Sunbury council accepts DORA application as businesses tout foot-traffic gains; debate centers on hours and blackout dates

Sunbury city officials on June 17 received and filed an application to establish a designated outdoor refreshment area, or DORA, covering the downtown square and adjacent frontage, and set a public hearing for July 1. The application would permit licensed establishments to sell drinks in DORA cups for outdoor consumption within a mapped boundary and restrict removal of drinks from the area.

City Manager Mr. Hennessey told council the city will publish notice in the Delaware Gazette on June 20 and June 27, that the public hearing will be July 1, and that he has proposed a schedule of Thursday through Sunday, 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., with a six-month operational review by police and staff. "Each speaker will be given 20 to 25 minutes to present," Hennessey said about upcoming informational sessions tied to related projects.

Jill Love, speaking on behalf of downtown businesses, said the chamber’s outreach returned strong support and emphasized economic upside. "We had 900 and 24 24 people who actually responded with an 87% favorable favorability rate," she said. Love and other business owners cited studies and local examples asserting that activated outdoor districts increase foot traffic and sales and called for an expedited start for businesses this summer.

At the same time, council members and the police department urged a cautious approach. The deputy police chief told council he had consulted peer departments and said they reported "zero" increase in drunkenness or call loads after DORA implementation, but he cautioned Sunbury's downtown geography is more compact than some peer communities. Council members pressed for a balance that preserves family-oriented events; the manager’s proposal includes blackout dates for major community occasions such as Sunbury Sizzle and Christmas on the square and a plan to exclude certain market or parade events.

Local restaurateurs at the meeting pushed for broader, consistent hours across the week and asked that Memorial Day and Labor Day be considered as blackout candidates rather than automatic exclusions; one business owner urged extending hours to support weekday lunch traffic. Staff said the city manager can amend the application prior to the hearing and that council will decide whether to proceed through the full three-reading process or shorten it after public comment.

Next steps: the city will publish the notice, make the application available for public review, hold the July 1 public hearing and then return to council for readings. Council members signaled both support for testing a limited program and interest in retaining flexibility to tighten hours or expand them after a six-month review.