The City of Huntington anticipates that it will soon be the first city in West Virginia to launch a Private Outdoor Designated Area (PODA). The PODA will be bordered roughly by 8th Street to the west, 11th Street to the east, 4 1/2 Alley to the south, and Pullman Square to the north. The new PODA district will go into effect on Saturday, September 2, 2023.
Official Huntington PODA cup.
In a PODA district, patrons can purchase a to-go adult beverage in a designated cup from a licensed bar or restaurant that is located within a defined geographic boundary. The bar or restaurant also must go through a permitting process with the City and the West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration to become a PODA-approved establishment.
In June, Huntington City Council approved an ordinance that establishes a Downtown PODA District that will operate on Thursdays and Fridays from 5 to 11 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. between April 1 and October 31.
IN THE PODA YOU CAN:
Enjoy responsibly. Laws regarding public intoxication, indecency, noise and driving while intoxicated still apply.
Finish your drink and throw away your cup in a trash receptacle when you see a sign that says you are leaving the PODA District.
Support local businesses by purchasing a drink at a participating PODA bar or restaurant and exploring the Downtown PODA Disrict during the designated hours and days of the week.
YOU CANNOT:
Bring your own alcohol into the PODA District. All to-go PODA drinks must be purchased from a participating PODA bar or restaurant.
Walk around with a drink that is not in a designated PODA cup (a clear cup with the PODA logo). Cans, glass bottles and mugs that you brought from home are strictly prohibited.
Take a PODA drink from a participating PODA establishment into a non-participating PODA establishment. The bars and restaurants that will be licensed to serve PODA drinks will have clear signage on their front doors or in their front windows.
Enter a general retail business (such as a clothing store) with a PODA drink if the owner of that retail business chooses not to allow PODA drinks inside. The City of Huntington has made signage for general retail businesses that welcome or do not welcome PODA drinks inside their establishment. The signage will be distributed at no cost when the Downtown PODA District is set to begin.
Throw your trash on the ground. There are plenty of trash receptacles within the PODA.
You can visit www.cityofhuntington.com/poda to view the Downtown PODA District map and learn more about the guidelines for the public and how a bar or restaurant can begin the permitting process.
