Just a few months after Mishawaka, IN, enacted a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA), the city council voted in December to expand the boundaries of the drinking zone.
Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter reports that Mishawaka’s experience with public drinking mirrors that of other cities across the nation.
First, state lawmakers, seeking to help downtowns recover from the pandemic, pass a law legalizing outdoor consumption of alcohol in certain areas. Next, downtowns clamor to approve the zones, in spite of some objections about the nuisance crime caused by increased alcohol consumption. And in the third phase, cities conclude the benefits outweigh the costs and look to expand the zones where alcohol is allowed.
In Mishawaka, the rules allow patrons of registered establishments to buy alcoholic drinks in special tagged cups that can be carried outdoors in a designated area of the downtown.
Matthew Lentsch, director of development and governmental affairs, says the expansion of the area is a way to allow visitors to the city to enjoy what vendors have to offer while taking part in activities in the city.
More on outdoor refreshment areas appears in the pages of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.
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