photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Downtown Lawrence is pictured from the 700 block of Massachusetts Street looking northeast on Jan. 5, 2023.

The idea of creating an open alcohol consumption area on Massachusetts Street has been shelved due to a lack of interest, but it’s still something Lawrence leaders could consider.

City Manager Craig Owens told commissioners as part of the city manager’s report Tuesday night that while city staff did due diligence and considered the idea, there was not a “strong movement to initiate” any part of the plan.

The idea was first floated by the city in the summer, in part because the city was heading into a fall with no University of Kansas home football games. The Jayhawks are playing in Kansas City because of renovations to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

In general, a so-called common consumption area, or CCA, allows people to buy drinks from bars or restaurants that opt in to the program and then walk around with those drinks inside the designated area — which, in this case, would be concentrated on Massachusetts Street and a few areas adjacent to it. Businesses would also be able to decide whether to allow people to enter their premises while carrying a drink. Patrons aren’t allowed to leave a CCA with their drink, and alcohol also can’t be brought in from outside the CCA.

Porter Arneill, the city’s assistant director for arts and culture, estimated in a report presented Tuesday night that it would cost the city between $25,000 and $35,000 to implement the CCA. Based on the current information, he said, if the commission were interested in creating this special district, a pilot program would help gauge the feasibility and usage of such a program in Lawrence.

During the initial presentation in July, Arneill noted that when the department discussed the proposal with business owners, opinions had “run the gamut” in terms of interest. In the report, city staff found two downtown establishments expressed “definite interest” in the CCA, but other stakeholders were undecided or opposed.

Arneill said undecided businesses had raised concerns about the city’s ability to enforce rules, protect existing sponsorship agreements and manage the necessary oversight and cleanup. Additionally, an increased need for cleanup downtown could affect other things because of a reduction of part-time staffing in 2025 due to budget cuts.

Back in July, the majority of commissioners said they wanted to see more information about the program and seemed hesitant to implement a CCA. Though the concept was first made legal in 2017, a change in state law in 2023 made it easier to implement, and over 40 CCAs have been proposed across the state.

Owens said that although it does not seem like there is motivation to implement this program now, the city “could pick it back up” in the future.