COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Adults of legal drinking age may soon be able to walk around downtown Columbus and parts of Franklinton with a drink in hand.
On Monday, the Columbus City Council approved the implementation of DORAs (short for designated outdoor refreshment areas) in parts of downtown. The state must approve the idea before it can officially launch.
Isabella Ho is the kitchen manager at Boston in the Arena District. Currently, her DORA in this district is only allowed on event nights. Ho feels her influence, she said.
“As you can see, we have a lot more groups coming now because the seating is a little limited,” Ho said. “So DORA is great just to see more faces.”
She thinks it would be wise for the city to expand DORA into downtown and Franklinton.
“I think it's a great opportunity for all the local businesses in the area. It's going to give everyone the opportunity to meet more customers,” Mr Ho said.
The new rules will allow attendees to drink alcohol in approved DORA cups from participating vendors and walk within the perimeter, which stretches from 4th Street to Franklinton.
Its name is “Center City DORA”. Madison Cole, director of communications for Downtown Columbus Inc., believes this will make the city more walkable and bring more vibrancy to these areas of the city.
“This is what we've heard directly from the community: Downtown has done a really good job with events and festivals, but we need more routine, consistent activities, and DORA is doing exactly that. ,” Cole said.
A spokesperson for Hilliard and Gahanna, which founded DORA, said they do not address egregious behavior related to the policy.
“We actually feel like DORA does a great job of increasing the sense of safety because there are more people walking around,” Cole said.
DORA is scheduled to operate seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and will take effect May 24 if approved by the state.
