You may soon be able to drink beer and cocktails just about anywhere in Playhouse Square.
On Monday, Cleveland City Council introduced legislation that could mark Cleveland’s theater district as the first Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area in the city center.
A DORA, as it’s commonly abbreviated, would allow drinking—in specific cups—on the streets and sidewalks, similar to some 140 other DORAs throughout the state, including the Van Aken District or Pinecrest.
The designation “would give Playhouse Square’s guests more opportunity to extend their visit,” a spokesperson for the district wrote Scene, while “supporting local restaurants and strengthening Downtown Cleveland while maintaining the responsible stewardship our community expects.”
Plenty of Ohio towns have lauded the residual effects DORA-fying their city center or entertainment district on economics, foot traffic and the general joie de vivre. Canton, Middletown, Kent and Tiffin all reported five to 30 percent spikes in drink sales after codifying DORAs. Middletown saw $3 million in downtown investment two years after its DORA launched in 2016.
It’s the kind of growth Playhouse Square, and Downtown in general, could replicate.
Plans for a DORA on East 4th continue to plod along, but there have been no updates on that front since late last year. According to the application submitted to Council this month, Playhouse Square’s would be a tad bit different. Two different DORAs are being proposed, for instance: one during normal hours and another, “expanded” DORA activated ten to 15 times a year, concurrent with Playhouse’s major outdoor events. That expanded area would spread to Payne, East 17th, Prospect Ave. and East 12th.
Some businesses in the area (11 out of 53) didn’t sign the petition and have lingering questions.
“I mean, what does DORA stand for? Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area,” said Scott Kuhn, the head of Driftwood Restaurants, that oversees Bin 216, Cibreo and Republic. “This DORA is not being used for that purpose on an everyday basis.”
Kuhn, like several other proprietors who spoke to Scene, felt that Playhouse was filing a “non-traditional” DORA that needed more clarification: Why the expansion? Which businesses would allow DORA cups during regular hours?
“We’re in lockstep,” Kuhn said. “We just want more information.”
DORAs do bring some side effects, mostly the need for added security, camera surveillance and littering issues. (Playhouse promises to install more trash cans to handle the latter.) But very few towns with DORAs report an uptick in crime.
Which is why the city seems eager for Playhouse Square to start handing out those branded cups. The district itself predicts a 10 percent spike in bar revenue, its application suggested.
“We think it only has a ripple effect,” a spokesperson for City Hall told Scene. “People spending money, staying there longer, going into retail areas to shop—it’s going to have a positive ripple effect of supporting small businesses.”
If approved by Cleveland City Council, and the state liquor board, Playhouse Square could theoretically begin serving outdoor drinks later this year.
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