SUNBURY — In April, the city of Sunbury posted a survey on Facebook asking residents about the possibility of a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) around Sunbury Square.
Much to City Administrator Daryl Hennessy’s surprise, over 900 residents responded.
Hennessy informed the parks and recreation committee, and later city council, that 85% of those surveyed favored the proposed DORA.
“The reasons for considering a DORA in Sunbury are to enhance the social experience for anyone visiting the Square and to provide more economic benefit for local businesses and the community,” the city’s survey stated.
The DORA area would encompass four qualified liquor establishments around the square:
- Branch Pizza at 34 S. Vernon St.
- Firehouse Tavern at 38 S. Vernon St.
- District 13 at 45 E. Granville St.
- Surve at 6 E. Cherry St.
The parks and recreation committee discussed the DORA before council met on June 3 and stated the city’s next step is for Hennessy to discuss a draft permit application with the city’s fire and police chiefs.
Once the permit’s draft application is finalized, it will be brought before council as an ordinance and require three readings.
It is important to note that should the DORA proposal be on council’s agenda for its next meeting, it still has a while to go before for approval.
Council meets twice a month and can only do one reading of an ordinance/resolution per meeting, unless they suspend the rules requiring multiple readings.
Even if council approved the proposal quickly, the application would then go to the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Liquor Control for approval at the state level, which also takes time.
Hennessy estimated that, should the city’s DORA be approved, it is still a few months away, and mentioned August as a possible deadline.
Councilwoman Cindi Cooper asked Hennessy during the parks and recreation meeting if there is a review process in place, should council decide to approve the proposal.
Hennessy said there is a six-month review process in the draft application, where he and the chief of police can monitor how the community is responding to DORA.
“So yes, we are trying to build in an early review process, but I think the state process also requires a five-year review,” he said.
“At a minimum, it must come back to the legislative authority after five years to determine whether to continue.”
