People gather to talk classic cars during the June 2nd Fridays event in downtown Cullman’s Warehouse District in 2017.

Cullman citizens will have their chance to weigh in on the city’s proposal to extend its Special Events District, where alcohol consumption rules are relaxed, during a public hearing Monday. 

At 5:30 p.m., the Cullman Planning Commission will open the floor up to residents to speak up for or against an amended ordinance which would see the current district triple in size, spanning seven city blocks. 

The original district encompasses Depot Park, the Festhalle and parking lot behind the Cullman County Museum. The proposed district would expand the district to run between the railroad tracks and Second Avenue Southeast, from the Cullman Police Department parking lot to Busy Bee Cafe at Fifth Street Southeast. 

The special zone allows for alcohol sales and open containers in public areas, like sidewalks, however Cullman officials retain the power to “open” and “close” the district between events.

The planning commission will then make its recommendation to the city council which will meet July 17 to take up the issue. 

The proposal comes as city officials carry out a concerted effort in creating more foot traffic downtown. The council recently signed off on temporary street closures to allow sidewalk sales on weekends in the Warehouse District. Looking ahead, there are plans to bring a skateboard park to city property between Depot Park and the Cullman Police Department. 

Parks and Recreation Director Nathan Anderson said a similar project has been successful in a large city he’s visited, with the proximity to the police department and well-lit facilities providing safety for youth. 

The city has also hired longtime collaborator, CDG Engineers and Associates, Inc., to develop, plan, and design a downtown sidewalk improvement plan along First Avenue. The project would run the length of downtown Cullman’s business district, from the Festhalle Marketplatz to the Busy Bee Cafe — mirroring the proposed expanded Special Events District. 

The city must first come up with a plan — which will likely see similar accents as with other downtown streetscapes — before it can apply for Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funds. If awarded TAP grant money, it could fund new pedestrian lighting, sidewalks, brick inserts, flower beds, benches and other aesthetic touches to make downtown more walker-friendly. Additional parking will also be considered as part of this latest project. 

An expanded special events district would also mean more pedestrians crossing bustling U.S. 278 — facing 18-wheelers and farm trucks tearing through the heart of downtown. How to safely get people across the busy highway from Depot Park to other businesses and shops on the other side will be no easy task, but officials say they are looking at the issue. 

Since enacting the district in 2013, a visitor to a local festival like Oktoberfest can buy a beer at Festhalle, then walk over to Depot Park to shop or view exhibits. But, when there are no events taking place, the blocks revert back to a normal downtown area under a normal, no-open container law.

The city has direct control over alcohol sales, with the Park and Recreation Board as the only designated vendor allowed to sell alcohol in the zone. The park board sub-licenses vendors to handle alcohol sales at events, such as Oktoberfest, if they meet all pre-existing requirements as a vendor.