Council committee moves revitalization‑district proposal to expand downtown liquor licenses to full council

A committee forwarded a resolution Aug. 4 to the full Newark City Council to establish a revitalization district under Ohio Revised Code section 4301.81 that would allow up to 15 additional liquor licenses within a defined downtown area.

PJ Sullivan, executive director of Newark Development Partners, told the committee the district is intended to support downtown reinvestment — particularly restaurants — by increasing the number of available liquor licenses and simplifying the process for new establishments. Sullivan said the city submitted an application to the mayor and coordinated with the law director’s office to advance the designation.

Sullivan described the district boundaries as roughly covering the downtown area: from Sixth Street east toward the highway, south to Walnut and across downtown (the application includes a map). He said the state program permits a capped number of additional licenses (a maximum of 15 for the district) and that the newly issued licenses must remain in the district and cannot be transferred out of it. Sullivan also said the downtown rules requiring that establishments sell more food than alcohol would continue to apply.

Committee members voted to move the resolution to full council; the motion carried without opposition. No final licenses were issued at the meeting — the item was a municipal step to seek state authorization under the Ohio Revised Code provision cited.

Sullivan said the tool is aimed at neighborhoods where added licenses would encourage investment, and he framed the proposal as a targeted economic development measure for the downtown area. Committee discussion did not include a fiscal analysis of potential tax or administrative impacts from adding licenses; the presenter referred committee members to the application and the submitted map for boundary specifics.