COLUMBUS – A proposal to create a second Designated Outdoor Recreation Area, or DORA, where alcoholic drinks could be carried on city sidewalks, took another step forward Wednesday night.
Columbus City Council member Nick Bankston held a public meeting at Land Grant Brewing Company to discuss creating the “Center City DORA,” which could be in effect late in May, according to media reports.
State law allows local governments to designate DORAs, which are exempt from certain open container provisions. The only other such area in Columbus currently is in the Arena District.
If approved by the city council and the state, the area designated as the “Center City Dora” would stretch from Gift Street in Franklinton on the west to 4th Street on the east and from Nationwide Boulevard on the north to Mound Street on the south and would operate seven days a week from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (see map).
A DORA allows visitors 21 and older to consume alcoholic beverages purchased from a participating business outdoors within the area’s boundaries, during designated hours, and according to DORA rules.
The 0.62-square-mile area would encompass destinations like the Scioto Mile and Columbus Commons, according to a report by WBNS 10-TV.
Several groups, including Downtown Columbus, Inc., the Franklinton Board of Trade and Capital Crossroads Special Improvement Districts are proposing the DORA.
Similar areas have already been approved in Hilliard, Dublin and several other central Ohio communities.