The City of Covington could soon enact new regulations that would allow open containers in an “Entertainment Destination Center” during special events.
The Covington City Commission will consider an ordinance May 28 creating the zone. The designated area, which the city calls “amoeba-shaped,” would encompass MainStrasse Village, Duveneck Square, the Roebling Point District and would extend from the riverfront to as far south as Eighth Street in some locations.
City leaders say the designation of the proposed zone could help stoke tourism and festival business.
Covington’s urban core is surging with energy, and the City is receiving an increasing number of requests for special events involving restaurants, bars, and other entertainment attractions,” City Manager David Johnston said in a statement about the designation. “This entertainment zone simply would give us another tool to showcase that resurgence while instituting protections that ensure safety, security and moderation.”
The EDC would not let people drink on the streets regularly. Organizers of events would need to seek city special events permits before the designation would kick in and would need to block off the specific areas in which the permits are in effect.
“It will not allow people to run wild through the streets ofCovington with open containers whenever they choose,” City Solicitor Michael Bartlett said in a news release. “But it will — when certain conditions are met — allow certain licensed businesses to interact with festivals or other events going on at their doorsteps.”
Organizers of Kentucky’s Edge — a bourbon-themed music festival taking place in October — are seeking the EDC.
Covington created another EDC last year, but it is much smaller, covering only the area in front of the RiverCenter restaurant and office complex. Since then, Kentucky state law has changed such that municipalities can apply for an Alcohol Beverage Control license allowing them to create larger temporary EDCs.
Louisville and Maysville have created zones similar to the one Covington is mulling.
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This article appears in May 22-29, 2019.
