Proposed DORA In Downtown Marietta Would Allow Alcohol Outdoors

MARIETTA, OH — There was a public meeting on Monday, March 22, in Marietta to discuss the details of a proposed DORA (designated outdoor refreshment area). What this will mean, if passed, is that there will be streets in downtown Marietta and the Harmar district where folks can drink alcohol outside. There would be strict limitations, the purpose of this meeting was to define those limitations.

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The first public meeting on the issue was held to discuss the details of the proposal. Mayor Josh Schlicher and Marietta Main Street's Executive Director Christie Thomas are championing this proposal. They propose putting up designated DORA signs which would make it clear where it's okay to drink outside, and where it isn't. They also propose having a police officer designated to patrol the DORA while it's active.

the DORA would only be active between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Folks would only be allowed to drink out of designated cups purchased at designated establishments. Paul Bertram, the Marietta City Law Director, said there would likely be penalties for people drinking out of other containers in the DORA. A first offense would likely be a warning, a second would likely be an open container misdemeanor. There are 19 bars and restaurants inside the DORA zone which could qualify to sell alcohol out of these designated cups.

It appears that much of the community is on board with this proposal, but not everyone. Some pushback from the community comes from border disputes. There are some in the community who feel that those boundaries need amending, and city officials appear to be open to that. A map of the proposed DORA zone is available here.

Another issue concerning the DORA is how this might affect festivals. While Marietta City officials might work to incorporate the two on a case-by-case basis, it appears that they should be able to deactivate the DORA if they need to.

Those championing the DORA are trying to have it up and running by Memorial Day weekend. The city council's deadline to take action on this issue is by early May. If the council does approve this by early May, they still have some other regulatory hoops to jump through. The next public meeting on the matter is set for Monday, March 29. It isn't known when the matter will be put to an official vote.

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