Marshall Terry: So the social district in Plaza Midwood has been successful, according to neighborhood leaders. Why aren’t there more elsewhere in the city if there was all of this interest initially?
Lindsey Banks: Yeah, I think when Charlotte first approved its social district ordinance three years ago, there was a lot of early buzz, like you said, businesses and neighborhoods like South End and uptown and NoDa all submitted interest forms. I think what’s happened is that a lot of that momentum has just fizzled. In most cases, groups say it’s just not a priority anymore. The city puts a lot of responsibility on the actual neighborhoods or the business groups to launch and manage the district — not the city itself. So there’s a lot of logistical work, especially in dense areas like uptown or South End. So groups are saying they’re still interested, it’s just not a priority right now.
Terry: Is part of the reason that there’s just not been the boost to businesses that people were hoping for? Or are other neighborhoods that were considering this just doing well and don’t see the point anymore?…