Drinks to go? Arlington Heights could allow patrons to sip and stroll this summer

Patrons can already dine alfresco over the summer months on the streets and sidewalks of downtown Arlington Heights, and they soon may be able to take their drinks to go, too.

Village officials could launch a pilot program in the coming months for a so-called “social district,” which would allow people to consume alcoholic beverages from participating and licensed establishments within the boundaries of the Arlington Alfresco outdoor dining zone.

That would allow them to stroll up and down Vail Avenue and Campbell Street with a cocktail — so long as they don’t leave the designated Alfresco area with a roadie in hand.

It’s a concept already in place in Cary, Crystal Lake and Rockford, but pioneered and popularized in Michigan, where 144 towns allow to-go beverages in their downtowns, officials said.

Saugatuck and St. Joseph are two of the popular vacation spots where Arlington Heights Trustee Tom Schwingbeck noticed people walking with drinks three years ago, prompting him to suggest a similar initiative back home. He’s suggested the village allow alcohol sales on downtown streets in conjunction with Sounds of Summer concerts on Thursday nights and on Friday and Saturday nights between 5 and 9 p.m.

Most of his fellow board members this week expressed support for a pilot program, which could begin in July or August and end the last week of September. Village staff are now preparing a formal ordinance for consideration at an upcoming board meeting.

“In Saugatuck and St. Joe, people love it,” Schwingbeck said. “They can walk into stores and shop and walk around town or sit in the park. It’s certainly helping the business establishments. … People do linger a lot longer and visit the shops. I think it’s a great enhancement for our Alfresco zone.”

Supporters like Schwingbeck said adding the drinks-to-go feature would complement the existing outdoor dining environment and weekly concert series, increase pedestrian traffic, and be an economic development tool to encourage dining and shopping.

But one trustee, Robin LaBedz, was outright opposed, jokingly labeling herself as a “curmudgeon.”

“We cannot even control how people maneuver through our little Alfresco zone that I don’t want to add something else to it that we have to watch out for,” said LaBedz, noting recent run-ins with kids speeding through the downtown on electric scooters.

She raised concerns about underage drinking, additional trash, limited benches and other places to sit, and monitoring people who BYOB instead of buying booze from approved businesses.

“I am not convinced that it won’t stop people from bringing stuff in. Sounds of Summer — I’m not naive. I know people bring stuff in. They put it in their little adult sippy cups,” LaBedz said. “I don’t see how this would stop that from happening.”

Many of the particulars of the pilot program are still to be determined, such as whether businesses would serve drinks in branded plastic or compostable cups, whether stickers showing the establishment and date of service should be attached, and if people need to wear wristbands after verifying their age.

Assistant Village Manager Diana Mikula, who researched the topic for the village board, said the village would install signage and markers at entrance and exit points to make sure the public knows where alcohol consumption is and isn’t allowed.

Business participation would be voluntary for the 13 eligible liquor license holders in the downtown, Mikula said.