CARMEL, Ind. — Ask some who live near Carmel's The Goat and they'll tell you during the COVID-19 pandemic, when The Goat was one of the only area bars open, the neighbors weren't always happy.
"Our main complaint was the noise, that was the biggest one," Jane Fleck told Carmel's City Council Monday night.
Council members were familiar with some of those complaints. They got calls, too.
So when The Goat asked for a change in zoning, their request was denied, leading to the bar's closure for almost the past three years.
The Goat reopened in April, but with some conditions. Customers sitting outside had to move inside by 8 p.m. Outdoor music wasn't allowed. And to reopen, the bar's owner had to enclose the patio and outdoor space.
Now, some of the same neighbors and council members who once had concerns about the bar spoke in favor of the city council lifting those earlier restrictions.
"I feel those commitments were good at the time. They were needed as an emergency way to solve an issue during an interesting time," said Matt Snyder, who serves on Carmel's City Council. "Now I think they're extremely discriminatory against a single business that can no longer compete in step with its neighbors."
The bar's general manager thinks its time to lift the restrictions, too.
"We just want to be treated like our neighbors," said JP Rickerson.
Council voted unanimously Monday night to make that happen.
Monday's decision to remove restrictions on The Goat came at the same time the council voted to establish a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area — or DORA — along part of the Monon Greenway in Carmel, where customers of the many of the bars near the greenway will be able to drink alcohol outside the restaurants' boundaries in a specially designated cup.
"I think that's a great idea. I think it will attract more people," said Dustin Palmer, who used to live nearby. "I think it will just be better, especially for the summer time as well."
The council says so far, 13 bars - including The Goat - have applied to be part of the DORA. During the week, DORA hours will be 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
"It gives them more opportunity to enjoy the outside, enjoy the environment, enjoy activities," said Jon Gonzalez, assistant general manager for Social Cantina Carmel. "It's going to promote more business with people coming in, coming out and enjoying across the street, The Goat and everyone else around us."
Most of Carmel's council members agreed, approving the DORA by a vote of 7-1.
"I still feel that Carmel is a city that is thriving and doing well," said council woman Anita Yoshi. "And I'm not sure that this is the economic development tool that we need in this city."