Zionsville Town Council approves designated outdoor refreshment area

Zionsville leaders are considering the creation of a designated outdoor refreshment area in the town's historic Village. (IBJ photo/Eric Learned)

The Zionsville Town Council on Monday voted 6-1 to approve a designated outdoor refreshment area, or DORA, in areas in, around and south of the town’s historic Village.

Zionsville is the first Boone County community to approve plans for the increasingly common district where people ages 21 and over can purchase alcoholic beverages from participating bars, restaurants and vendors, and carry them outside and into other shops in the district that allow drinks.

Existing open container laws do not prohibit people from carrying alcoholic beverages outside in Zionsville, but the proposed measure would limit open consumption of alcoholic drinks in the district to those purchased at participating businesses. The Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission will review Zionsville’s plan.

Councilors Brad Burk, Tim McElderry, Evan Norris, Jason Plunkett, Sarah Esterline Sampson and Joseph Stein voted in favor of establishing a DORA, while Craig Melton voted against the ordinance.

So far, 12 restaurants have applied to be designated permittees in the DORA district: North High Brewing (75 N. Main St.), Greeks Pizzeria (30 N. Main St.), Hopwood Cellars (12 E. Cedar St.), Convivio Italian Artisan Cuisine (40 S. Main St.), Rush on Main (112 S. Main St.), Cobblestone (160 S. Main St.), Cafe Patachou (95 E. Pine St.), Zionsville Pizzeria (255 S. Main St.), The Friendly Tavern (290 S. Main St.), The Scoop (305 S. Main St.), Auberge (175 S. Main St.) and Rosie’s Place (10 S. Main St.).

If it receives ATC approval, Zionsville’s DORA will be bounded by East Poplar Street to the north, South Elm Street and Creek Street to the east, south of 106th Street to the south, and South Second Street and South Main Street/Zionsville Road to the west. The district also would include Creekside Corporate Park, which was not part of the original map when the DORA was introduced in September.

The DORA map on Monday initially ended at 106th Street following objections made by a restaurant owner at the Oct. 7 meeting, but council members amended the map to stretch farther south.

Marcus White, owner of Zionsville Public House at 10615 Zionsville Road, asked the council to ensure the district would not go south of 106th Street near his business. White told council members on Oct. 7 that he opposed the district because he feared the DORA would result in higher insurance premiums for businesses located near the district, even if they are not in the DORA area.

However, council members decided to move forward with an amended map that included the area where White’s business is located after Stein said he thought the council should think “long term.”

“I guess where I’m going with that is if he’s going to opt-out, then he’s defined his relationship with the DORA,” Stein said. “As Town Council, thinking bigger than that, do we draw the lines where we want them so that in the future, if the restaurant changes hands, he sells it to somebody and they want to opt-in, we don’t have to drum all this up again?”

City Attorney Heather Harris told council members that businesses within the DORA territory aren’t required to participate in the district.

“If you’re located within the map area, you are still making individual business decisions about participation,” Harris said.

Zionsville’s DORA will be in effect from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays.

The maximum fill limits for beverages sold within Zionsville’s DORA will be 16 ounces for beer or flavored malt drinks; 12 ounces for wine, cider or a premixed cocktails; and 10 ounces, including up to two ounces of liquor, for liquor or a liquor-based cocktail.

People will be required to carry plastic cups with the DORA logo throughout the district. Businesses and restaurants will have signs saying DORA beverages are either welcome, sold or not permitted inside.

Patrons will be limited to two beverages at a time, and drinks will only be allowed within the DORA boundaries. Exit signage will be posted at the boundaries of the DORA.

Addressing concerns raised by council members earlier this month, Mayor John Stehr discussed a plan to add access to public restrooms in an existing building in the Village or either purchase or rent a trailer with restrooms for temporary use until a permanent facility is built. He said the town plans to have restrooms in place by next spring to coincide with the beginning of the DORA.

“Long-term, we would put public restrooms in a parking structure or a public plaza area as those are developed, but we will continue working on a temporary solution to what we know is a concern to the council as well as all of our constituents,” Stehr said.

Members of the Carmel City Council, Noblesville City Council and the Westfield City Council have approved DORA districts for their cities in Hamilton County. Carmel and Westfield are awaiting approval from the ATC, while Noblesville received the OK in July from the state agency.

Noblesville lobbied for a bill to allow DORA districts beginning in 2021. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Senate Bill 20 last year, making Indiana the fifth state to allow DORAs—following North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.

The ATC has approved DORA districts for 23 Indiana communities—Bargersville, Batesville, Brookville, Fort Wayne, Greensburg, Griffith, Huntingburg, Jasper, Jeffersonville, Kirklin, Lafayette, Lawrenceburg, Logansport, Mishawaka, New Albany, Noblesville, Richmond, Roanoke, Shelbyville, Speedway, Warsaw, Winona Lake and Yorktown.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to state that Senate Bill 20 authorized the creation of designated outdoor refreshment areas.