Oct 2015 update about toledo's outdoor refreshment areas

tt post made on oct 8, 2015

---

Uptown will contain Toledo's first open container district or "outdoor refreshment area."

The measure only needs approval by Toledo City Council. I'm unsure of the status with council. And I don't know the timing when the measure is eventually approved.

If things go well in Uptown, then the Warehouse District will be next.

Only two such districts are permitted in a city the size of Toledo.

This type of designation is different from an area being called an "entertainment district," which exists in multiple areas of the city now.

According to a September 2015 Toledo Blade story, mentioned below , the to-go cups will cost more, and patrons will be prohibited from taking their drinks into another establishment, located within the zone.

And customers cannot even take their drinks back into the business where they bought it.

Unless I am misunderstanding this, it seems that once you take your drink outside, then you can only drink it outside within the zone. You cannot enter any business with the drink.

Excerpts from a Sep 28, 2015 Toledo Blade story

The Village on Adams may become home to a new area in which bar patrons will be able to socialize outdoors with open containers of alcohol.

The new state law allows cities with populations of more than 35,000 to create one entertainment district, or outdoor refreshment area, where people may legally walk outside with open containers of alcohol. Cities with more than 50,000 residents may create two areas. In larger cities, the districts could not be larger than half a square mile.

In May, just after Ohio lawmakers created “outdoor refreshment areas,” Zach Lahey and the rest of The Village on Adams board started developing plans for such an area in Toledo.

Along with city officials and representatives from the chamber of commerce, the Warehouse District, and UpTown Association, Toledo’s open-refreshment proponents have drawn up plans for an open-container area in a 10-block section of Adams Street.

Toledo City Council must approve creation of the open-refreshment area.

“The Warehouse District is a prime candidate for a second area; they're also going to be paying close attention,” said Mr. Lahey, the treasurer of the Adams Street group. “If we screw it up, we mess it up for them.”

The law mandates that the outdoor refreshment area operate only in designated areas and within limited hours.

The proposal on Adams is for operation Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. and from noon to 1 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

During the school week, and for special events, Toledo police or deputies from the Lucas County Sheriff's Office would be present outside the [Toledo School for the Arts], although final arrangements are pending , Mr. Lahey said.

Once school children are gone from the area, the officer or officers would patrol the rest of the area. The Village on Adams also plans to pay for additional police or deputies to be present.

The Village on Adams board also is working with the city to get new signage for the street, if the proposal is presented and approved by council, to clearly mark the refreshment-area boundaries.

The law has many nuances, including that drinks purchased at one bar and taken outside cannot then be taken into another establishment or back into the bar from which they were purchased. The “to-go” drinks must also be served in cups.

Mr. Lahey said the village has plans to use compostable cups, such as a soy-based plastic or paper cups, to minimize waste.

Drinks to go outdoors will be sold with a $1 additional charge to pay for the cups, added security and other expenses associated with the outdoor-refreshment area, Mr. Lahey said.

Some of that money could be used to pay for neighborhood enhancement projects, such as lighting along Adams, he said.

#toledo