The Office of Neighborhood Involvement and I took a proposal to Council on September 15, 2010, requesting an Alcohol Impact Area downtown to be authorized by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC).  The proposal addresses the problem of street drinking in a defined area, by using data to identify an area where types of alcohol most associated with street drinking may not be sold by retail stores.  Information on the proposal is here.  

Thank you to all who sent in comments and/or testified at the hearing.  In response to testimony while respecting the data collected showing types of beverages most often consumed outside, Council amended the restriction on sales of bottled wines to apply only to fortified wines, excluding named types of dessert wines such as port and sherry.  Boxed wines would still be restricted under the adopted proposal. 

The petition now heads for consideration by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, given sole jurisdiction to approve or deny it under Oregon law.  The OLCC will hold at least one public hearing, which I will publicize on this site.  I appreciate the unanimous support of my colleagues in moving this petition forward, and the excellent collaborative work between the Office of Neighborhood Involvement and Portland Police Bureau, coordinated by Liquor Program Specialist Theresa Marchetti.  Sara Hussein and Tom Bizeau in my office also contributed significantly to the project.