IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – Last night, the City of Iron Mountain approved a resolution for a social district among the downtown bars. Tim McCauley, the Downtown Iron Mountain Development Authority Program Coordinator, authored the resolution.
McCauley explained the plan: “So a lot of people probably have never heard of a social district. So the state of Michigan back in I think 2020 this was done kind of in response to the pandemic to enable restaurants and bars to provide more outdoor dining… So what this does Downtown, where you can take a drink from a particular participating bar or restaurant, and you can consume alcohol within the ‘social district commons area’ as it’s called,” he shared. McCauley informed that participating bars would offer designated cups of 16 ounces or less, featuring both the social district logo and the bar’s logo. McCauley noted that the district would have signposts in addition to the designated cups to clarify the boundaries. “And that’s generally parking lots, sidewalks, and we’ll have it on a map and signage,” McCauley commented.
The new social district in the downtown would make an outdoor area for adults 21 & up to consume alcohol within the district. This district will stretch from Stephenson Avenue to Iron Mountain Street (east to west), and from Brown Street to C Street (north to south).
Before the district can be fully operational, further steps are necessary. “We have to send [the resolution] on to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission for their stamp of approval. And at that point, any bar or restaurant has to apply for what’s called a ‘Social District Permit’ from the state,” McCauley stated, adding, “But before they do that, the city has to approve them for that, but that’s a relatively uncomplicated process.”
Local businesses are eager to participate. Daniel Aranda, co-owner of Carlos Cantina, said, “We’re going to do what we can to be involved and have special containers, so people can enjoy a margarita and take it with them through the streets, and we like the idea of it for sure.”
Brittany Linsmeyer, marketing manager of Round 2 Bar and Grill, mentioned their plans: “It’s, hopefully, it’ll just be an awesome thing for downtown. Get people to spend more time downtown, hopefully get some bar crawls going.”
Matt Chang, manager of 151 Thai Bistro, shared his excitement: “I think it’d be a great opportunity for all the businesses downtown, and we’re excited to present our alcohol, so everyone can kind of have more foot traffic.”
However, there is currently no timeline for state approval, and the official hours of the new social district are still being finalized.
