Clarksburg City Council proposes a Private Outdoor Designated Area

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — After Morgantown passed an ordinance in February that approved the establishment of a Private Outdoor Designated Area (PODA), the Clarksburg City Council met Thursday night to begin the process of adding one of its own.

A PODA district has the potential to allow alcoholic beverages to be taken outdoors so long as customers remain inside a designated zone. Drinks must also be served and consumed in an official PODA container in order to be taken outside and to other businesses inside the zone.

Tuesday night’s meeting featured the first reading of a proposed ordinance that would add a PODA to Clarksburg located in its Central Business District.

Clarksburg Mayor Jim Malfregeot voted against the PODA while all other council members voted to approve the first reading of the ordinance. The ordinance states that the PODA will operate Thursday through Friday from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“It’s a way to help stimulate you know activity downtown and also get people to go from place to place and help stimulate economic activity at the different restaurants and bars,” Clarksburg Councilwoman Hattie Wright said. “With the Robinson Grand there, you know people can go have a drink have dinner and then maybe go elsewhere and have another drink and they don’t have to worry about finishing a drink before they relocate to another establishment.”

The PODA will be suspended during events such as the Italian Heritage Festival, Black Heritage Festival, Jesus Fest, and other events that are licensed as fairs and festivals, special events or multi-vendor fairs and festivals. That suspension ends once the event is over.

A map of where the PODA would be located can be found below:

Councilwoman Wright said that the PODA would open the downtown community up and said that several business owners have reached out showing interest in it.

If approved, businesses located inside the PODA area that want to participate must submit an application to be able to sell drinks in PODA containers. On top of that, the West Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Administration (ABCA) that businesses must follow to comply with the PODA which can be found on its website.

Under the ABCA, applicants approved by the city must be approved yearly where the PODA is located, and the permit fee for a PODA required by the ABCA is $100.

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