By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
THREE RIVERS — Downtown Three Rivers’ Main Street Commons social district will soon expand to the new amphitheater on Joshua Drive. However, it will not be without conditions.
On Tuesday, Three Rivers city commissioners approved by a 4-1 vote the request from the Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority to expand the social district, with rules to be put in place to allow alcohol only from participating downtown restaurants at the amphitheater area only during any public events held there.
The expansion of the district and the new rules are not expected to take effect right away, as documentation will need to be submitted to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission for review before they are officially adopted. City officials estimated the timeframe could be a couple of weeks before the changes are implemented.
The district expansion encompasses the entirety of the grassy area that includes the amphitheater and two sidewalks that connect the amphitheater area to the existing social district. It does not, however, include the east parking lot, Joshua Drive itself, nor the parking lot below the amphitheater.
Commissioner discussion of the proposal comprised mainly of concerns about enforcement, policing, and the possibility of people bringing in outside alcohol, which is forbidden in a social district.
“That’s a setup for people. People are going to bring their own drinks, and they’re going to be out there on that nice lawn drinking, having fun and listening to music,” Fourth District Commissioner Carolyn McNary said. “If we say it’s against the law, then it’s just making more work for the police.”
DDA Director Angie Metty clarified that the social district only allows alcohol from three businesses – Useless Creatures Brewing Company, Main Street Café, and the Riviera Theatre Bar – and that there have to be signs posted that alcohol has to be purchased only from those participating locations.
After a brief adjournment due to thunderstorms, Police Chief Scott Boling said his department “haven’t had problems” with the social district, and he believes the proposed expansion is something his department can work with if there was also an education component reminding people about the alcohol rules.
“With this proposal, there has to be an educational piece that goes out to the public to let them know what’s permitted and let them know it’s a reoccurring piece for, as we go into the festivals and so forth, educating people that it is a social district, but you can’t do this,” Boling said. “It’s something we can work with.”
Metty acknowledged the DDA would need more signage for the social district in order to note the expansion, especially along the connecting sidewalks, if it was approved.
There were also concerns early on about there being no defined operating hours for the amphitheater, while social district hours are currently from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. There were a couple of suggestions for restricting when permitted alcohol can be consumed in the amphitheater space, with City Attorney T.J. Reed suggesting creating a restriction related to events.
“There is the ability under the act that allows, through management, maintenance and plans including hours of operation in the common areas. You could create a restriction that it’s only available during events so people aren’t down there,” Reed said. “The commission has a lot of discretion as time goes on to adapt to the problems that occur.”
McNary said she would support a restriction that allows alcohol in the amphitheater area only during events, noting there’s “nothing to keep people together” in the amphitheater area, unlike the downtown space. Mayor Angel Johnston agreed that it could be wise to start restricting by just events, and expand “as long as things go well.”
Reed advised commissioners that if they go that route, to approve the expansion first, have it be contingent on the rules restricting when alcohol is allowed in the amphitheater area, and then approve the restrictions.
At-Large Commissioner Lucas Allen, later in discussion, brought up a point McNary mentioned briefly earlier, saying if the city wants to stop people from bringing their own alcohol into the social district, people would still do that anyway, asking why there’s a need to “limit this at all to start.” Johnston disagreed, saying while she sees the validity of seeing how things go without the restrictions, but it would be hard to “put the genie back in the bottle.”
At-Large Commissioner Torrey Brown said he had concerns about if restrictions on the amphitheater area of the district would put those same restrictions on the whole social district. Reed quelled that concern, saying the city can specifically call out the amphitheater area when creating that restriction.
After some more brief discussion, the vote was approved to expand the district. Following that, Brown made the motion to restrict the times where alcohol would be permitted in the amphitheater area to just when events are occurring there. That vote was approved.
The lone dissenter in the 4-1 votes was Allen. Third District Commissioner Tony Stanfill and Second District Commissioner Steven Haigh were absent.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
