MASON, Mich — Mid-Michigan is a social place! There are social districts in neighborhoods like Charlotte, St. Johns, and Lansing where customers can buy a drink at a bar and take it outside to a designated area. Now, it's official! Downtown Mason is set to get a social district, too.
- Mason City Council has approved a social district for downtown, joining other Mid-Michigan communities like Charlotte, St. Johns, and Lansing.
- The district will extend past the Courthouse Pub and into the antique district, allowing patrons to carry alcoholic beverages outside participating establishments.
- While approved locally, the district still needs state approval and likely won't be operational until January 1st.
WATCH: Mason City Council approves for new social district
"Charlotte was the first place in Eaton County to do a social district," said Jamie Robinson.
Back in March, I told you that the city of Mason may be the next city in our neighborhoods to add a social district. And three months later, they tell me that it's now official!
I headed to Bestsellers to meet with business owner Jamie Robinson, who owns Bestsellers and The Vault in Mason.
"We've had a class C license since 2012," Robinson said.
Robinson tells me that with the addition of a social district, she thinks it'll be a good thing not only for businesses but also to bring more people to downtown Mason.
"A lot of communities in Michigan brought this on, and really there's been no negativity," Robinson said.
City Council member John Droscha told me earlier this week council made the decision because they've seen it work across our neighborhoods, so they came up with a game plan.
"It goes down past the Courthouse pub and into the antique district," Droscha said.
Droscha tells me that since they are finished with the city decision, they are now waiting for the state final approval before launching.
"We think it's likely to not come through until January 1st, I don't think it'll be ready for this summer, but I don't know, I could be surprised by the state," Droscha said.
He says council hopes this will be a positive thing.
"Of course you can't take it into Kean's because you can't take it into a non-licensed establishment, but certainly you can get a beer here and walk across the street and sit at the courthouse lawn," Droscha said.
And back with Robinson, she's excited for what this will do for the city.
"I think it's just going to be another reason to be downtown," Robinson said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Want more FOX 47 News? Here's how you download our Roku app
You can also see the latest news from across our mid-Michigan neighborhoods by liking us on Facebook or following us on X.
