Kent DORA district expands to include three more businesses
- Margaret Lennox
Kent City Council voted to expand the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) district at the council committee meeting on Sep. 3 and officially approved the expansion at the regular council meeting on Sept. 17.
City Council’s approval of the DORA expansion gives city staff members permission to submit a DORA district expansion application to the state of Ohio.
The Kent DORA district is an area located in downtown Kent where people can purchase alcoholic beverages from licensed liquor establishments. The beverages can be consumed in the DORA boundaries.
The updated DORA district would now include The River Merchant, 101 Bottles and the Blind Squirrel Pub, which is on North Mantua Street in the former location of Little City Grill. The Blind Squirrel Pub, which requested the expansion, could not be reached for comment.
According to the memo sent to Kent City Council about the proposed expansion, “The DORA will allow for more accessible outdoor dining in front of liquor permit holding establishments. It will allow such establishments to serve alcoholic beverages in a plastic cup, pursuant to all state and local requirements, within a designated area during certain hours. Creation of the DORA will relieve these establishments of current requirements for fencing around a dining area.”
Kent’s DORA district has existed since July 2020 and has been extended multiple times since its establishment. Expansions of the DORA district are considered when a liquor permit holding business submits a request to be included in the DORA boundary.
“The DORA was created early on during the COVID-19 pandemic and served as a successful tool that helped local businesses adapt to changes in operations because of federal social distancing regulations. The DORA was viewed favorably by both the businesses and the public and was made permanent in 2021 and continues to be a component of attracting people to downtown Kent,” Economic Development Director Eric Helmstedter said.
Kent’s DORA district is open seven days a week, from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m., year round.
Margaret Lennox