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City to refine Downtown Festival District language after chief’s request; council approves first reading
Summary
Council approved first reading to amend the Downtown Festival District ordinance and indicated staff will return with refined language (narrowing the district wording to a portion of East Main Street) for second reading per the police chief’s suggestion.
The City Council approved first reading of an ordinance to amend the Downtown Festival District (order 257189) but agreed to refine the ordinance language before second reading after a request from the police chief.
Economic development staff noted the map accompanying the ordinance defines the district, but the ordinance text as written could be read broadly in enforcement situations where a map is not present. Staff and the chief proposed narrowing the text to say the district includes a “portion of East Main Street,” and to reference a measured distance (300 feet east on West Main Street from the College Street intersection) to keep festival boundaries sufficiently distant from churches and other protected areas.
Council proceeded with the first-reading vote and staff said they would provide revised language for second reading.
Why it matters: The amendment affects where downtown festival activities and related permitting rules apply. Clarifying the ordinance text reduces legal ambiguity during enforcement and helps align the ordinance with the accompanying map.
Next steps: Staff will draft amended ordinance text for the council’s second reading that explicitly limits the district language to a defined portion of East Main Street to match the map and legal spacing requirements.
