Bentonville City Council approves outdoor dining district

BENTONVILLE -- The City Council approved an outdoor dining district Tuesday night.

The 8th Street Market will be an entertainment district known as the 8th Street Market Outdoor Dining District, according to the ordinance the council passed 7-1. The land is on private property.

A state law enacted in 2019 allows cities to create entertainment districts, which allow outdoor drinking within a certain boundary. Cities are allowed to craft their districts in a way that best suits them.

Restaurants, bars and breweries within the district boundaries, as well as licensed vendors within the boundaries, can serve alcoholic beverages that may be carried out of an establishment and consumed within the district's boundaries between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. as long as the beverage is contained in a designated district cup provided by a participating district business, according to the ordinance.

A document will be prepared that will show the district boundaries, participating bars and restaurants, information regarding district regulations and frequently asked questions. The document will be available on the 8th Street Market website and posted in public areas, according to the ordinance.

All of the people who spoke at the meeting were in favor of the outdoor dining district.

Some council members voiced concerns about enforcement, the district boundaries and security.

8th Street Market is a community-focused food hub in the city's Market District, according to its website.

The Rogers City Council in April approved an ordinance to allow people to carry alcoholic beverages in a section of the downtown area that will be known as the Railyard Entertainment District.

The district covers several blocks from Chestnut Street south to Cherry Street and from Third Street east to Arkansas Street.

Business participation in the district is optional, so people cannot walk into a business with a cup of alcohol if the owner does not allow it, John McCurdy, the city's director of development, said at the April meeting.

Participating businesses must have specific cups for people and must give wristbands to anyone leaving the businesses with alcohol. The city will design the cups and wristbands, and participating businesses must purchase them, he said.

The Fayetteville City Council in January decided downtown bars and restaurants will be able to serve drinks on the go for at least another three years.

The Outdoor Refreshment Area, which allows people to buy alcoholic drinks inside a business and take them outside, will continue until April 30, 2024. It was set to expire Jan. 30.

In August 2020, the Springdale City Council approved a downtown entertainment district as a means to reinvigorate businesses hurt during the covid-19 shutdown.

Springdale's Outdoor Dining District includes Emma Avenue and a few blocks surrounding.

The district originally was a six-month pilot project, but it has since been continued.

Also last August, the Fort Smith Board of Directors adopted an ordinance establishing a permanent entertainment district at The HUB at Chaffee Crossing.

In other business Tuesday night, the City Council also approved an agreement for 8th Street Gateway Park work.

The contract with Crossland Construction Co. for preconstruction services is not to exceed $75,000.

The park is a near 100-acre campus. Walmart donated 75 acres near the intersection of Southwest Eighth and Southwest I streets for the park in December 2019. A 23-acre donation also came from the Walton family, according to a news release issued in 2019.

The park will have three unique areas -- a west park, a park core and an east park, Parks and Recreation Director David Wright said. Design work is about 25% to 30% complete, he said Tuesday.

The core section will be built with $5 million from a bond issue that passed in April, Wright said. The estimated cost to finish the park is between $18 million and $20 million, Wright said.