Columbus downtown drinking zone set to open Friday

Downtown visitors can finally sip wine or taste a beer while strolling the Scioto Mile and Capitol Square.

Driving the news: A new Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) begins today in downtown Columbus and Franklinton.

Why it matters: The Center City DORA is meant to encourage more people to visit downtown in the evenings and on weekends.

• Local leaders want to significantly increase the downtown population and make it a more pedestrian-friendly destination.

State of play: Columbus City Council approved the DORA last month , saying no public money will be needed to operate the program.

• It joins over a dozen other DORAs throughout the region, including the Arena District, Bexley and Dublin.
• This is part of a statewide program allowing people to openly carry alcoholic beverages with restrictions.

How it works: Licensed restaurants and bars inside a DORA boundary can serve alcohol in specially marked cups of up to 20 ounces.

• Patrons can then leave and drink on sidewalks, in parks and in other public areas within the boundary, which is marked.
• Drinkers have to dispose of their cups before entering another bar.
• DORA rules are in effect from 11am-10pm, seven days a week.

Between the lines: Downtown Columbus, Inc., a private development nonprofit that will manage the local program, had previously announced today as a DORA start date.

• But the state's approval was confirmed only yesterday, meaning there's still some last-minute preparation needed.
• "We are in the final stages of distributing materials to participating businesses, happening in the next week," Downtown Columbus' website states .

Zoom in: A list of participating DORA establishments are not yet available. The application to the state noted that 80 licensed businesses would qualify to serve.

The big picture: The DORA boundary closely resembles a $100 million "urban pathway" project that will eventually loop around the area.