Social district expands its downtown footprint

Raleighites will now be able to Sip n’ Stroll at more downtown businesses with the new social district boundaries.

Two people holding drinks with stickers on them.

Downtown will soon have more spots to Sip n’ Stroll.

Photo by RALtoday

Last August, the City of Raleigh adopted its first social district dubbed Sip n’ Stroll. Now, City Council is expanding the district’s boundaries after a successful pilot period.

The Downtown Raleigh Alliance reported an increase in downtown sales during the trial period. After three rounds of collecting feedback, 90% of surveyed community members are in support or strongly support the district.

A graph showing who is in favor of the social district.

The DRA showed a 77% very positive or positive impact.

Photo by RALtoday

The council adopted several changes in the Tuesday, May 16 meeting, including:

  • Adding the Warehouse District + Hillsborough Street (check out this map) to the area.
  • Extending hours of operation by an hour to 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.
  • Adding more permanent and durable signage and trash + recycling bins.

What is not included? Raleigh City Hall, Campbell Law School, plus Moore and Nash Squares, and Glenwood South are non-participating locations.

In case you need a refresher, we explained the ins and outs of downtown Raleigh’s first social district.

The new rules will commence on Sip n’ Stroll’s one year anniversary, August 15. Cheers.