Benton Harbor City Commissioners are still a way from considering it, but there is a proposal to create a social district in the city. Social districts are state-sanctioned areas within a municipality in which people can carry around alcoholic beverages in specially marked cups. The Benton Harbor Legislative Committee this week heard about plans from the Benton Harbor Arts Association to have a district set up in the Arts District downtown. It would include The Livery, the Mason Jar, the Pipestone Indoor Country Club, and the Houndstooth, all near Main Street. Commissioner Edward Isom said once some questions are answered, he’ll back the idea.
“People want to get out, especially after the pandemic and all of that, our great downtown is starting to blossom,” Isom said. “So, yes, I can support this.”
One question is whether the social district would extend across Main Street to cover the Houndstooth, which is on the south side of it. Most of the proposed district is on the north side of Main Street. Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis suggested that could be a problem because Main Street is a state-controlled street, and not local. There are also questions about receptacles for discarded cups and setting up a recycling plan for them. The matter was sent back to the Economic and Development Committee for more discussion.
