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Council committee advances DORA expansion, sets daily hours and clears wristbands
Summary
A city service committee advanced Resolution 25-11 to expand Newark's Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area one block west, set hours every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., eliminate wristbands and require clear plastic cups; the committee voted 5-0 to forward the resolution.
The Newark City Council service committee on March 3 advanced Resolution 25-11, a proposal to expand and clarify rules for the city’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, commonly called a DORA. The committee voted 5-0 to send the resolution to the full council for final action.
Under the proposed changes, the DORA boundary would shift one block west — from Fourth Street to Fifth (Locust) Street — to include businesses along West Main Street, including a Mexican restaurant and a butcher shop identified in committee discussion. The resolution also standardizes daily operating hours to 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., removes wristbands as a permitted control mechanism, specifies acceptable containers (noted in committee as clear plastic cups), and gives the mayor and the chief of police authority to suspend DORA operations for specified dates or problems.
Committee members and staff said the update is prompted by statutory renewal requirements and stakeholder feedback. A presenter explained, “State law requires that every 5 years, the legislature has to pass a renewal to the DORA,” and that staff and the DORA board had consulted downtown businesses about changes. At the meeting the chair clarified the purpose of a DORA, saying, “DORA stands for designated outdoor refreshment area,” and a presenter described the policy as “in its simplest term is an exemption from open container law.”
Members of the public raised accessibility and safety concerns, asking where outdoor seating would be placed and whether lighting or seating arrangements could impede mobility for people using wheelchairs. A resident questioned controls on service volumes and liability; staff and committee members responded that liquor liability and overserving rules remain in force for participating establishments and that only registered DORA participants may serve within the boundaries.
The service committee voted to pass the resolution to the full council by a 5-0 vote. Committee materials and a list of participating establishments were referenced at the meeting; the clerk was asked to provide the list to a member of the public.
The full council will consider Resolution 25-11 on a future agenda.
