Local business owners met at the Lima City Building to get more information on the newly established Community Entertainment District Tuesday night.
Jacob Espinosa | The Lima News
LIMA —Local business owners met at the Lima City Building Tuesday night to hear information about the new Community Entertainment District that Lima City Council approved in February.
Lima Workforce and Small Business Development Coordinator Amber Martin addressed how the city will make the district, which creates a new pool of liquor licenses only to be usable within the area,work and said that it was heartening to see the excitement from the interested parties.
“It is wonderful to see the excitement behind developing and further expanding on what is going on in the downtown development,” Martin said. “Seeing that expand outside of what most of our residents consider downtown and taking that beyond our limits was the vision of the Community Entertainment District. That is why we made it bigger and hearing other peoples’ excitement for the liveliness adds vibrancy to all of our lives.”
Martin, Lima councilman Jamie Dixon and representatives from the Lima Police Department shared information about how they will work to keep the district safe, how businesses can apply for liquor licenses and how it might affect development.
“Members who attended this evening all seemed very excited to be here and thought this would be a valuable asset to our community and themselves as business owners,” Martin said. “They were interested in how this might be able to expand and create business, as well as enrich our lives.”
Robin Dukes, who is trying to create an arts district on the south side of town, and Shawn Russell, who is part owner of the Booker Building, both thought that the event was informative and helpful.
“I hope that people realize that we are going to change this place to [a] vibrant city and keep people from traveling away to go have experiences that we’re going to bring right here,” Dukes said.
“I’m pretty excited about how proactive the city has been about some of the of the barriers that we may come across and that they already have solutions in place,” Russell said. “I hope people took away how big this entertainment district is going to be for the city, how much energy and activities it will bring and how committed the city is to making sure things run smoothly and safely.”
From Martin’s perspective, the entertainment district is an economic development tool to promote cultural and art experiences, nighttime entertainment, restaurants, performing arts and sports activities. It aids in that endeavor by allowing liquor licenses that are limited to the district.
“In addition to all the benefits that come with the promotion of our community entertainment and how it promotes that multi-function development, it provides D-5J liquor licenses which are limited to the district and that promotes restaurant dining experience with a liquor license within that area,” she said.
Lima’s CED will create up to 15 new licenses, but for restaurants to acquire one, they have to meet requirements regarding food service, occupancy and zoning, as well as pay a $100 processing fee and a $2344 permit fee to the Ohio Department of Commerce.
The city of Lima’s Community Entertainment District runs along North and South Main St. from Grand Ave. to the north and Fourth St. to the south, covering odd and even addresses.
It extends into the downtown area covering the DORA and the even and odd addresses on West St. from North to Elm, and Spring St., Market St. and High St., from the railroad tracks south of Union St. to Metcalf.
The city had applications for licenses on hand for all attendees and more information on the applications can be found at this link. A guide to Community Entertaiment Districts in Ohio can be found on this page.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
