Raising community spirits: How new liquor laws could change Downtown Topeka forever
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Liquor laws are about to look a little different.
Governor Laura Kelly Monday signed House Bill 2059 earlier this week, amending several provisions of the Kansas Liquor Act. This will allow local governments to have more flexibility in designating drinking areas.
Changing the rules of selling and drinking alcohol could have a major impact on areas in Kansas like Downtown Topeka. Topeka City Manger Stephen Wade explains how the bill impacts bar hopping and drinking outdoors.
“Right now for example, if you are at an establishment, you cannot carry a beverage from location to location," Wade said. "Common consumption, once that’s up and running there are still procedures we have to go through, there’s licensing that we have not yet done, once all that takes place if enacted that would allow a person to take a beverage and go from sight to sight.”
That change has local businesses excited for what the near future could hold.
“For people to come to an event, and have a wide variety of choices," Co-Owner of Brew Bank Ryan Cavanaugh began, "To come in and buy what they want, and then go to the event whether it’s at Evergy or right outside at a stage that they’re having live music or whatever it may be, it would just really open up the ability for businesses like us.”
Giving that extra reason for people to swing by Downtown Topeka over the summer, could be a game-changer for the Capital City.
“People would come from Lawrence if they can hangout in the general public areas and have cocktails or have beer, enjoy a show enjoy music movies, whatever it may be," Cavanaugh said. "If somebody else does it before us then we’d just be the ones that followed suit.”
He's got one important piece of advice for those that will put the policy in place.
“It needs to be 7 days, all day every day," Cavanaugh said. "Reasonably from 11 to 11. This summer people are down here all day, they don’t want to be restricted to not be able to have a drink outside in the beautiful weather because it doesn’t start till 5."