Decatur residents will be able to drink alcohol outdoors this Fall and holiday season.
The city extended open container alcohol sales until 2022 as elected officials consider whether to make the policy permanent. City Manager Andrea Arnold told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the City Commission has begun those discussions.
“We briefly discussed the next steps involve finalizing an ordinance that would make the policy more permanent, but there are no details about that,” she said Wednesday in an email.
City leaders have previously said they’ve received positive feedback from restaurant owners about the ordinance, which was enacted last October to help businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ordinance prompted a discussion on whether the temporary law’s benefits to local businesses would outweigh the potential crowding risks. Mayor Patti Garrett previously told the AJC she had not seen any negative effects.
“From what I’ve seen, it’s not been an abused privilege,” she said. “It has been a benefit to the community to be able to maintain social distance and have a drink and do it in a responsible manner.”
Restaurants have to pour alcohol into approved plastic cups to sell to patrons, who also get a wristband to wear while drinking outdoors. Open container alcohol sales are allowed Friday nights from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., and Saturday nights from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The policy, which is now set to expire Jan. 3, applies to the city’s five business districts:
• Decatur Downtown Business District
• East College Business District
• Oakhurst Business District
• Old Depot District
• West Ponce Business District
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