CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — Cuyahoga Falls is poised to establish a Downtown Outdoor Refreshment Area in its growing riverfront business district.
With Cuyahoga Falls City Council approval, the proposed DORA would stretch the length of the downtown business district, running north and south along the banks of the Cuyahoga River, the city said in its proposal.
DORAs are designed to serve as economic development tools for cities with populations higher than 50,000, according to the Ohio Revised Code. The population of Cuyahoga Falls is roughly 51,000.
Cities launch DORAs to draw patrons to business districts and highlight restaurants, liquor establishments and retail businesses there.
The Cuyahoga Falls downtown riverfront business district has been energized since the city transformed its former pedestrian mall to two-way traffic, with a grand re-opening in 2018 that saw eateries, bars and retail businesses fill in once-empty storefronts along Front Street.
The nonprofit Downtown Cuyahoga Falls Partnership, established in 2018 to promote the city's burgeoning downtown and its businesses, proposed creating a DORA after receiving numerous requests for one, the proposal said.
A public hearing to present and discuss the DORA proposal is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Monday, April 17 during the City Council meeting at the Natatorium, 2345 Fourth St. in Cuyahoga Falls.
Residents will be able to comment publicly about the proposal at the meeting or submit comments via emailor by post to City Council, 2310 Second St., Cuyahoga Falls, 44221.
All comments received at least 12 hours before the meeting will be read into the record, the city said.
If approved, the Falls DORA would be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, the city said.
It would encompass the area between Grant Avenue at the south end, just past HiHo Brewing Co., to Moe's Restaurant at the north end, and from the river at the eastern border to Second Street to the west, the city's proposal shows.
To further define the boundaries, the city would erect entrance and exit signs at major access points, the city said.
DORAs, like the one proposed in the Falls, allow customers to purchase special plastic cups that enable them to walk outside with a beverage in tow within the DORA boundaries.
Drinks can’t be carried into another restaurant or bar though — even ones participating in the DORA. Per Ohio regulations, a new cup has to be purchased, usually for $1.
Cups can be carried into participating retail establishments, the proposal said.
According to the Falls proposal, there are 19 qualified liquor permit holders within the proposed boundary, which would be required to buy clear, recyclable 16-ounce cups and stickers for the cups from the downtown partnership.
The downtown partnership would also provide special door decals for businesses within the DORA boundary to alert patrons to which establishments sell DORA drinks and which retail establishments allow DORA cups on their premises, the proposal said.
In 2020, Akron approved a large DORA in the central downtown business on South Main Street near the city-owned Lock 3 Park and Akron Civic Theatre.
In 2022, the DORA was expanded to include more than 40 businesses covering a large swath of downtown, from R. Shea Brewing on South Main Street to Lock 15 Brewing on W. North Street.
To view the Cuyahoga Falls DORA proposal, visit the city website.