GREENSBORO, N.C. — Downtown Greensboro will see a weekend of "Open Streets."
The city of Greensboro and Downtown Greensboro Inc. have been working together to create a way to help downtown restaurants see more business.
The finished product is "Open Streets." Friday, Aug. 7, and Saturday, Aug. 8 parts of Elm Street will be closed so that restaurants can host diners outside. The aim of the event is to create a way for patrons to enjoy their favorite restaurant while still social distancing.
"The restaurants because they've been so limited in their capacity, they're able to expand out into the sidewalk and essentially the road becomes the sidewalk and so Elm Street in this case you'll be able to walk comfortable down Elm Street," President of Downtown Greensboro, Inc., Zack Matheny, said.
Open Streets will run from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday from noon until 10 p.m. Matheny said the program will last through August but they'll expand it if it's successful. Nearly twelve restaurants have signed up.
"This is survival mode where some of these restaurants haven't really been open since March," Matheny said.
He said they worked with the fire department and public health to make the event as safe as possible. You're encouraged to wear a mask and keep your social distance while downtown.