Parkersburg to consider designated zone for alcohol sales, consumption
The proposed Private Outdoor Designated Area for public alcohol consumption in approved containers at designated times would run along Market Street from Third to Ninth-and-a-Half Street. (Photo Provided)
This logo for Parkersburg’s proposed Private Outdoor Designated Area was provided by the city Development Department. (Photo Provided)
The proposed Private Outdoor Designated Area for public alcohol consumption in approved containers at designated times would run along Market Street from Third to Ninth-and-a-Half Street. (Photo Provided)
This logo for Parkersburg’s proposed Private Outdoor Designated Area was provided by the city Development Department. (Photo Provided)
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PARKERSBURG -- Alcoholic beverages could be consumed on public property and carried along a six-and-a-half block stretch of Market Street under a proposal being considered this week by Parkersburg's Municipal Planning Commission.
The organization's regular meeting is slated for 12:30 p.m. Friday in City Council chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building.
Similar to the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) established in Marietta in 2021, Private Outdoor Designated Areas can be established by municipalities under a law enacted this year by the West Virginia Legislature. In those zones, alcohol may be consumed on public property as long as it is in an approved container, purchased from a licensed permit holder and consumed within the designated time frame.
Parkersburg's proposed PODA would be dubbed the Market Street Designated Area and run along Market from Third to Ninth-and-One-Half Street. Under the ordinance, sales and consumption of alcohol would be allowed in that area from 4-11 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays between April 1 and Oct. 31.
"I think anything we can do to encourage folks to frequent and patronize our downtown in general, particularly restaurants, is a good thing," Mayor Tom Joyce said.
The designation would allow establishments with a Class A license from the West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration to apply for a Class S4 permit to participate. There are four such licensed establishments - the Blennerhasset Hotel and Spa, The Cocktail Bar, Parkersburg Brewing Company and Wine Down on Market - in the proposed area, city Development Director Ryan Barber said.
"That's our Main Street," he said. "That's where we have a concentration of foot traffic, restaurants and venues."
Under the proposed ordinance, beverages must be served in a non-glass container that can contain no more than 16 ounces and has been approved by the mayor's office and the state ABCA. The containers are single use, cannot be refilled and must be "recycled appropriately after the beverage has been consumed," it says.
Patrons may not leave the designated area while possessing an open container of liquor, wine or beer.
Any businesses whose primary points of entry and exit are in the designated area may allow beverages in the approved containers to be brought in, but no one is required to participate, the ordinance says. The city will provide signage for businesses to indicate whether they participate.
Barber said city officials were in contact with representatives of Marietta, Athens and Zanesville about their experience with DORA, of which there are 115 active in Ohio, as well as Huntington and Charleston, who have the only active PODAs in the state.
Amanda Stevens, executive director of Downtown PKB, said that organization has worked with city officials on the development of the ordinance. The people she spoke to in other cities with similar zones did not report any problems, she said.
"It has helped their downtown economies, and they haven't had issues with people taking advantage of it or being disorderly," she said.
Joyce noted the ordinance was also reviewed by the police chief and public works director.
If the ordinance is referred by the 11-member Planning Commission, it would go to Parkersburg City Council for consideration, likely in January, said Barber, a member of the commission.
Friday's agenda also includes a discussion of potentially changing the day and time of Planning Commission meetings.