Grab a seltzer, Austintown.

At Monday's trustee meeting, an application for a DORA, or a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, will be presented to the township. A DORA allows a specified area to be exempt from certain open container provisions.

The DORA would cover the Patriot Boulevard area, near Quaker Steak and Lube and Harley Davidson's Biker Brewhouse. It's a first for the township.

Austintown Trustee Robert Santos says the business owners approached him with the idea, in hopes that a DORA will help expand their capabilities as far as outdoor events go.

"We actually looked into the areas that have DORAs to see if it's something we want to bring here to Austintown and it seems to be one of those destination stops," explained Trustee Robert Santos to 21 News. 

As it currently stands, neither business can serve alcohol outside, not even in their own parking lots. It's become an inconvenience as they try to expand and offer more outdoor events to the community. 

If the DORA is approved, Quaker Steak and Harley Davidson could serve alcohol outside for festivals or concert-type events. Patrons could also walk between the two buildings with alcoholic beverages in hand.

"We will make sure the area encompasses the empty lots that are local right there as well," Santos said. "We are hoping that brings in some developers who see that we have an active DORA in this location, which will bring in some more businesses here in the local area."

The businesses believe it will go further than just benefiting them as well. There are several vacant lots in that area, and with a DORA in place, it could attract new businesses to those spots.

"It's a good area because it's secluded," Santos added. "It's basically just a little round circle so it's something we can control. So, we're looking forward to see how this could progress."

Santos says the DORA application will be presented at tonight's meeting. From there, it will be displayed at the township building for 30 days, so members of the public can read it over if they choose to. After the 30-day period, the trustees will vote on it. It will then head to the Ohio Liquor Control Commission for approval.

The DORA would come with some restrictions, however. Santos tells us it would only be in effect during certain events and timeframes.

If the Patriot Blvd. DORA is approved and all goes well, Santos says it could pave the way for more DORAs in other areas of Austintown in the future.

Trustees will vote on the DORA in the next few months where it will move to the Division of Liquor Control for final approval.

DORA events could start as early as next spring in the township.