Alger Heights may soon get social district
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — You may soon be able to visit businesses with an alcoholic drink in your hand in a southeast Grand Rapids neighborhood.
When indoor dining wasn’t an option during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Grand Rapids had to get creative.
“One of the things we did as a city, we implemented these social districts and these social zones,” Richard App, a retail retention and attraction specialist for the city, said.
Within a designated area, social zones allow people to move between bars, restaurants, and stores with a drink in their hand. Currently, there are around nine of them in Grand Rapids, with dozens of businesses participating. The largest district is downtown.
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“The idea is it adds vibrancy to a neighborhood,” App said. “You get to see parts of your city that you don’t normally do if you’re in a car, bus, or other transportation.”
Since the start of the pandemic, more social districts have been created. Now, a new one is planned for the Alger Heights neighborhood.
This week, the Grand Rapids City Commission approved a social district near Eastern Avenue SE and Alger Street. Businesses allowed to sell to-go drinks include Sip Coffee & Cocktails, Brass Ring Brewing and The Old Goat.
“We’re already well-connected, but I think this is going to enhance that tenfold because you’re going to go to The Old Goat, you may stop at the brewery, you may get your breakfast at Real Food and then you come to us for the nightcap,” Jonathan Jelks, a partner with Sip Coffee and Cocktails, said.
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The owner of Brass Ring Brewing, Chris Gibbons, says the district will open up new possibilities in the area.
“Pulling the business district into the neighborhood a little more and giving people access to events and things we haven’t previously been able to do,” Gibbons said.
App says there have been lessons learned about social districts. For example, some downtown outdoor seating that takes up parking spaces will be removed over the coming weeks.
“People can still use the sidewalks and still apply for parklets to do this,” App said, referring to separated spaces on the street where business can set up seating or art. “The idea is to make these fair for everybody.”
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All in all, he believes the districts have been a success and there’s room for more growth.
“Now that we’ve kind of refined things a little bit, I think we can do them better,” App said. “The truth of the matter is outdoor seating should be something that we want to push for our restaurants and neighborhoods.”
The Alger Heights social district must still be approved by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission. The city hopes the district will launch before Memorial Day.
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