Extension considered for social district
City Commission to decide today
Royal Oak’s social district allowing visitors to quaff alcohol drinks from bars and restaurants as they walk around downtown has a good shot at being extended.
About a dozen bars and eateries in the social district have been serving the carry-out drinks in special cups since mid-July for consumption within the district’s boundaries.
First approved by the City Commission back in April, the social district drinking is set to expire at the end of this month.
City commissioners at their meeting today will vote on a motion to extend the social district’s operation until the end of June 2022.
When the district was first approved, city officials took a cautious step and limited it to the summer months.
“I think, initially, there were some concerns that this might increase nighttime traffic,” said City Manager Paul Brake.
But the social district has attracted no crowds of rowdy or disorderly drinkers.
“From what we’ve heard it’s been more young adults with families,” Brake said, “especially families of residents, who can park and then walk about with their beverages and enjoy the
outdoors.”
Judging from the number of special cups that outdoor drinks have to be served in, the social district has been popular.
Nearly 10,000 cups of beer, wine and mixed drinks have been purchased in the social district over the past seven weeks.
“I think it’s been great and it’s been well received,” said Carrie O’Neill of the Rock on Third pub, who is president of the Royal Oak Restaurant Association.
The Rock on Third sells the most social district drinks during the days on weekends, she said.
“A lot of young couples come downtown with toddlers and want to walk around,” O’Neill said. “And I think it’s been nice for people concerned about COVID-19 who can get a drink and walk around in the fresh air.”
Many people like to have a drink they can take with them to outdoor activities, such as the Sights & Sound outdoor concert Friday night at Farmers Market, she added.
In Royal Oak, social district drinking cups are 16 ounces for beer and 10 ounces for wine or mixed drinks. The state authorized social districts, which are licensed through the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, as a way to help businesses that were hit with a lack of customers after the pandemic struck. The state authorized the districts through the end of 2024.
Royal Oak’s police department suggested the extension of the social district until June 30 next year, said Timothy Thwing, head of the city Community Development Department, in a memo to city commissioners.
“No issues have been identified by the administration or police department,” Thwing said in the memo.
The city’s Downtown Development Authority expected to spend about $200,000 to support the social district with funding for the first year when it was first established.
So far those costs have included buying the special drink cups, signs for participating social district bars and restaurants, and installing sidewalk signs and decals identifying the social district with rules, as well as putting additional public trash receptacles near district boundaries.
“We think it’s working out very well and it is well received by customers,” said Mike Sophiea, chair of the DDA and a longtime Royal Oak restaurateur who now owns the Sidebar pub on Fourth Street downtown. “But we still have a lot of education to do on what people can and cannot do in the social district.”
Part of that education involves highlighting the retail shops for potential customers among the people who come to the social district.
“We have people who do a lot of shopping downtown and that would be an opportunity for them to grab a quick Bloody Mary somewhere and walk around,” Sophiea said. “I think that will develop even further as more people want to spend time outside when the new downtown park is finished. There will be events at the city park and maybe some entertainment.”
Reaction to the social district has been good from participating restaurants, Sophiea said.
“I’ve had a lot of positive (comments) from shops and retailers who feel the social district has increased foot traffic,” he said.
Royal Oak’s social district is located between Lincoln Avenue and 11 Mile Road, from South Lafayette Avenue to Knowles Street. The area bounded by Pingree Boulevard, North Main Street and E 11 Mile Road are also included.