City officials on Tuesday night agreed to add three local businesses as permitees to a designated area where those of-age can buy alcoholic drinks downtown and carry them around, and codify changes to locations where that can be done temporarily.
Columbus City Council members passed an ordinance to amend a previous one that created the city’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA), known as the Downtown Columbus Social District.
The amended ordinance can be found on page 39 of Tuesday’s city council packet.
The board of works in April added Hotel Indigo, White Star Meat Market, and Lucianas Mexican Restaurant as permanent permitees in the DORA.
Eric Frey, executive director of administration, said the amendment was to back the board of works addition of the three designated permittees, clean up some language in the ordinance, and add more temporary vendor locations.
Frey said Jody Coffman, the city’s communications and event coordinator, went to look over past event applications to find spots where events occurred, that organizers also wanted alcohol available in an effort to add more temporary vendor locations.
City officials have said they are hopeful the DORA will boost tourism, increase revenue and energize the downtown.
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.
Establishments that want to become a designated permittee and be granted a refreshment area designation 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 are designated with signs, and spots that take part in the Downtown Columbus Social District have “a window cling” displayed near their entrance.
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 are the list of designated permanent permittees:
- 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.
- Hotel Indigo, 400 Brown Street
- White Star Meat Market, 410 Washington Street
- Lucianas Mexican Restaurant, 310 Washington Street
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.
The new temporary vendor locations include the Fifth Street Library Plaza, Washington Street behind city hall, Sixth Street, and part of Jackson Street. It also added parts of Fourth Street.
The following are the temporary vendor locations:
- Sixth Street Arts Alley
- Fourth Street — Jackson to Washington Street
- Fourth Street — Washington to Franklin Street
- Washington Street — Third to Fifth streets
- Washington Street — between the railroad and First Street
- Fifth Street Library Plaza
- Plaza on People Trail connection
- Mill Race Park — near amphitheater
- Mill Race Park — west of parking lot
- Sixth Street — Jackson to Washington streets
