Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Dora topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Goshen council approves downtown DORA after months of debate, with six-month report ordered
Summary
After extended public comment and debate, Goshen City Council approved Ordinance 5255 to establish a downtown Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) that allows branded, single-use cups for open-container consumption within a mapped boundary during specified hours. Administration will report back on impacts later this year.
Councilors voted 5–2 on April 27 to adopt Ordinance 5255, creating a downtown "designated outdoor refreshment area" that allows licensed downtown businesses to sell alcoholic beverages in approved branded cups and for patrons to carry those cups within a defined downtown boundary during set hours.
The ordinance, amended in committee and during the meeting to correct legal descriptions and signage language, designates Thurdays 4–10 p.m., Fridays 4–11 p.m. and Saturdays noon–11 p.m. as regular DORA operating hours and allows additional special events with board approval. Attorney Don Scher said staff refined the legal boundary language and removed prescriptive signage text so adjustments could be handled administratively.
Supporters — including First Fridays organizers and downtown business owners — told the council the change will remove temporary fencing, speed event teardown, and help small businesses by encouraging patrons to linger and shop. Amanda Rose, director of First Fridays, said the DORA "helps us do it better, safer, and in a way that lifts up the businesses that make this community great." Business representatives also volunteered to manage cup distribution and on-street recycling.
Opponents and some merchants raised concerns about family-friendly character and enforcement. Landowners and merchants questioned who would police cups moving between participating and nonparticipating businesses and whether increased litter or customer conflicts would follow. Councilors asked whether cup reuse would be allowed; staff said state health rules and the ordinance require single-use branded cups for DORA service and prohibit refills across separate permitted establishments.
Administration presented estimated start-up costs: roughly $3,000 for aluminum entry/exit signs, $3,000 for installation labor, window stickers for businesses (~$500) and an estimated $350 per 1,000 custom compostable cups that participating businesses would purchase. Police will retain full enforcement authority for intoxication and public-safety incidents; the city will manage public-space signage and sanitation requirements.
A motion to attach a sunset (through November 2027) and require a formal police/fire/business/administrative report failed 5–2. Administration committed to provide a report to the council within six months or by year-end with data on DORA-related police/fire calls, business impacts and administrative observations. The ordinance took effect after the council's second-and-final reading vote.
What happens next: Staff will submit the ordinance application to state regulators, finalize signage and vendor agreements, distribute cup graphics to participating vendors, and begin outreach to downtown businesses about operational rules and sanitation. The council said it will revisit the DORA if problems arise.
