Buchanan To Get Social District

alcohol-safe-232
alcohol-safe-232

Coming soon to downtown Buchanan will be a social district. The city council approved it this past week. Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber Director of Membership Sarah Spoonholtz tells WSJM News within a social district, a person can carry around an alcoholic beverage if it’s purchased at a participating business and in a one-time use, marked container. Buchanan’s social district will run north and south of Front Street between Red Bud Trail and Main Street on the north, and Days Avenue and South Oak Street to the south. Spoonholtz says this makes four Berrien County communities to have approved social districts this year.

“I think there are a lot of municipalities that understand that the way people’s habits have been have definitely changed, and they’re looking at outside of the box ideas for ways to help support their local downtown businesses as well as to really help a lot of their restaurants, wineries, and breweries to recover,” Spoonholtz said.

Spoonholtz says Buchanan’s social district will include wrist bands that show at what time they were issued in order to prevent abuse. Potential licensees include Lehman’s Orchard, B & W Olde Village Inn, and McCoy Creek Tavern. The next step is to wait for approval from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.