CONCORD, N.C. (WBTV) – The project has been months in the making, but on Thursday, the city of Concord officially opened social district.

Concord is the latest city to join the initiative allowing people to carry alcoholic beverages from one place to another within designated boundaries.

Beginning at 11:00 a.m., downtown Concord residents will be able to participate in the district’s social life.

Customers can enter one of the participating businesses and have a drink. They can then leave the building with that drink and walk down the street to another business.

There are over 10 businesses that will be selling alcohol. There are about 15 that will not be selling it, but will be inviting people inside with alcohol. Drinks cannot be brought from home, and all purchased drinks will be served in a specially designated cup.

Stickers on windows indicate whether a company is participating in the campaign, is inviting people to drink alcohol, or is not participating at all.

Downtown Development Manager Paige Grochoske hosted a walk through the downtown area earlier this week to hand out stickers and remind everyone involved.

The goal of the community district is to attract more people to the city center to support local shops and restaurants.

“We’re excited that this is starting and we hope that people will come and have fun and just visit the businesses,” Grochoske said. “If you haven’t been here in a while, you can see a lot of progress that we’ve made in downtown Concord. So we have an opportunity for people to come and check it out and just come together and support the local businesses. That’s our biggest thing, we really want to support the local businesses.”

Construction work underway in the city centre nearly delayed the opening of the social housing development, but city council members decided work would start on time.

The opening hours of the social district will be from 11:00 to 22:00 every day

Earlier this year, Charlotte opened its first community health district in the Plaza Midwood area. About 25% of North Carolina’s 100 counties now have one, according to state officials.

Grochoske said Concord has had a long process to get to this point, with a lot of discussion about what has worked in other cities.

“We had a good turnout. As businesses came to the information sessions, we actually set them up with our Concord Police Department so they could be on hand to answer any questions they had about the law,” she said. “It was really great to see everyone come together to make sure they know all the laws. And also, you know, hearing the police perspective, you know what they expect.”

Boundary signs have been placed around the city centre so that anyone buying a drink knows when they are leaving the district.

Related: Plaza Midwood Businesses Express Excitement and Concerns About New Community District

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