COLUMBUS, Ohio — You may be hearing the word “cheers!” more often around the Arena District.
Columbus City Council approved a request Monday to expand the Arena District’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) to include more events.
Initially, the DORA was only active during home games for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Clippers and Columbus Crew.
Council decided to extend the DORA to events like concerts or tournaments. Those events must take place at Nationwide Arena, Huntington Park or Lower.com Field.
“Columbus is a growing, vibrant community and the DORA, since its inception, has been a model for allowing our residents and guests to support local businesses while enjoying the Arena District," councilmember Emmanuel V. Remy said. "This legislation allows the DORA to activate for all events at our venues not just sporting events.”
The boundaries of the DORA – which are mostly along Nationwide Boulevard – will remain the same.
In the ordinance, council leaders wrote there is a “need and desire” to provide consistency to businesses in the area.
The Ohio Department of Commerce describes a DORA as “a specified area of land that a local legislative authority has designated as exempt from certain open container provisions.”
You can find a full list of DORA locations here.