11/09/2021
Came across this article by Joe Tennis asking the usual questions associated with outdoor consumption of alcohol. We will address Joe's questions one at a time after you read the article.
https://swvatoday.com/news/article_e95603d4-d27c-588a-918c-2e5855468374.html
Here are the answers to your questions, Joe.
1. Chief Holbrooke reported to Town Council that he did not foresee any additional costs with adopting the DORA. He also stated that he did not foresee any additional law enforcement personnel needs associated with the ordinance.
2. It is hard to estimate the tax revenue that will be generated by adopting a DORA for Abingdon. However, a simple internet search will reveal numerous articles from a wide array of municipalities touting the positive impacts of DORAs on their local hospitality industry. Many of these articles goes as far as to state that DORAs saved the restaurant industry in their towns.
3. No, you can't bring your own cup or your own cocktails into the DORAs. Simply reading the law will provide a clear answer to that question and most of these. The only alcoholic beverages that can be consumed in the DORAs are those that are purchased from participating licensed ABC retailers within the DORA. Virginia law states that alcoholic beverages may only be consumed by individuals at least 21 years of age and the local ordinance would allow consumption only from the cup provided by the retailer which includes the retailer's logo.
4. See answer #3 above. There are numerous laws already in place regarding the interactions between retailers and customers regarding sales and access to alcohol. While we can't make them leave public streets, we can ask unruly, non- law abiding patrons to leave our establishments. We can also report all violators of the DORA ordinance so that it may be properly addressed by the community.
5. Restaurants already pay for trash pickup and a multitude of other services the town provides to its citizens. With meals tax rates among the highest in the country and a restaurant density rivaling New York City, restaurants are some of the highest tax payers in town. Abingdon is already short of trash cans and needs to schedule more trash pickups as evidenced by over flowing cans during the week. The plan calls for placement of cans at each DORA termination point. This is a trivial issue and has not been of concern in other existing DORAs.
6. The same thing that happens to any other individual who is drunk and/or disorderly on the streets of Abingdon. There are laws in place now that address public behavior. Abingdon has a high number of ABC retailers and lots of visitors who walk from locations along Main Street after visiting one of our fantastic restaurants where they likely partook of adult beverages. Chief Holbrook has stated that public intoxication is not an issue on Main Street Abingdon.
7. Easier is not always better. Beer gardens in front of restaurants will not have the desired economic impact nor will it be the appearance Abingdon wants to present to visitors.
We hope this answers yours and Joe's questions. Bottom line is this; alcohol is controversial for a few people. There will always be those opposed to it and and they will always fear the worst of outcomes. Fortunately they are rarely correct. When we started Thursday Jams nearly 10 years ago and wanted beer at the event, the same nay-sayers said the same things about the beer garden and public intoxication, trash and late night revelry. To no ones memory has there been a single incident related to alcohol at a Thursday Jam or any other Town event. We can create "if pigs could fly" scenarios all day or you can search the internet for things like "economic benefits of outdoor refreshment areas" or "municipalities that have adopted DORAs" and come to your own conclusions. After a solid month of digging, we were unable to find a single municipality that rescinded it after adopting it. In fact, most credit it with being an economic revitalization spark. Cities like Kent, OH, with its large college population, has had only one incident in the DORA in 2 years and have recently expanded its size and extended the "sunset" date of the trial period another 3 years. Grand Rapids, MI made its 5 small DORAs into one large one after 2 years due to the overwhelming positive response. Weeks of research failed to yield a single town or city that had repealed their outdoor refreshment ordinances. 17 municipalities in Virginia have already adopted DORAs and most of our neighbors competing with us for tourism dollars are on the way to adopting their own ordinances to allow them. Abingdon had a chance to be a leader in Southwest Virginia's tourism industry 3 months ago. Now we run the risk of being the last one to get on board.
I’m going to tell you about what’s happening in Abingdon with the Outdoor Refreshment Area. And then I’m going to just ask a bunch of questions. Because that’s what three
