At an Aug. 4, 2025 committee meeting, Newark Development Partners asked the council to establish a revitalization district under Ohio Revised Code section 4301.81 that could make up to 15 additional retail liquor permits available inside a mapped downtown area.
PJ Sullivan, executive director of Newark Development Partners, told the committee the district is intended to simplify openings for restaurants and other retail food-and-beverage establishments that currently face a waiting list for liquor permits. "It would provide us with a maximum of 15, additional liquor licenses," Sullivan said, and he described the application as focused on a contiguous downtown area for which the project team provided a map as part of the application.
Sullivan explained the licenses issued under the revitalization district "cannot be transferred out of this area" and remain subject to local rules requiring food sales to exceed alcohol sales, consistent with local downtown restrictions. He said the district can be adjusted in size but noted the program is intended as a targeted development tool for areas where additional licenses would support downtown investment.
Committee members asked about boundaries; Sullivan said the submitted map covers the downtown area roughly from Sixth Street to Walnut and short of the highway, and he said staff would provide the more precise boundary mapping in the application materials. The committee voted unanimously to move the resolution to the full council for final consideration.