Holly Springs wants to revamp its downtown district with food, retail, green spaces
For over a decade, a question mark has hovered over 17 acres of forested land in downtown Holly Springs.
The property has springs, rolling hills and is surrounded by businesses and an active downtown that make it an ideal spot for a big community park.
That was the original plan, and the area has been known as Mims Park after plans were drafted in 2012 that included trails, play areas, a farmers market and benches.
However, 11 years later, Mims Park sits mostly untouched. The town’s leaders are still evaluating their options for the land, and the entire downtown area.
In a survey, residents asked for more green spaces downtown, including the park; sculptures; and outdoor markets.
They also wanted more shops, restaurants, play areas, festivals and nightlife.
Over 20 years, Holly Springs’ population has more than quadrupled, from around 10,000 to over 47,000 people. Some of this growth has come from biotech and pharmaceutical companies like Seqirus and and soon-to-be Amgien and FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies.
With growth comes new demands, so last year town staff announced a Downtown Village District Area plan that seeks to:
- grow the downtown area
- encourage new opportunities for residents
- develop the area’s sense of place in the community
Residents were invited to two forums to help shape a redevelopment plan. Once drafted by the end of summer, the plan will be sent to the Town Council for approval.
What is the downtown district area plan?
The Downtown Village District consists of Main Street and Third Street south past the Rex Holly Springs Hospital to N.C. 55. It stretches east to west between Avent Ferry Road and Raleigh Street.
Holly Springs has a real opportunity to “create” its new downtown district, said Aaron Prichard, the town’s senior planner.
“When we typically think of a small town downtown, you think of two- to four-story buildings kind of framing a main street and a mix of uses. You might have restaurants, small businesses, offices; you might have shopping, some multi family housing,” Prichard explained. “(Holly Springs) was just sort of lot by lot with some single-family housing.”
Currently, the downtown village district has about 60 businesses, Town Hall, the library, and the cultural and recreation centers.
There are several vacant buildings and land, giving town leaders a lot to play with.
“In what town nowadays do you have the opportunity to create a downtown?” Prichard said.
What are some ideas the town has for downtown?
At an open house in November, residents asked for more sidewalks and more roads connecting surrounding neighborhoods to downtown.
“Another (suggestion) was traffic calming,” Prichard said. “We want to try to make (downtown) more walkable, more pedestrian friendly and lower some of the speeds and divert some traffic out to some of the other larger roads.”
At a second forum in March over 150 people offered more suggestions as consultants presented three downtown concepts:
▪ The first idea, “At the Crossroads,” would make the intersection of Avent Ferry Road and West Ballentine Street the focus of downtown. The plan included a permanent farmers market pavilion with a ghost kitchen.
“There’s also some talk about maybe putting in a town square there to make it like a cultural core where people can meet and host events,” Prichard said.
▪ The second idea, “Park Avenues,” was for more development of landscapes, green spaces and of Mims Park.
“We don’t have any concrete development plans for (Mims Park) right now, though, so the nature trails will remain indefinitely,” Prichard said.
▪ The third idea, “Gateways,” would provide more access to the north, south and west of the downtown’s core.
“It’s kind of trying to soothe some awkward transitions between the downtown core and some of the surrounding neighborhoods to make it more of a defined boundary,” he said. “That emphasizes the importance of things like The Pack-House, which has been in the town for many years. That was very important for the African American community.”
There is an effort underway to save the Pack-House, a former gathering place and store for Black residents off South Main Street.
How will a vibrant downtown be beneficial?
Private investors and public funds have established three projects downtown. Together, the projects have added 100,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and office space as well as more parking, improved roads and stormwater management.
Those projects — The Block on Main, the Town Hall Commons, and investments to parking and other improvements — are projected to generate $1 billion in regional economic impact over the next 20 years, according to the town.
The Block on Main has nine small business tenants and will be getting a rooftop bar, the first in Holly Springs.
Since 2018, the projects have generated $85 million in economic impact and created 50 businesses and 500 jobs.
“We have developed a downtown that people love to visit,” Mayor Sean Mayefskie said in a statement. “Residents talk to me all the time about how much they enjoy what has been accomplished and how excited they are to see what is ahead.”
Mayefskie said the town now needs to “build a downtown that can be a wonderful place for the community to gather, at the same time as we tackle the infrastructure needs that go along with that, like roadways, sidewalks, parking, and public open spaces.”
To stimulate development, the Holly Springs Town Council adopted a Downtown Investment Grant Policy in 2020 that helps businesses and projects with infrastructure costs and reductions in development fees on a case-by-case basis.
Holly Springs residents can still offer feedback on plans for downtown at publicinput.com/r0777.
This story was originally published April 6, 2023 at 11:02 AM.