CITY COMMISSION Social district planned for Eighth and Garfield

Apr. 28—TRAVERSE CITY — Creating a social district on the streets and alleys near Traverse City's Garfield and Eighth Street intersection would loosen some rules on outdoor alcohol.

But it wouldn't create a free-for-all, and a list of laws people would have to follow show there are numerous details to consider. City commissioners on Monday will talk about the potential trial project, with a decision possible in May, according to city Planner Shawn Winter.

State law allows for local governments to create these districts, where customers at a licensed alcohol seller can bring their drinks into public spaces within the district, according to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission. Numerous cities in both of Michigan's peninsulas have them, from Houghton to Niles to Morenci.

Draft regulations for Traverse City's would require city permission to install any tents or lighting in common areas, save holiday-type string lights. Same would go for any amplified music, which would still have to comply with city noise ordinances. Dogs would be permitted on leash, and no business could set aside a common area for itself.

Winter said the changes in state law around four years ago coincided with a push to address problematic drinking behavior in the city. The resulting Healthier Drinking Culture plan seemed largely focused on downtown, so a social district there seemed like a non-starter.

"Plus, those businesses in the downtown have a benefit that businesses outside of downtown don't have," he said. "You can buy a redevelopment liquor license downtown for $25,000, where outside of downtown, for a place on Eighth Street, a Class C license costs them $100,000."

The social district would be open from May 1 to Oct. 31, during which the service drives along Eighth Street would be closed to traffic. Instead, the city would install tables, bicycle racks and other amenities.

Winter said these temporary parks are an example of "tactical urbanism," a technique the city used on Front Street and elsewhere during the pandemic. Finding a way to invigorate this part of town also came up during the drafting of the city's mobility action plan.

Oakwood Proper Burgers approached the city more than a year ago about establishing a social district, but, at the time, the corner had just one liquor license-holder, Winter said. State law requires at least two, and now there are three.

Restaurant co-owner Leslie Bilbey said her visit to Kalamazoo's social district showed the rules can work, but businesses must educate their customers on how to follow them — a drink bought at one place can't be brought into another, for example.

Her background in community planning spurred Bilbey to look for ways to make the city's east side a more active place — she worked as the city's assistant planner, although she left the job years before social districts were discussed.

"So I'm certainly looking at this process with a really open mind, and excited to go to the study session and engage and ask the questions that need to be asked," she said.

Bilbey and husband Josh Gray also renovated a vacant Ben Franklin store next door into two spaces, she said. One is the new home of Earthen Ales satellite taproom Tank Space, the other is a space for overflow seating, private events and, in the future, a repair cafe where volunteers help fix things at no cost.

Bilbey wasn't worried about the access roads being closed, since her experience in closing a drive to build the restaurant's patio showed people simply adapted.

Nor was Common Good Hospitality owner and chef Jason Gollan. He acknowledged it might impact the bakery and restaurant's morning business, but it was far from his top concern.

Gollan said he's cautiously optimistic about the possibilities a social district could bring, but it could also prove to be more complicated than it's worth.

For one, requirements that drinks be served in single-use containers with a label raises questions for how to best serve wine, he said. Figuring out the right disposable container that does right by the product comes with an expense.

"Yeah, never mind you have to police people and find the right way to provide hospitality, while also telling them there are rules and you can't come in with a drink from another place, or you can't go out with one of our pieces of glassware," he said. "All of those things are certainly on my mind."

That doesn't mean the details can't all be figured out, Gollan said. But the MLCC licensing requirements had him figuring for poor odds that a social district could be in place by summer.

"In my experience, 60 to 90 days would be a miracle, so we're already up against whether or not this could even happen this season," he said.

Monday's study session agenda also includes a discussion of how the city would take over parking management from the Downtown Development Authority.

Commissioners previously delayed this for want of more specifics on what it would cost to do so.

They'll also consider going into a closed-door meeting to discuss an attorney-client privileged memo about the city water system.