Southgate Mayor Joseph Kuspa
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
SOUTHGATE – Mayor Joseph Kuspa said March 17 that with Michigan permitting social districts in which adults may drink alcohol outdoors in open containers, the city is considering it for Market Center Park.
“The state is now allowing for that to happen,” he said during the City Council study session. “I think Wyandotte just became one in their downtown area, that would allow for events and other things that happen, you know, bars and that, to be able to have the public who are at those locations to walk onto the sidewalk and continue on to the next venue without an issue.”
He said right now, it is not appropriate to carry an open beer or other liquor on a sidewalk, so the state has created the social district concept during the pandemic to provide an alternative to drinking unmasked inside crowded bars.
“We are investigating it currently to see if it makes sense for the Market Center Park area,” he said. “That will be a process that involves our planning commission, and obviously our public safety department, but I just want to let you know that we are working on it, and we think it may be appropriate for our Market Center Park district to allow for that free movement of people throughout the shopping center part of the district.”
Councilwoman Karen George said she saw Wyandotte’s downtown social district featured on the evening news as people celebrated St. Patrick’s Day.
“There were a lot of people taking part in it, and they were enjoying it,” she said. “There were a lot of restrictions, so it is very safe, so, I guess it would be worth exploring to help out our downtown district.”