First businesses approved for downtown Monroe social district

Two Monroe businesses are the first to get approval to become part of the city's downtown social district.

The Monroe City Council last week approved social district applications for Amaya's Food & Beverage LLC and L'arrêt du Vin LCC, which operates both the River Raisin Banquet Center and the Michigan Wine and Beer Portal.

The district, which was unanimously approved by the city last fall, is a legally designated section of Monroe's historic downtown area where people can purchase and consume alcoholic drinks outside in common areas.

The city's district runs the length of North Monroe Street from Willow to First and extends east to west along Front and First from Harrison to Macomb. The district branches off in a few other directions to accommodate other businesses and also includes St. Mary's Park and Government Plaza during special events.

"It's the city’s job to create an environment that’s welcoming to business and also creates a better quality of life for residents and visitors alike," said Mark Cochrane, Monroe's economic and community development director. "Creating a vibrant downtown is the goal and just getting more people out enjoying the downtown area."

The city expects more businesses to put in applications in the coming weeks as the social district moves to a long-awaited opening, which Cochran expects around Memorial Day.

Public House became the third business to apply for the social district this past week and is awaiting review. The council will vote on their application at their next meeting Monday, April 17.

"Hopefully it will create a bigger draw for new establishments to open downtown," Cochran said. "It's really up to each business whether they want to participate or not. The applications we have so far are a great start and represent great businesses downtown that want to open up for more folks to come in and enjoy all of downtown instead of just sitting inside or sitting on the patio."

Social districts have become a common sight across Michigan after new state law expanded the Michigan Liquor Control Code two years ago to help boost businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of February, Monroe was one of 99 local governments to approve a social district. The village of Dundee approved a similar measure in January 2021.

"I do a lot of travel and in other cities, it's very popular," said Tino Amaya, owner of Amaya's Fresh Mexican Grill. "A lot of other cities are using it as a way to recover from COVID."

Amaya was directly involved in helping Monroe's social district become a reality in partnership with Cochran and Chris Bica, owner of the now-closed McGeady’s Town Pub.

"Almost two years ago this process started," Amaya said. "It was Chris that got it going, but he had to close his restaurant downtown coming out of COVID. ... Mark and I pulled it over the goal line."

Amaya pointed to Ann Arbor, Adrian, Toledo, Ypsilanti and Holland as models for Monroe's social district. Particularly, Amaya said that he and other business owners are attracted to the idea of more festivals downtown that can take advantage of the district without having to cut through the red tape of a permit process.

"We're super excited about it," said Drew Bentley, owner of the River Raisin Banquet Center and the Michigan Wine and Beer Portal. "I’ve been all over Michigan, and places like Traverse City and St. Joseph have a social district where you can go in, get dinner, get a drink, and take that around with you while you shop and experience the downtown area. I think it will be great for Monroe."

The Michigan Wine and Beer Portal will be a full-service bar and restaurant open to the public on the first floor beneath the River Raisin Banquet Center. Bentley said the business will have an outdoor patio with riverfront seating. Being part of the social district was the next logical step.

Consumers will be allowed to have alcohol in the social district in approved cups no larger than 16 ounces. The cups will have the business logo where it was purchased along with a sticker from the city. Businesses will need to purchase the stickers from the city with revenue from the sale will go into a fund for downtown special events and public art, Cochran said.

The borders of the social district will be marked by signs and lines painted along the streets. Cochran said the boundary markers will start to be installed by the end of the month.

"It’s not so much about my business. It’s really about giving the community more options and doing something that will impact the community in a much larger way," Amaya said. "I can’t feed 33,000 people a night, but if we can do something to give citizens a reason to stay here in town and spend their dollars here in town, everybody wins."

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: First businesses approved for Monroe social district