerns. Councilwoman Teresa Scobel and others emphasized that staff have been tasked with numerous policy elements — cup design, hours, enforcement, impacts at the city lake, and coordination with upcoming events such as FabFest — and said more time was needed to finalize rules. One councilor said expediting a vote by a month would not "make or break" the businesses and cautioned that 60 days would be insufficient to resolve operational details. Other merchants warned about trash and monitoring consumption if people carry drinks between establishments.
Council members said staff remains actively working on a policy package; a July timeframe for an additional council vote was referenced in discussion, and the council did not take an immediate vote to adopt a social district at the March 11 meeting.
The debate illustrated competing priorities: owners seeking immediate economic relief and councilors seeking a comprehensive policy that addresses enforcement, merchant opt‑out options and event coordination.
What to watch: the city manager and staff are preparing policy materials and a timeline; council indicated more work will be done before any final approval vote.
