The Benton Harbor City Commission is expected to consider the creation of a social district downtown on Monday.
Social districts are areas in a community where it’s legal to carry an alcoholic beverage purchased at a bar or restaurant. The drinks must be carried in designated cups with a sticker, and their buyers must stay within the district’s boundaries.
There’s been a social district in downtown St. Joseph since 2021, and St. Joe Today’s Daniele Crevier tells us it’s been popular.
“It’s been going strong since 2021, the summer of 2021, and we’re overjoyed to keep working with the city on this project and providing this option for business owners,” Crevier said. “The state of Michigan actually removed the sunset date clause. This was originally set to end in 2024. So ,we’re just working with the city to expand ours as well.”
The state created social districts during COVID to help businesses and downtowns stay alive. At the time, there was concern the districts could lead to trouble, like rowdy behavior or littering, but Crevier says they haven’t seen that in St. Joe.
“We haven’t actually had any public safety concerns. We’re just in continuing conversations with the city of St. Joseph and of course the St. Joseph Department of Public Safety. So, we’re just always looking forward to growing it and just continuing it. But no, we’ve had no concerns.”
Crevier says more than 74,000 social district stickers have been given out to the eleven restaurants that participate in the St. Joseph social district since it started. That’s not how many people have taken part, but just how many stickers have been made available.
The social district proposed for Benton Harbor would be in the Arts District and would be managed by the Arts District and the Benton Harbor Downtown Development Authority. However, city commissioners have expressed concerns about alcohol consumption in the community several times in the past.
