Public consumption of alcohol might get banned around West Seventh Street in Fort Worth
FORT WORTH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Carrying around a drink in public could get you in trouble soon in one of Fort Worth's busiest entertainment districts.
A new ordinance would ban open containers and public consumption of alcohol across dozens of blocks in the West Seventh district.
The proposal comes as a report to city councilmembers shows crime in the area is up 15% through the first 10 months of the year over 2021. Public intoxication arrests are up 8%.
Carrying around an open container is not generally against the law in Texas. However, cities can ban it in specific areas, including central business districts, which city attorneys believe the West Seventh area falls under.
The boundary for the ordinance includes several blocks north of Seventh Street, to be proactive against future problems there according to Elizabeth Beck, the city councilmember for the area.
Beck explained that the idea wasn't to try to suck the fun out of the area, but is aimed at giving police a way to cut down on problems developing outside of bars and restaurants.
"Take the loitering out of the situation; the folks coming down there, never stepping foot into a bar, pouring drinks out of the trunk of their car, and just milling about the place," she said.
Councilmembers could vote on the proposal next week, although its not clear how quickly police would be able to being enforcing the new ordinance.
In recent years, Fort Worth has added more police on weekend nights in the area. It's also tried to address traffic safety issues through a new bus route, changing to one-way streets, added paid and off-site parking and more recently removing parking for rideshare-only spots.
Beck said long term adjustments may focus more on zoning and development plans, but limiting alcohol consumption off-premises seemed like something that could be done quickly to "bring down the temperature some."