COVINGTON, Ga. — Covington City Council has voted unanimously to allow open containers of alcoholic beverages in the downtown Square area on a three-month trial basis beginning in early May.

It also approved changes to how long vehicles could park and how businesses could legally block streets and sidewalks in the Square area during its Monday, April 17, meeting.

The city’s Community Development Department asked council members Monday, April 17, to consider a resolution allowing a 90-day trial period allowing open containers in the designated Downtown Consumption District. 

Department director Ken Malcom said the trial period will be on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. between May 4 and July 29 . It will allow for the open consumption of alcohol in the Downtown Consumption District — roughly the current downtown historic district. 

“All participants will be required to purchase their alcoholic beverages from a licensed downtown restaurant, and each drink must be placed in a city-designated clear cup,” Malcom wrote to council members. 

“Participants will also be given a color coded wrist band that signifies that they purchased their drink from a downtown restaurant, they are of legal drinking age and that they purchased their drink on that specific day.”

“During this trial period, the Community Development Department will work with the downtown businesses to monitor the economic impact of this resolution, while also working with the Police Department to monitor any changes in crime in this area,” Malcom wrote.

Owners of City Pharmacy and Social Goat Tavern restaurants and Woven Boutique on the Square also told council members they favored the trial period to help spur restaurant and retail business in the area.

Council members approved it despite Mayor Steve Horton objecting. He said he favored a shorter weekly trial period so families with young children could be in the area without open drinking occurring on at least one of the three days.

The council also voted on final reading for changes to the city’s parking ordinance to limit vehicles to four hours in a single space throughout the Public Square area. 

Council members narrowly voted 3-2 on April 3 to amend a city ordinance on first reading to change the time limit.

Most parking spaces on the Square are limited to two hours each except for spaces around the interior park area which are 12-hour spaces, said City Attorney Frank Turner Jr.

They also approved on final reading changes to treat temporary obstructions and encroachments on “public property or ways” the same as those on city streets and sidewalks, Turner said.  

Turner said the city now has one ordinance requiring the city clerk to issue temporary encroachment permits for “public property or ways,” and another ordinance requiring the mayor or city manager to issue temporary permits for obstructing or encroaching on streets and sidewalks.

The proposed change would merge the two and make the mayor, city manager or “city manager designee” the person who could approve all temporary encroachment and obstruction permits with an appeal of any denial to the full city council.

The council also narrowly voted to delay action until May 15 on a request for a Special Use Permit for a 53-unit townhome development on five acres on Covington Bypass Road. 

Homes would sell in the $275,000 to $325,000 range and be for sale rather than rented. The site is west of Jackson Highway and adjacent to single-family homes on Puckett Street — separated by a wooded buffer, officials said.

However, area residents raised concerns ranging from increased crime and more traffic on already congested roads, to rising property values increasing taxes on low-income residents.  

The council tied 3-3 on a motion to delay action — table — until a more detailed traffic study could be compiled. Horton broke the tie by voting to table the Special Use Permit request.