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Council discusses creating Riverview entertainment district, including road closure and open-container rules
Summary
City attorney outlined a draft ordinance and options for a downtown 'entertainment district' that would close part of South Spring Street, allow consumption of alcohol on public way under local rules and rely on the beer board and planning commission for detailed recommendations; council directed staff to consult boards and return with proposals.
Shelbyville’s city attorney told the council Sept. 2 that staff has drafted ordinance language to create a Riverview entertainment district and described two central elements: (1) temporarily closing a segment of South Spring Street to general vehicle traffic and managing emergency and delivery access with bollards and signage, and (2) creating a local open-container regime to permit customers of downtown businesses to carry alcoholic beverages within the closed district under city rules.
The attorney said the city would maintain the public right-of-way and close it to general traffic by ordinance rather than abandon the road or transfer ownership. He cited examples in Tennessee — including Bill Street and Chattanooga’s Station Street — where local ordinances define how containers must be served (for example, branded plastic cups) and explained that local changes to the city’s open-container offense and alcoholic beverage code would be required.
Staff and council members discussed enforcement, hours of operation, noise limits, trash and signage, parking and coordination with nearby venues. Several council members urged close coordination with the Fly Arts Center (the Fly) and other event hosts so programming and parking are coordinated; Tony Barnes of the FLOW (who had reached out to staff) said FLOW wants to be included as a backup venue for outdoor concerts and programming. Council members and staff discussed whether the beer board or planning commission should review details; the attorney recommended referral to the planning commission for the road-closure element and to the beer board for alcohol-specific rules and special-event permits.
The council discussed potential revenue tools used elsewhere — local additional taxes tied to entertainment districts and liquor-by-the-drink levies used in other Tennessee cities — to pay for maintenance and policing of a district. One council member described tax splits used in other municipalities to fund security and maintenance and said those revenues can be used to sustain a district over time.
No ordinance was adopted at the study session. Staff was directed to begin consultations with the beer board and the planning commission, to reach out to local stakeholders including the Fly and downtown businesses, and to bring back a more detailed proposal including a defined boundary, operating hours and enforcement recommendations.
