Cary Town Council to Vote on Creating a Social District in New Downtown Cary Park on December 15th

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Downtown Cary Park general manager Joy Ennis pitched the idea of making all of the new Downtown Cary Park and nearby businesses into a social district – a place where patrons can freely drink alcoholic beverages within set boundaries if purchased at participating businesses.

Ennis explained during the November 17th town council meeting that 21 other social districts were created in the past year in North Carolina, including in nearby cities of Raleigh and Durham. Implementing a social district could make it easier to enforce public drinking laws, increase business for those participating, and attract more businesses to the area.

This social district will only allow beer and wine if approved, but they are willing to request to expand to liquor once “comfortable” with the outcome.

No outside alcohol will be allowed on-site, and every business offering this service will provide the beer and wine in special clearly labeled cups that indicate that the beverage is approved for drinking on the premise.

The hours for the social district would be between 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM. When asked why these specific hours were chosen, Ennis explained that starting at 11:00 AM will make sure that this is available during lunchtime, and 11:00 PM will correlate with when the park closes.

Downtown Cary Park will have the Bark Bar (a dog-friendly bar in the middle of the park) serving beer and wine daily, and this ordinance amendment will make the rules clear on where those beverages can be consumed.

The social district will be voted on by the Cary town council on December 15th and, if approved, will go into effect on June 1st, around the time the park is estimated to be open.

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James Tuliano

Founder of The Cary Report. When I am not keeping up with local news, you can find me riding my bike around the Greenway trails or lying by the pool.

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