COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Columbus Arena District will see changes to its outdoor drinking area.

Columbus City Council approved an expansion of when the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) can operate to include events outside of sports.

Council’s approval of the amendment to Mayor Andrew Ginther’s original authorization for the DORA now includes concerts, tournaments, exhibition games, and other events held in the Arena District, defined as Nationwide Arena, Huntington Park, and Lower.com Field.

“This will help to alleviate confusion around when the DORA is, or is not, active,” the approved ordinance states.

The DORA was first approved in July 2021 and included just home games for teams located in the arena district. It officially opened in late September 2021.

The DORA, which allows for alcohol to be consumed outside in a designated area, opens three hours before an event and shuts down at 11:59 p.m. that same day.

“We looked at this originally with a safety lens,” said Columbus City Councilmember Emmanuel Remy. “We were looking at what the safety of the community was. Certainly, the environmental piece and both of those have been very harmonious. Not an incident that we know of during the last year and a half and so it seems appropriate we allow this for the people that own businesses down there.”