City officials approved an ordinance on second reading to permit of-age community members the ability to buy alcoholic drinks downtown and carry them around a designated area.
Columbus City Council members on Tuesday night approved legislation to establish a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) in the city’s downtown, to be known as the Downtown Columbus Social District.
Ordinances must be passed on to readings to be fully approved. Council member Jay Foyst, R-District 6, was absent.
The matter now heads to the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission for final approval.
The boundaries of the DORA were updated slightly since the first reading and are identified above with a new location key provided by the city, although the location of the Bartholomew County Courthouse is misidentified and shown where city hall is. The DORA excludes the Bartholomew County Courthouse, which city officials said was because of a request by the Bartholomew County Commissioners.
Members went ahead to amend the ordinance to include a new, correct version of the map with the courthouse identified correctly. Because the ordinance was also amended during the first reading to include the ZwanzigZ Taproom at 12th Street, councilors had to pass an “amended, amended ordinance,” as Council President Frank Miller, R-District 6, called it, to fully approve the ordinance. Both were passed 8-0.
“The hope is, in the end, we boost tourism downtown, (generate) new revenue for restaurants and bars, increase revenue and spending at the retailers located in the DORA, and (allow) easier access and process for organizations to host downtown events in the DORA,” Eric Frey, executive director of administration, told council members.
Starting in July of 2023, state law has given municipalities the ability to create DORAs, where those 21 and older can buy alcoholic beverages from approved vendors and retail establishments and carry them outside to be consumed within the DORA boundaries.
So far, 17 Indiana communities have taken advantage and created DORAs of their own, according to the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission website.
Establishments that want to become a designated permittee and be granted a refreshment area designation would have to submit an application to the city for approval and receive a recommendation by the board of works, per the ordinance.
The boundaries of the DORA will be designated with signs and spots that take part in the Downtown Columbus Social District will have “a window cling” displayed near their entrance.
The Downtown Columbus Social District would be operational seven days a week, 365 days a year, from 10 a.m. to midnight, according to the ordinance.
Several local business owners came to the council meeting during the first reading to express support for the DORA, saying that it would promote more foot traffic downtown, in turn support local businesses there and overall improve and give a boost to the atmosphere of the area.
Some general rules of the DORA, outlined in the ordinance are:
- A person can consume an alcoholic beverage from a designated permittee or vendor anywhere within the refreshment area boundaries, subject to the right of any retailer permittee or business within the refreshment area to refuse to allow people to enter their premises with an alcoholic beverage.
- All designated permittees and vendors may allow a person to exit the designated permittee’s or vendor’s licensed premises with not more than two open containers of an alcoholic beverage at a time.
- A person may not consume an alcoholic beverage within the refreshment area that was purchased outside the refreshment area.
- Alcoholic beverages must be contained in a designated Downtown Columbus Social District Cup or an approved container affixed with a Downtown Columbus Social District decal.
- Glass containers may only be allowed in a designated permittee’s outdoor dining area and may not be removed into the Downtown Columbus Social District.
The following retailer permittees have submitted a complete application to the city to participate as a designated permittee and are identified in the map above:
- ZwanzigZ Pizza, 1038 Lafayette Ave.
- ZwanzigZ Taproom, 315 12th St.
- Thai Connection, 527 Washington St.
- Henry Social Club, 423 Washington St.
- Swine & Dine, 412 Washington St.
- 4th Street Bar & Grill, 433 Fourth St.
- Black Sheep Pizza, 318 Washington St.
- The Columbus Bar, 322 Fourth St.
- Taku Japanese Steakhouse, 305 Fourth St.
- The Garage Pub, 308 Fourth St.
- Upland Pumphouse, 148 Lindsey St.
Those that hold a temporary beer or wine permit, a supplemental catering permit, or a craft manufacturer’s permit that want to be designated as a vendor and granted a temporary vendor designation to participate in a special event held within the refreshment area can submit a special event permit application and state DORA designation form on each occasion. Those would then be weighed for approval by the board of works as well. Approved vendors can be at any of the locations on the “Temporary Vendor Map” shown here:
Temporary vendor location key:
- Sixth Street Arts Alley
- Fourth and Jackson streets
- Fourth and Washington streets
- Fourth and Washington streets
- Fourth and Franklin streets
- Washington Street, between Fourth and Fifth streets
- Proposed plaza on People Trail connection
- Mill Race Park near Amphitheatre
- Mill Race Park west of parking lot
