Traverse City’s first social district – a designated area where people are allowed to purchase alcoholic beverages from restaurants and bars and consume them in outdoor common spaces – could soon be coming to the Eighth Street and Garfield Avenue intersection area. City commissioners will discuss the proposal Monday, which calls for closing off the service drives on the north and south sides of Eighth Street east of Garfield and installing seating and lighting along them as part of a related placemaking project.

The project is the “culmination of two separate efforts that have come together in time and place,” according to City Planning Director Shawn Winter. The first is a discussion staff have been having with businesses in the Eighth/Garfield area about establishing a social district. After Michigan created social districts in 2020 in response to the pandemic to allow outdoor drinking, they have since taken off in popularity – with at least 114 municipalities across the state now hosting them (including most recently Northport).

There are several state requirements for social districts, including establishing clear district boundaries and designated common areas where district visitors are permitted to drink. The district must have set hours of operation, signage at the boundaries, a maintenance/management plan, and special labeling on beverage containers. Customers can purchase alcohol from a licensed bar or restaurant in one-time-use, marked, disposable cups and carry it within the district outdoor common spaces, which typically have shared seating and tables free for anyone to use. Open alcohol containers can’t be taken outside the district boundaries, nor can alcohol be consumed in the district unless it’s purchased by approved licensees.

There must also be at least two licensed establishments in the social district. At Eighth/Garfield, there are now three: the newly opened Tank Space – a second location of Earthen Ales – along with Oakwood Proper Burgers and Common Good Bakery. The proposed social district boundaries include Garfield Avenue from roughly Walnut Street to Boyd Avenue and Eighth Street from South Civic Center Drive to Michigan Avenue (pictured, top left map). Those boundaries include “portions of other commercial properties that wanted to be included” beyond the three establishments, according to a staff presentation prepared for commissioners. The social district is proposed to operate May 1-October 31 from 9am to 10pm daily.

City commissioners are in study session Monday, meaning they’ll only discuss and not vote on the proposal, which could then return at a regular upcoming meeting for a formal vote. Staff noted this year could serve as a pilot project for the “East Side Social District,” as it’s being called, with commissioners revisiting the project at the end of the season to review how it went and determine if they want to continue next year. City commissioners can also revoke the social district at any time, though must hold a public hearing before doing so. Public intoxication is still illegal in a social district, staff noted, and all other laws and regulations still apply.

The second “effort” referenced by Winter that ties into the social district is a placemaking project envisioned for Eighth/Garfield in the city’s draft Mobility Action Plan (MAP). The plan includes at least three “tactical urbanism projects,” Winter says, or placemaking projects that use “short-term, low-cost, and scalable improvements as a pilot to illustrate the benefits such efforts may have in the long-term with additional planning and capital investments.” Having “meaningful destinations that people desire to visit is a key element in designing an effective non-motorized network,” Winter notes. Such a network is the overall goal of the MAP, which is set to be finalized and approved by city leaders this year.

The Eighth/Garfield placemaking project envisions closing off both the north and south service drives in front of the businesses along Eighth Street east of the Garfield Avenue intersection (pictured, bottom left). “The city-controlled service drives would be repurposed as communal space with six picnic tables on each side of the street, with umbrellas having solar-powered LED lights on the support arms, large concrete planters as traffic barricades, smaller galvanized planters to soften the environment and provide some additional buffering from the travel lanes, a bike rack on both sides, and additional benches,” according to Winter.

Two trash cans are proposed for each side, with the city’s existing contract with GFL to be modified to provide trash pickup services. City staff worked with Parks and Recreation to identify types of placemaking products that are used by that department so that “if the city decides not to continue the project in the future, the items may be repurposed,” Winter notes. Adjacent business owners will also help with cleaning and maintaining the common areas. “The tables and space would not be for the exclusive use of any particular business, and table service is prohibited by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission in the common areas,” according to Winter. “Rather, this would be a space available to anyone who wishes to use it.”

The total project is estimated at $60,000, with funds available in the city’s economic development fund. The city’s treasury department confirmed those funds can be used for this type of project. “The project intends to demonstrate the potential reuse of public space for greater public benefit and economic development,” according to Winter. “Although it is a demonstration project, the hope is that it will provide insight for a possible future redesign of the intersection and adjacent corridor segments for the implementation of the Mobility Action Plan along with the activation of the public space.”

Winter adds that the social district and placemaking project are seen as opportunities to bring the property and business owners together and “determine the best way they can use the designation as a marketing and identification tool to promote commercial activity and raise awareness of the businesses present.” The corridor has seen significant redevelopment in recent years with the opening of the three establishments that will be in the proposed social district, as well as new businesses like Grand Traverse Sauce Company, Cordwood BBQ, Prout Financial, the NoMi Collective, and Beacon Cremation & Funeral Service. Winter previously told The Ticker the corridor seemed ripe for further growth. “There’s land available, there’s development potential, and it’s pretty low scale right now...that intersection is very high on my radar as an area for redevelopment,” he said.