Janesville’s Downtown Business Improvement District is eyeing a ‘Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area,’ or DORA, that if approved by the city would allow alcohol to be carried on certain downtown streets.
Janesville's Downtown Business Improvement District is eyeing a 'Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area,' or DORA, that if approved by the city would allow alcohol to be carried on certain downtown streets.
Janesville’s Downtown Business Improvement District is eyeing a ‘Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area,’ or DORA, that if approved by the city would allow alcohol to be carried on certain downtown streets.
NEIL JOHNSON/NEIL.JOHNSON@APG-SW.COM
Janesville's Downtown Business Improvement District is eyeing a 'Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area,' or DORA, that if approved by the city would allow alcohol to be carried on certain downtown streets.
JANESVILLE — The City’s Alcohol Licensing and Advisory Committee will eye a new ordinance that lays out the details and location of a special district where people can drink alcohol along the downtown sidewalks.
On Tuesday, the city’s liquor board will hear details of a new ordinance for a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, but will take no action.
The DORA area, according to a map provided by the organizers, encompasses most of the central downtown area, also known as the downtown’s entertainment district.
The map shows highlighted streets that would be part of the DORA area, including North and South Main streets; East and West Milwaukee streets; Parts of North Franklin and South Jackson streets, and blocks of West Court and River streets along the riverfront. The DORA also encompasses the town square where the farmer’s market and other public events are held.
The boundary lines for the proposed DORA ordinance.
The ordinance suggests the DORA could operate between the hours of 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., daily. The city memo indicates that during that time, alcohol can be carried and consumed within the boundaries of the DORA.
The memo indicates retail businesses within the proposed DORA would get to decide whether they want to participate and allow people to carry drinks into their businesses.
Shelly Henschler, owner of Reverie Dry Goods on North Main Street, said she was skeptical at first. She was nervous because of her storefront’s proximity to Firehouse Park, and the issues the city dealt with last year over intoxicated people congregating there.
Henschler went to a meeting with the Business Improvement District earlier this month, and listened to a speaker from Neenah, a city with its own DORA. Henschler said that talk warmed her to the concept.
Henschler believes that if a DORA had guardrails on open intoxicants, time limits, and days of the week it ran, it could be be a great new amenity for Janesville. She said if a DORA generated extra foot traffic, it might spur her to adjust her hours to take advantage of more people downtown.
“As a small business and a relatively newer business, this could really benefit me,” she said. “It’s a collaborative downtown and a great place to listen to music and shop so this would enhance what the downtown is already doing.”
Some Wisconsin communities that allow DORAs under city ordinances, such as Neenah, limit the days of DORA operation to weekends. The draft ordinance for Janesville’s proposed DORA does not indicate any limits on days of operation.
The city memo indicates that the containers would need to be stickered, covered and in city-approved cups that could only be stocked at establishments that are licensed DORA participants.
No carry-in alcohol would be allowed.
Operators of one downtown bar within the proposed DORA, the Looking Glass on North Main Street, say they don’t have much of an opinion on the proposal. They say the Looking Glass has a thriving outdoor patio that gets used during the warm months.
“We sort of have our own DORA with our patio,” said bar manager Ally Walker. “We have live music every Sunday, and it is usually full of people.”
The ordinance seems to prohibit alcohol being taken from business to business — including from bar to bar. The memo indicates that drinks purchased at one DORA participant cannot be taken inside another DORA participant.
It means that DORA drinks must be consumed on the property where they were purchased, or in outdoor areas within the DORA boundaries.
There will be clearly marked signs for the boundaries plus a sunset provision if the ordinance is approved for June 30, 2027.
