The final festival street design for Avent Ferry Road puts a community green on the Town Hall Annex site. The council takes it up again at its retreat.

Holly Springs’ final design for a downtown festival street puts a community green space on the site of the Town Hall Annex building. Staff showed the concept to the Town Council at its workshop Tuesday, the town said in a news release.

The festival street is a block of Avent Ferry Road, between West Ballentine and Center streets. It would stay open to cars most of the time and close to traffic for special events.

What the final design includes

The town listed these features:

  • a community green space near Town Hall, on the Town Hall Annex site
  • gateway entries that frame a section of the road
  • slight shifts in the road to carve out extra gathering areas, while keeping on-street parking
  • more trees, shaded areas and room for outdoor dining
  • flexible spaces meant to bring more activity downtown

The design “directly reflects public feedback,” the town said. Trees, shade and outdoor dining were among the top requests during six months of outreach. Residents also asked for a safer, more inviting street for people on foot.

The release does not say what would happen to the Town Hall Annex building itself.

How it got here

In September the town showed the council three draft designs, called Four Square, The Green and Gateway with Infill. The final concept takes its community green and its gateways from those drafts, and keeps on-street parking, which the survey page listed only for Four Square.

Residents weighed in at an Oct. 14 open house and in an online survey. The town’s October release said the survey runs through November.

What the council talked about

Council members and staff went over the concerns raised during outreach, the town said:

  • parking
  • church operations on the street
  • emergency access
  • traffic flow
  • long-term maintenance costs

Staff said details in the drawings, such as public art, are still conceptual.

The town has not published a cost or a construction date. The council is expected to discuss the project again at its annual retreat. The Nov. 10 workshop agenda said the final plan is due at the 2027 retreat.

What it means for you

  • See the design: the town’s news release carries a video and images of the final draft.
  • Comment while you can: the festival street survey is listed as open through November.
  • Nothing changes yet. Avent Ferry Road stays as it is until the council approves a plan and money to build it. We will report the retreat date and any cost when the town posts them.