A proposed social district and placemaking project for the Eighth Street and Garfield Avenue area is back before Traverse City commissioners for a vote tonight (Monday), along with permits that will allow Tank Space on 8th and Oakwood Proper Burgers to sell to-go beverages there. The proposal – one of several items on the agenda – has been updated since the board’s first discussion in April to include several boundary options commissioners could consider.

Social districts were created in Michigan in 2020 in response to the pandemic to allow outdoor drinking. They have since taken off in popularity, with at least 114 municipalities across the state now hosting them (including most recently Northport). Requirements include establishing clear boundaries and designated common areas where visitors are permitted to drink, as well as set hours of operation, boundary signage, a maintenance/management plan, and special labeling on beverage containers.

Customers can purchase alcohol from a licensed bar or restaurant in one-time-use, marked, disposable cups and carry it within the district outdoor common spaces, which typically have shared seating and tables free for anyone to use. Open alcohol containers can’t be taken outside the district, nor can alcohol be consumed inside unless it’s purchased by approved licensees. Containers cannot exceed 16 ounces.

When commissioners first discussed a potential social district in the Eighth/Garfield intersection area this spring, the proposed boundaries included Garfield Avenue from roughly Walnut Street to Boyd Avenue and Eighth Street from South Civic Center Drive to Michigan Avenue. In response to concerns from some commissioners about the size, two other options have been provided. One has similar boundaries but shrinks the common areas where drinking is allowed, while the third shrinks the district even further to properties just around the direct Eighth/Garfield intersection area.

“The boundary in all three maps includes properties that are not licensed establishments to include other businesses that have expressed a desire to be included in the social district for branding, identification, and marketing purposes, as well as to provide the opportunity for additional commercial investment that may want to locate in the area,” according to City Planning Director Shawn Winter.

Winter says staff have continued to meet with property owners in the proposed social district since April and “are confident a layout design amicable to all parties can be achieved through continued collaboration.” The management plan indicates the district would operate between May 1 and October 31 9am-10pm daily. To create the common areas where drinking is allowed, commissioners will vote tonight on using at least $60,000 from the city’s economic development fund for placemaking materials like outdoor seating, furniture, lighting, and other amenities. Those amenities will be removed during the winter months. Commissioners will also vote tonight on permit requests from adjoining businesses Oakwood Proper Burgers and Tank Space on 8th – an Earthen Ales satellite – that will allow them to sell to-go beverages in the social district if approved.

Also on tonight’s commission agenda...
> Commissioners will vote on a liquor license request from Brick Wheels that will allow the Eighth Street bike shop to offer a “grab-and-go cooler full of beverages and local food items that customers can use to fuel their next adventure or enjoy as part of their post-ride celebration,” according to the application. Brick Wheels plans to “carefully curate a rotating menu of local beers and wines that highlight the renowned wineries and breweries in our area. These local brews and wines will be the perfect complement to the gourmet grab-and-go food items that will be prepared by local food vendors,” the application states. Brick Wheels doesn’t expect food and beverage sales to make up a significant portion of ongoing business but hopes the offerings “will further its customers' experience while at the same time highlighting locally made products.”

> Commissioners will consider extending a contract for services to assist the city in inventorying its Con Foster Museum collection. Consultant Teresa Beamsley started work in 2022 to set up a system for inventorying and creating a photo archive of the city’s museum items. That contract was extended in 2023, and she has now inventoried approximately 1,000 of the estimated 10,000 items, according to Interim Assistant City Manager Deborah Allen. Commissioners will vote to extend the contract for another year for an amount not-to-exceed $23,500, with Beamsley and Allen planning to work together “to secure volunteers to assist the documentation process” under Beamsley’s direct supervision, according to Allen.

> Commissioners will vote on spending $180,000 to purchase 16 mobile safety barriers from Meridian Rapid Defense Group to protect crowds during events on public streets. “Their performance at very highly visible events throughout the U.S. has been recognized to have saved lives,” according to a memo from City Director of Public Services Frank Dituri, adding that “the barriers are extremely well built and are well suited for our street closures protecting the large crowds that will be behind them.” The barriers, which are made from 100 percent American steel, can be set up by one staff member and will eliminate the need to place guard vehicles – as the city currently does – to “safely secure a closed street,” Dituri wrote.

> Finally, commissioners will vote on a request from City Manager Liz Vogel to give all city staff an additional paid day off this year on July 5. In the wake of a ransomware attack that hobbled city and county operations, Vogel said the “past few weeks have been extraordinarily stressful as we have managed day-to-day operations with many of our primary systems inoperable. I am proud of our employees, handling customer service issues and other operations by immediately pivoting and creatively finding workarounds. Therefore, I am recommending that we provide full-time City of Traverse City employees with an additional one-time paid day off on Friday, July 5.” Any full-time employees who must work on July 5 as part of essential services would be provided a different day off in the near future, according to Vogel.