Split venues worth exploring

By The Gazette Editorial Board

Iowa City councilors have asked city staff to explore ways they might enable local bar owners to split their venues to offer alcohol-free programming for underage patrons.

Good. We've encouraged local businesses to develop alcohol-free ways to serve the entertainment needs of the city's many 18- 19- and 20-year-olds. Amending the city's 21-only ordinance could help them do that.

As we've written previously, we support the new law barring underage people from the city's bars after 10 p.m., but we're sympathetic to those who argue those bars are minors' primary source of entertainment: socializing, dancing, live music, comedians and other acts.

There are other alcohol-free venues and events in Iowa City, and University of Iowa officials have promised more, but most night life here has been in the bars.

So we're glad to see the City Council last week ask city staff to draft an ordinance that would allow bars to split into alcohol-free and not-free sections. Such a change could help keep alcohol out of the hands of those who are legally too young to drink, yet offer attractive, alcohol-free entertainment to those same young adults.

Current ordinance allows an establishment to admit minors to alcohol-free events if they get the police chief's approval. But to qualify, the entire venue must be alcohol-free during the event.

Even owners of bars that are well-known for entertainment, such as Marty Christensen, owner of The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., say it doesn't make financial sense to lock the liquor cabinet in order to hold those underage shows.

Christensen recently told a Gazette reporter that even though the Mill already is essentially split in two, bar sales up front usually out-gross the entertainment in the back.

“The logistics don't allow for us to really do something that's going to satisfy the letter of the law in this case,” he told that reporter. Allowing for split venues could be an appropriate solution.

Of course, keeping separate the alcohol and alcohol-free sides of a venue will take more than a velvet rope and a strong suggestion. City staff have initially suggested a solid structure. Each side would need a bathroom and two exits, and would have to meet all city building and housing codes.

It's a secure but spendy solution - one we're not convinced will be attractive to business owners.

City staff should keep trying to identify effective rules that also would be worth bar owners' time and resources.

The more attractive alcohol-free entertainment options there are for young people, the better.