As St. Joseph City Commissioners still work desperately to wrap their minds around whether or not the city will join the 10-percent or so of Michigan municipalities that are incorporating Social Districts into their downtowns to help the hard-hit hospitality industry recover from the huge impacts of the pandemic, St. Joseph Today Executive Director Amy Zapal has been dispatched back to the drawing board to find alternative options for how large the district will be, when it can operate, and how best to control safety and sanitation issues among others.
The Commission spent an extensive amount of time for a second straight meeting Monday night debating not only if they will allow creation of a Social District downtown, but if they do how large it will be, how it will be enforced, and when it would be allowed to even occur.
Some members of the commission are advocating for a trial period in the so-called “shoulder season” at the end of the summer, to which Zapal replied, “These businesses need help now. They might not make it to the shoulder season. Some of these businesses are teetering on the brink, and at risk of disappearing without some help like this.”
Zapal returned after being sent away two weeks ago and asked to provide additional feedback from other businesses in the central business district regarding their support for the concept, and encouragement to consider scaling back the footprint of the “Common Areas,” where alcoholic beverages could be consumed in take-out fashion from licensed establishments throughout the district.
In one major adjustment, Zapal scaled the scope in Lake Bluff Park to about half of the original proposal, meaning that only from the brick gazebo across from the Boulevard Inn to the city’s band shell would be included in the common area. Nevertheless, some commissioners are pushing for a “test or trial” area of considerably smaller size or at the later time in the year.
Several citizens joined the conversation on both sides of the equation both for and against the Social District concept which has been approved by the Michigan Legislature and the Michigan Liquor Control Commission with a current plan to sunset the legislation at the end of 2024 in a bid to help bars and restaurants to recover from extended shutdowns of indoor service, and severe restrictions on capacity limits.
St. Joseph Public Safety Director Steve Neubecker voiced some concerns over his department’s ability to enforce the rules, and the need for clearly delineate boundaries, alongside concerns about trash control.
Zapal pointed out on several occasions that the entire concept has been tried for nearly a year now in multiple communities with no major repercussions and reminded observers, “This isn’t something I just created in my head, it comes directly from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission and your state legislators.”
Deb Sailor who serves on the St. Joseph Downtown Development Authority which has endorsed the concept for St. Joe told of being in a day long meeting with other DDAs from across the state and learned that “initial concerns about unruly, rowdy or never-ending beach party types of crowds proved to be totally unfounded anywhere in the state.” She says, “You might be shockingly, pleasantly surprised that self-policing adults who simply want to have a cocktail while waiting for their restaurant table does not turn them into a rioting crowd…that’s a pretty hard leap, and our police have always handled things very professionally and done an amazing job, so maybe if folks took a deep breath you might find that our visitors are some good people who can enjoy an adult beverage without signaling the downfall of civilization.”
Zapal also reminded city officials, “While you can make this happen (approving a Social District) but you can also make it stop happening at any time that you think it’s not what you wanted it to be.” She added, “Making the decision based on the lowest common denominator does everyone a disservice.”
Commissioner Lynn Todman said, “While I want to be really, really thoughtful about this decision, I feel compelled to ask about the additional costs of sanitation and increased police presence to control things.”
Commissioner Jeff Richards reiterated his long-standing opinion that “Strong communities are based on safety and cleanliness,” adding, “I don’t think this concept enhances us and might, in fact, have an adverse effect on our G-rated and family-focused community, so I don’t think it will enhance or attractiveness.”
Commissioner Michele Binkley told Zapal, “I like the general concept, but it is too broad in size and I share concerns of others and hope that things can be tweaked.”
Mayor Mike Garey applauded St. Joseph Today for “helping return some normalcy to St. Joe through the return of community events,” but voiced concerns about public safety, cleanliness and other issues and suggested that the shoulder season might be a better fit, or event closing off all of State Street from Elm to Ship Street and hosting a community-wide festival in the downtown. He said he’s not comfortable with the current proposal and would like to see further refinement to the plan, reminding of his caution that “We have to get it right the first time.”
Zapal has indicated that she will reach out to all of the licensed beverage businesses that had a vested interest in the Social District to get their feedback and concerns, saying, “They’ve pivoted before and I will reach out to them to find the ability to create an option that is more palatable” to the City Commission’s desires.
On a related note, the city finalized the approval of the Pleasant Street Plaza that will allow the portion of that street adjacent to 221 Main, The Community Tap and Silver Harbor Brewing to be closed off 7-days a week for outdoor dining from 4pm til close between May 15th and September 30th for the next five years. A 16-foot wide pedestrian pathway will remain open at all times through that plaza, and the agreement is such that it can be revoked at any time for failure to comply with the rules laid out in the lease agreements with the businesses involved.
