PERRYSBURG, Ohio — It's now a trend in communities across northwest Ohio, that Outdoor Refreshment Areas (DORA) are popping up, giving people another option to socialize without being tethered to a restaurant or bar.
Tuesday, Perrysburg City Council approved a proposal to establish their own Downtown Outdoor Refreshment Area in a 5-2 vote.
The designated area stretches down Louisiana Avenue and also incorporates a block of Third Street.
Many of the established businesses in downtown Perrysburg worked together to show city council they were all behind the proposal.
"But it will expand our perimeter, as in people coming in and they want to wait for a table, they'll be able to get a drink from the bar and kind of mozy around town. Kind of give them a bigger waiting room, so that not everyone is crammed into one area trying to wait for a table," said Jerry Carroll, general manager of Swig Restaurant.
Staff with Stella's Restaurant and Bar, which already has an established outdoor patio area, said the DORA won't so much offer their patrons more seating, but is expected to generate more foot traffic for the neighboring businesses.
"It's going to be able to allow for people to get a drink and walk around, look into windows, visit the other shops. I don't know how much it's going to bring to our bottom line, but I think it was more about what it did for the downtown area of Perrysburg," said Patrick Lahey, owner of Stella's Restaurant and Bar.
There is no concrete time frame yet for when the Perrysburg DORA will be activated.
The organizers of the DORA proposal have posted on Facebook that they hope to have everything in place and have the Perrysburg DORA up and running in time to enjoy by the end of this year.