DENVER — Businesses in Five Points are getting ready to apply for a common consumption zone.
Applications for common consumption areas are being accepted starting June 1. This was made possible after the Department of Excise and Licensing requested a change in the common consumption ordinance. The change made it possible to accept applications 45 days after rules were finalized, which happened back in April.
In Five Points, a street lined with a variety of restaurants and bars is getting ready to apply for this designation.
Spangalang Brewery, Mimosa's, Welton St. Cafe and others said they plan to apply. This would allow their customers to walk from spot to spot with a drink in hand.
The plan was originally approved in 2019, but was put on hold when the COVID-19 pandemic started.
The ordinance was revived in April 2021 with the hope of helping restaurants and bars that likely had their toughest year ever. For Taylor Rees, co-owner of Spangalang Brewery, that was definitely the case.
After having to let go all of his employees, then slowly hire them back, this opportunity felt like a lifeline.
"This is an opportunity to recoup some of the losses that ourselves and all the small businesses around the country have seen over the last year. So we are excited to see an environment where people can safely have fun outside and enjoy beverages from a variety of purveyors all over five points," Rees said.
When it comes to security, businesses are pooling the responsibility. When they apply, they will have to lay out a very detailed plan. That plan will have to say what business owners will do if they come across someone who is overly drunk, or an underage drinker.
Rees said it's an extensive process, but one he and other nearby business owner are willing to take on if it means bringing in more business.
"I think it's a great opportunity to just create these communal spaces where people can hang out and not have to be forced to stay inside one place," Rees said.