If you’ve ever wanted to enjoy the outdoor festivals of downtown Ann Arbor with your beer or wine, or to take your drink outside to say hi to a friend before going back for dinner, the social district that just opened up on Main St. is fantastic news for you.
In early December, the city approved a proposal by the Main St. Association to take advantage of the social districts now allowed in the state of Michigan, in part to help local businesses recover from pandemic economic loss and infuse new life into downtown. We spoke with a local participating business, The Grotto, and two city council members on their thoughts about the soft launch of the social district and its future.
One of the Grotto’s managers, Doug, emphasized how compatible the social district will be when downtown festivals, like FoolMoon, occur. Even though the launch in December was meant to be a soft launch, because it’s so cold, a lot of people participated for Midnight Madness.
“If you’re waiting for a table at your restaurant,” says Doug, “you can grab a drink and walk around and that adds to a cool downtown environment. It’ll add to a lot of the downtown events, and will bring in a lot of income to support the downtown area.Launching in December gives local participating businesses the opportunity, says Doug, to work through any snags before the weather gets warmer and there’s a higher demand. “
Council member Ali Ramlawi, who also owns Jerusalem Garden and has firsthand experience with the impact of COVID-19 on local businesses, agrees. “We’re starting off with a small footprint and only several businesses on Main St. are participating. The restaurant industry has been hit so hard, and we want to look at different ways to recover and support our local businesses in the upcoming year.”
For any concerned Washtenaw residents, there are many safety limitations implemented: drinks must be in clear designated cups, cannot be brought into other businesses, and folks must stay in the designated social district boundaries (which will likely be designated by signs).
Council member Julie Grand affirms how much research and consideration went into this proposal. “Many other communities in Michigan have already taken advantage of this state law, so we’ve been able to see their success. This is an opt-in, no-risk way for our local businesses to increase their business, and the council really wants to do everything it can to help our business community. We can always walk this proposal back if it doesn’t work! But it’s had such success in other communities, we’re very hopeful.”
Grand thinks the social district will pair beautifully with the expanded outdoor dining options that have already been so successful in downtown. She says, “We received such positive feedback on people coming in from surrounding towns to experience our outdoor dining in Ann Arbor. This will be one more enjoyable addition!”
And, you don’t have to wait till spring to take advantage of it! Grab a hot toddy or get some Bailey’s splashed in your coffee to walk around with a friend outside. With the pandemic still looming, this provides another way to enjoy yourself outside and be safely social.
The social district includes: Ashley St from Washington to Liberty; Washington from Ashley to Fifth; Main from Huron to William; Liberty from Ashley to Fourth; and Fourth from Huron partway toward William.
