Mantua DORA proposal headed to mayor

A proposal to establish a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) in Mantua is headed to Mayor Tammy Meyer’s office following a May 19 meeting that attracted about 25 community members.

The proposed DORA district would encompass state Route 44 from Italiano’s Pizzaria south along both sides of Main Street to Prospect Street. East-west boundaries would be down Prospect from Next Door General Store to the Granary in Mantua and would include the west side of First Street from Prospect to Italiano’s.

Randy Ellis, executive director of the Mantua-Shalersville Area Chamber of Commerce, said the idea of a DORA in Mantua was floated by a local business owners who had seen such districts successfully established in Kent, Garrettsville, Ravenna, Hudson, Cuyahoga Falls and elsewhere. He approached Mantua Village Council members, but found that nothing moves quickly in government.

“They were interested, but they wanted to see what the public had to say,” Ellis said, explaining the purpose of the May 19 forum.

The DORA’s proposed hours would be Thursday to Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. Alternative hours council could consider would be from noon to 9 p.m. Fridays, noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays, he said.

Council would have to approve all aspects of the DORA, including hours and boundaries, and the entire DORA concept would have to be revisited every five years, he said.

The Chamber would install signage marking DORA boundaries and would provide all businesses within it with signs indicating if they sell DORA beverages, if they welcome DORA beverages inside, or if customers must finish their drinks before entering.

Council could suspend the DORA during special events where alcohol is served, may allow the special event and DORA to operate simultaneously, or could temporarily expand the DORA boundary to serve both, Ellis said.

Though Prospect Street could be partially closed during village-wide special events, the DORA district would not include a seasonal outdoor seating area like Kent’s does. Recently installed sidewalks on Main Street are wide enough to hold small tables, and the village green and mini-park on state Route 44 also feature seating, Ellis said.

“We’ll probably be adding seating depending on how popular this becomes,” Ellis said.

Adult beverages would have to be purchased from DORA businesses, which would provide customers with a DORA wristband and a DORA cup. People would only be permitted to buy one drink at a time, Ellis said.

People would not be permitted to bring a DORA drink from one business into another one that also sells alcohol, he said. The DORA district would not function as a free-drinking zone. People who bring their own adult beverages would be subject to open-container laws, and other already existing laws would be enforced, he said.

Each DORA business would install and maintain a trash can outside the entrance.

A DORA district could attract customers to existing businesses and potentially attract new ones, said Phil Rath, president of Mantua’s Compass Packaging and vice president of the Downtown Mantua Revitalization Corp.

As it is, people drive through the village, but don’t stop, he told attendees, many of whom were local business owners.

“We want to make Mantua a destination,” Ellis said. “We need to bring people in. This is one way to say, ‘The welcome mat is out. We want you to come.’”

Julie Robine, who heads Mantua’s twice-monthly farmers and makers market, said that summer events would also benefit from a DORA.

“I can see if someone could have an adult beverage at the market, it could increase our attendance and help the vendors,” she said. “It’s a fun gathering place, and I feel if we have DORA, it would only add to that cohesiveness.”

Fielding questions, Ellis said other DORA communities have not had problems with intoxicated DORA customers causing public disturbances or stepping in front of cars on the street. At least one Mantua police officer would be on duty during DORA hours, he said.

Mantua all but exclusively features independently owned retail shops and restaurants. Among the few pushbacks Ellis received during the meeting was when he suggested that a DORA could encourage local entrepreneurs to extend their hours. They countered, insisting that they get little enough downtime as it is.

After Meyer reviews the DORA proposal, Ellis said she will submit it to Mantua’s Planning Commission and then to village council. The proposal would need final approval from the Ohio State Liquor Control Board.

Should the proposal jump all the hurdles, liquor licenses for businesses inside the DORA would be updated to include the right to sell drinks for consumption within district boundaries.