Selma city officials seem to have taken a proactive step in revitalizing downtown by approving an entertainment district, but consuming alcohol in public places won’t be the only reason for Dallas County residents to trek to Water Avenue.

The biggest issue facing business owners on Water Avenue, which composes the entertainment district, is attracting people downtown. And, attracting people to the newly created entertainment district isn’t an easy task.

Sure, most of Americans drink occasionally. A 2010 Gallup poll stated 67 percent of Americans drink, at least in social situations.

The entertainment is basically just a formal designation. The only real change Selma residents will see is a few extra people drinking outside of bars and restaurants. It’s still illegal to bring alcohol downtown and drink in Pheonix Park, or any of the other three parks along Water Avenue. However, an entertainment district visitor could buy a drink at the Waterfront Lounge and walk to see a band playing at the proposed amphitheater, which hasn’t seen any construction activity in months.

Drinking publicly is nice for some adults during events. Any other time, the ability to drink is little more than a convenience. Dallas County residents aren’t any more likely to drink downtown with the ability to drink publicly than they are anywhere else in the area.

The only logical change with the entertainment district is that more organizations will host events on Water Avenue, which could be a boost to foot traffic downtown.

Boosting foot traffic is a difficult proposition.

Why host events downtown if people aren’t coming? Why should people travel to Water Avenue if events aren’t taking place?

Side Porch Sandwiches and the Vineyard are both quality restaurants and sit downtown. El Ranchero is just a stone’s throw away — on Broad Street.

A combination of dinner, an event and the ability to drink publicly downtown may be a boost to business, but only momentarily. Other than the Bridge Crossing Jubilee, Tale Tellin’ and the Chili Cookoff are the only real events that attract people to Water Avenue in noticeably large numbers.

Arts Revive hosts a number of different events that attract decent numbers of people. Perhaps, the city-owned St. James Hotel could be a part of attracting people to downtown Selma once Strand, the newly approved third-party management company, begins its operations.

However it’s accomplished, the end goal is clear — find a way to bring increased numbers of people downtown. City officials and business owners should think larger than just Dallas County.

Prattville and Montgomery are several dozen miles away, but in rural, west Alabama, there’s little to speak of in terms of entertainment.

Selma could capitalize on the barren West Alabama entertainment landscape.

Selma posseses an immense historical value to tourists, especially with a major movie studio preparing to begin filming and, perhaps, being able to drink on Water Avenue adds luster to a Selma trip.

But two final issue are parking and infrastructure.

If the city plans on making Water Avenue and the entertainment district a viable economic entity, parking is a huge issue that needs to be addressed. The only parking to speak of in the newly approved district is on the street. When events block off large portions of Water Avenue, convenient parking is almost non-existent.

The solution shouldn’t be to demolish historic buildings, but certainly the city can find a way to exclude long walks to events from a downtown trip.

Perhaps the most important issue is infrastructure.

A pipe under Lauderdale Street is collapsing under the weight of old age. City officials talk a lot about the proposed amphitheater, but little construction has occurred since 2012.

The amphitheater is an absolutely crucial part of a successful entertainment district and fixing sinkholes in Selma’s streets isn’t any less important.