COLUMBUS, Ind. — The City of Columbus Common Council approved the first reading of an ordinance amending the Columbus Municipal Code to expand the boundaries of the Downtown Columbus Social District Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA).
The proposed amendment expands the existing DORA boundary created in 2024 to extend along 6th Street to Pearl Street and down 5th Street. The one-block extension expands the district footprint to encompass The Inn at Irwin Gardens.
Designated outdoor refreshment areas allow patrons to carry alcoholic beverages purchased from licensed vendors in designated cups within specific boundary markers. Other approved vendors previously incorporated into the social district include The Forge on 4th Street, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and St. Denis Wine Books and Wonders.
In compliance with state regulations, the City secured written statements from area schools and churches. City staff confirmed that DORA boundary lines terminate at the sidewalks across adjacent streets to keep surrounding institutional properties outside the refreshment zone.
Future signage marking the district's start and end points will shift to ground-based visual markers rather than overhead signs. Council members voted to pass the first reading of the boundary expansion.
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