An ambitious pitch from St. Joseph Today Executive Director Amy Zapal before the St. Joseph City Commission tonight could pave the way for the city to join some 40 other Michigan municipalities that have created “Social Districts,” with the opportunity to support the local business community by allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages in clearly delineated shared “common areas” from Lake Bluff Park to the neighborhood east of Main Street that established the Pleasant Street Plaza last summer.
Zapal’s robust presentation was well received by the City Commission, however her fervent hope for rapid approval will be slowed down in order for comprehensive input to be provided by not only retailers in the central business district beyond the hospitality sector which voiced strong approval tonight, but also from three key departments: Public Safety, Public Works, and the City’s Parks Department.
While he was highly supportive of the concept, Mayor Mike Garey cautioned, “We have to get it right the first time or everyone will suffer.” He wants to make sure that the city can “get our arms around exactly what we will allow and where.”
Using the state legislature’s approval last summer allowing establishment of social district meant to support restaurants by allowing consumption off-premises in shared common areas, St. Joe Today’s Zapal made a strong pitch for expanding the capacity of restaurants who have been severely restricted to reduced capacities and, at times, outright closure of all indoor dining due to the pandemic.
The state made such allowances for social districts under the recognition that outdoor dining and beverage service was safer, but also recognized that many establishments with liquor licenses did not have a meaningful adjacent area that could be used for outside service under existing Michigan Liquor Control Commission regulations. The law as enacted allowed the designation of shared areas where alcoholic beverages from authorized establishments could be consumed, and also allowed patrons to transport those beverages from the establishment where they are sold to the “commons area” where they may be consumed.
Both Niles and Bridgman have social districts currently under consideration, and Zapal is asking St. Joseph to “set the pace for the communities in our area,” by approving such a plan. There are currently some 40 social districts across Michigan including in communities such as Saugatuck, Allegan, Petoskey, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Midland, Muskegon, Cadillac, Port Huron, Sturgis, Three Rivers, Ludington, Grosse Point Park, and others.
Zapal contends that creation of a social district, “Is the most powerful way that the City of St. Joseph can support local businesses,” and would allow residents and visitors alike to experience the community in the best way possible while allowing the hospitality industry to recover and actually thrive following the tough times of the pandemic shutdowns and restrictions. Each non-hospitality business would be allowed to accept beverages or not through clear signage, and those selling them would be clearly designated as well.
Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber President & CEO Arthur Havlicek voiced his strong support for the concept and reports he’s been helping several other communities to establish social districts and get them improved including in Bridgman and Niles. He calls it, “An extension of outdoor dining and drinking which can be customized to each community’s individual special concerns and planning.” He strongly feels that a social district would be huge for all local businesses at a time when capacity limits severely restrict the industry’s ability to survive.
Reminding the City Commission that “the heart of our community is our small business sector,” Zapal also drew support from multiple business people including Jim Kramer from Schu’s and Tim’s Too, Lauren Kniebes from Lazy Ballerina Winery, Mike Gross from Silver Harbor Brewing Company, Deb Sailor from the forthcoming new business The Market on Main Street and her daughter-in-law from The Community Tap among others. .
Commissioner Michele Binkely says, “I love the concept,” but wondered if the proposed footprint could be scale back, worried that it could be too broad of a reach. She says she loves going to such districts elsewhere, but wants to make sure it’s done right here.
Commissioner Laura Goos thanked Zapal for a “great presentation,” and said “I think we can work out the details,” but expressed concern that Silver Beach Pizza is included in the common area due to stairwell safety concerns that “make me nervous.”
Commissioner Jeff Richards thanked Zapal for the tremendous amount of work put into her presentation but cautioned, “The devil will be in the details,” expressing his largest concerns center around “cleanliness and safety,” which he considers paramount to the success of such a program. He also wants the project to be “mindful of the retail and residential areas that could be impacted by the plan,” adding, “it has to be beneficial to those areas as well.” He would prefer a smaller microcosm as an “incubator” to try it out first as a test, rather than starting big, warning, “Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”
Commissioner Lynn Todman concurs that “a lot will depend on the final details” of what’s included and allowed and what’s not. She also expressed concerns over “the collateral consequences such as drinking & driving,” and similar concerns, but admitted, “I can’t object to it, and don’t see stopping it, and totally understand the attractiveness of it, and give the concept a thumbs up,” but like the others, wants to assure that it’s done properly.
City staff and key departments will be charged with vetting the entire process and making recommendations to the commission when they come together again on April 26th in hopes that they can move to advance the plan at that time, scale it back, or respond to the request from St. Joe Today in a timely manner in order to arrange for licensing, signage, and all the various approvals needed along the way.
On a much smaller scale earlier in the night the City approved the concept of a second and more widely expanded time frame for the Pleasant Street Plaza district comprising 221 Main, Silver Harbor Brewing, and The Community Tap, with hopes that it can become a regular staple from Memorial Day to the end of September every day on a yearly basis for the next five years. Final approval on that front is also up for consideration on April 26th following a presentation tonight by Robert Montgomery of 221 Main.
