Alpharetta residents may soon be able to toast their downtown under the stars if a proposal under consideration wins approval from the City Council.
Officials heard a presentation late Monday on a measure that would allow for the outdoor sale and consumption of alcohol.
The Downtown Alpharetta Trade Association is seeking the modification to the city's alcohol laws.
"One of the things we were looking at is how to get people to downtown," DATA board member Donald Mitchell said. "We advocate a vibrant downtown."
The group sponsors a fall festival as well as other downtown events, such as a farmers market.
Council members were undecided as to the scope of the proposed ordinance, specifically whether to allow open containers all year or for special events only.
“They want to have more events to try to bring more life and more people to downtown,” said City Councilman Mike Kennedy, who is the council’s liaison to economic development.
As proposed, the ordinance would allow patrons to carry one alcoholic beverage in an open, 16-ounce plastic container along Main Street. The area would be defined as a two-block swath running for about a half-mile from Church Street to Marietta Street.
Alpharetta would join other neighboring cities, such as Duluth, that have relaxed alcohol laws to help boost economic activity, primarily in downtowns.
Earlier this year, Alpharetta approved a law allowing guests to enjoy dining out with their own bottle of wine. It allows restaurants with liquor licenses to permit customers to bring their own wine, have it with their meal, then recork it for transport home. The law gives restaurants the option to participate.
The open-container measure would ease the city’s alcohol laws further. It is tentatively set for a first presentation before the City Council next month. Residents would be given a chance to comment on the measure at that time.
“I don’t have any problem with it at certain events, like Taste of Alpharetta or something of that nature,” Alpharetta resident Victor Hawa said. “I would hope there would be some monitoring with this to ensure that people who are already inebriated don’t continue to get served.”
Alpharetta is in the midst of planning a proposed $29 million downtown revitalization project that would include a new City Hall, additional park space and a new library. That project would have to be approved by voters this fall in the form of a bond referendum.
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