Reimagining Downtown Holly Springs
By The Town of Holly Springs
Imagine a vibrant downtown block where the boundary between sidewalk and street can disappear, where the community can gather along the roadway for open-air markets, live music, and seasonal festivals. That vision is on its way to becoming reality.
The Town of Holly Springs is moving forward with plans to transform a section of Avent Ferry Road in Downtown Holly Springs (between Ballentine and Center streets) into a pedestrian-friendly festival street that can be temporarily closed to vehicles during special events.
“For families and regular Downtown visitors, the impact would be real,” said Planning Division Manager Sean Ryan, who is spearheading the project.
He noted that major events can often stretch the limitations of existing sidewalks and infrastructure.
“A dedicated Festival Street would give the Town a space designed specifically for those kinds of events,” he said. “The bigger opportunity is what that extra room could make possible.”
A purpose-built event space could lead to opportunities to offer more pop-up markets, live music, and holiday gatherings. Even when there isn’t an event on the calendar, the Festival Street could function as a gathering area on its own, a welcoming spot to enjoy a coffee, sit in the shade, and catch up with neighbors.
Design concepts discussed during the planning phase have included additional shade trees, a curbless street section, wider paving, and retractable bollards. The Town also is considering building in “wow factors,” such as public art and decorative lighting, and giving the block its own identity.
The Town is seeking community feedback to help shape the project (which is in its early phases) when resident input has real power over what gets built.
Share your thoughts at a community open house on Wednesday, October 14, 6-8 p.m. at Town Hall. Review the emerging Festival Street concepts, ask questions directly to the project team, and share feedback.
The Festival Street is part of the Downtown Area Plan, which the Town Council adopted in 2023 after collecting input from residents. Currently, funding is available for designing the Festival Street. Construction funding options are planned for consideration in a future budget year.
For updates on the Festival Street project, visit hollyspringsnc.gov/festivalstreet.
