The City of Columbus is adding more restaurants and outdoor vendor locations to its downtown outdoor refreshment area, or DORA.

The city district was approved last summer and allows for outdoor dining and drinking at restaurants and other locales within the district. Food and beverages are allowed to be carried from place to place within the approved businesses and locales within the district, but not brought in from outside.

Businesses and vendors have to apply to take part in the social area and have to follow state and local laws. Eric Frey, executive director of administration for the city, presented three new applicants, which had been approved by the city Board of Works. Those restaurants include Luciana’s Mexican Restaurant in the Commons, Hotel Indigo on Brown Street and the Butcher Shop on Washington Street. That brings the total number of approved restaurants to 14.

The ordinance also outlines locations where food and beverage vendors can operate in the downtown area. Frey asked the council to modify the ordinance to add the Library Plaza, Washington Street behind City Hall, Sixth Street and part of Jackson Street. It also included parts of Fourth Street that had not previously been included in the vendor spots.

Council President Frank Miller pointed out that the individual vendors at those outdoor locations would not automatically be able to serve alcohol at events. Frey said that the Board of Works would have to approve individual event applications.

The DORA stretches from 11th to 1st Streets and the river east to include Franklin Street, the public library and the area around the Taylor apartments off of Second Street.

The council approved a rules change to allow the ordinance to take effect without a second reading, and approved the change itself.