- Springville City Council adjusted a city park's boundaries to enable nearby alcohol sales.
- Civic Center Park boundaries were revised, allowing for Art City Inn and Cody's Gastro Garage to sell alcohol.
- Council members amended definitions for public parks and community spaces to ensure city events would be preserved.
SPRINGVILLE — The Springville City Council voted last week to adjust the boundaries of a city park in order to allow for the sale of alcohol at nearby small businesses.
All parks in Springville have designated boundaries in the city's master plan of parks, trails and open space, city planner Carla Wiese explained in the June 17 City Council meeting. Somehow, the Civic Center Park, 110 S. Main, got missed and boundaries were never delineated, she said.
This became an issue when local businesses Art City Inn and Cody's Gastro Garage decided to apply for a license to serve alcohol, because the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services has rules regarding proximity to public parks, Wiese said.
The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services website states that restaurants serving alcohol "may not be located within 300 feet measured by ordinary pedestrian travel, or 200 feet measured in a straight line" of a park.
Art City Inn and Cody's Gastro Garage are located just south of the Civic Center Park in the same block, separated only by a parking lot for the park and city building.
The newly-approved park boundaries divide the parking lot from the playground on the west side of the city building, before following along the edge of the building to the north. The area in front of the city building to the east — which includes grass, statues and a paved pathway — is no longer be considered part of the park but instead is defined as a "community gathering area." The park boundary stops just north of this area.
By moving the boundary area of the park further north on the east side of the city building, the park boundary is now 235 feet from the door of Cody's Gastro Garage. The parking lot on the west side creates enough space to comply with the proximity rule in relation to Art City Inn.
"With the proposal of moving the defined boundary of the park back to this area, and to the splash pad boundary, both properties would be able to meet the proximity requirement from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services," Wiese said.
The City Council unanimously passed two ordinances to approve the park's boundaries and adjust definitions for public parks, as well as adding a definition for community gathering spaces.
The definition adjustments allow for the city to continue events such as the farmers market, Art City Days and Art Loops to be hosted there without hindering the local businesses, Wiese said.
"This is very limited. It is for this commercial corridor only, so there isn't a concern that we would be doing this at a public park in a residential neighborhood," Wiese said.
