CHINA GROVE — China Grove officials have paused discussions on creating a new social drinking district in the downtown area of Main Street. 

A social district allows bars and restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages in designated containers to be taken into a defined common area for consumption, allowing businesses that do not sell alcohol to be included in the boundaries.

A few business owners lobbied for creating a social district at a meeting earlier this year, arguing that it would be a boon for commerce in the downtown area.

During Tuesday’s regularly-scheduled China Grove Town Council meeting, the outgoing town manager, Ken Deal, offered an anecdotal observation dispelling that notion. Drawing on experience in Mooresville, where a social district was recently enacted, Deal said that the only businesses he saw with increased foot traffic were the bars and restaurants. 

China Grove Town Council Member Rodney Phillips indicated that success would hinge on two separate pieces of information he would like to gather before the town enacts a social district.

If the district is meant to incentivize shopping in downtown stores, Phillips asked, “Do we have a sense as to the number (of businesses) that would participate,” and “Do we have a sense from the businesses that they would stay open?”

Business impacts aside, China Grove Town Council Member Steve Stroud said he’d like to see the idea squashed. 

“I will never vote to allow alcohol on town property,” Stroud said. “Alcohol has destroyed more lives than all other drugs combined. I got no problem if someone wants to have a beer or a drink of liquor, but as a leader of this community, I won’t condone it.

“I don’t know why, at this point, we are even talking about it. I think it is a waste of time and resources to invest more time in creating this mess. We can’t control everything, but some things we can. This is one thing I don’t ever plan on supporting.”

Town Council Member Cheryl Sheets said that focusing on the abusive tendencies of users misses the ball because with the regulatory district comes heightened restrictions on alcohol consumption.

For example, containers for the beverages must be provided by an alcohol-permitted seller in plastic cups marked with a social district logo as well as the date and time of the sale, preventing refills from prior-day purchases. 

Uniform posters would be displayed in downtown businesses participating in the social district, and consumption would only be permitted during certain hours of the day. 

The boundaries would be clearly marked, and consumption outside of those boundaries would carry with it routine penalties for open container laws. 

Town Council Member Don Bringle asked about liability insurance. Each purveyor of alcohol in the district is required to have a $1 million minimum policy to cover incidents. 

The new town manager, Franklin Gover, indicated that software that China Grove would purchase if the district were approved would monitor those policies and ensure they remain current and do not lapse. 

One final consideration was brought up concerning the district’s possible extension to Hanna Park. As more information is gathered, the issue will come back to the table.

Wall signage

The controversy surrounding signage on the walls of downtown businesses got slightly clearer on Tuesday. 

Gover indicated that the China Grove Planning Board is reviewing a wall-sign ordinance amendment that will allow a percentage (15 percent) of commercial language to be included on the same wall as a mural. 

The issue came to light as a result of a mural painted on the north-facing wall of the Grove Cartel Brewing Co. featuring a likeness of Marilyn Monroe and the words, ‘Pizza,’ ‘Beer,’ ‘Music,’ and ‘Meadows.’

Meadows is the name of the Italian restaurant on the second floor of the downtown brewery.