State approves Muncie’s ‘designated outdoor refreshment areas’ plan

The Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission has approved a Muncie plan for “designated outdoor refreshment areas” in parts of the city.

They’re known as DORAs.  In these areas, people can leave a bar or restaurant with an open container of alcohol in a special cup and walk within the district, between the hours of noon and midnight.

The Muncie City Council passed the plan last November.  Muncie named three zones – one in downtown, one in the Village, and one in the McKinley neighborhood surrounding Elm Street Brewing.  According to the city, 15 businesses are participating.

Yorktown adopted the second DORA ordinance in the state in 2023.  Town manager Chase Bruton told the Muncie City Council the town had not had a single alcohol-related incident in its DORA in all of last year.

At the plan’s first reading in front of the council in October 2024, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour and the council members sponsoring the ordinance say both the Muncie Police Department and Ball State University Police Department are already patrolling the areas and don’t see a problem with the DORA designation. They say all other rules governing alcohol consumption stay in place.

Becca Rice, Ball State University Vice President for Governmental Relations and Industry Engagement, has also said the university and its police department are in favor of DORAs.  The Village DORA will include the university’s planned Performing Arts Center and its attached hotel once they are finished.

The city says the DORAs will be put into effect in “early to mid-summer.”  The state requires signs throughout the zones and for businesses to use required containers.  The city says it will also hold informational sessions for businesses and the public at some point.

Stephanie Wiechmann is our Managing Editor and “All Things Considered” Host.  Contact her at [email protected].