The Elon Town Council has approved a plan to expand the downtown area, adding new seating, upgrading sidewalks, storm drainage and waterlines. The project will also remove around seven parking spaces along North Williamson Avenue.
Plans include a low brick wall designed to double as bar-style seating, part of a broader effort to encourage more activity downtown.
“It’s bringing to life new ways of sitting and interacting and really building community right here on our main street,” Elon Mayor Emily Sharpe said.
Sharpe said the streetscape concept has been in development for years, dating back to before she joined the council in 2017. The town has not yet secured full funding for the project. So far, officials have received about $250,000 in state grant funding and plan to seek additional funds in the coming months. Construction will begin once the project is fully funded and is expected to take about nine months to complete. The exact amount was not disclosed in the council's minutes.
The loss of parking has brought mixed reactions from students. Elon junior Evan Blissmer said he supports the change.
“I think it’d be better to have seating arrangements so people can actually hang out outside a little bit more,” Blissmer said.
Sophomore Lilly Eagan said she will miss the street spots, because of the busy nature of the area.
“Spots get filled up in that area really quickly, so sometimes you need them,” Eagan said.
Sharpe said the town has studied parking concerns and found the issue is more about perception than availability.
“We have done several studies over the years that show that we have a perception of a parking problem, but not a real parking problem,” she said.
Sharpe added she hopes the expansion will encourage more people to walk downtown and spend time in the area.
“It’s going to be great for our downtown businesses,” Sharpe said. “It’s bringing people together in different ways. There are always people downtown.”