The Green has become Uptown’s smoking den

Kids doing somersaults on the lawn. Lines out the door at the Sandwich Club. Bankers pacing while on a conference call. Paperback readers looking for a moment of zen.

And lots and lots of smokers.

As tobacco-free workplace rules have become more stringent, Charlotte smokers have been pushed ever farther away from their offices for cigarette breaks.

While offices have been smoke-free for awhile, in recent years more buildings have restricted smoking around their exteriors as well.

Governmental policies have banished smokers ever further. Since 2015, Mecklenburg County has banned tobacco on government grounds — including public parks, like Romare Bearden.

That’s left The Green as one of the few refuges remaining for Uptown smokers.

And they certainly take advantage. Cigarettes, Black and Milds, vaping devices — you’ll see them all within a 15-minute window.

You’ll also find the remnants scattered across the park, particularly the Tryon Street side.

This won’t change anytime soon.

The Green is owned by Wells Fargo, which sets policies for its use. Wells bans smoking inside its buildings and within 25 feet of them — including the breezeway where the restaurants are.

But there are plenty of areas at The Green that fall outside this buffer.

“We don’t restrict or prohibit smoking in the other areas of the Green, like the grass area, and do not intent to do so,” a spokeswoman told the Agenda.

I’ve heard that other pocket parks around Uptown are havens for smokers as well.

This is somewhat unfortunate. For nonsmokers, this significantly mars the experience.

But I’m also sympathetic to Uptown’s smokers. North Carolina was built on tobacco, and it’s a legal consumer product. Where are people SUPPOSED to smoke?

Mecklenburg County actually prohibits designated smoking areas on public grounds, including the Spectrum Center and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Corporations are permitted to create them, though.

Maybe the solution is to create a designated smoking area at The Green.