Denver is set to open applications for common liquor consumption areas this summer, more than a year after the pilot program was approved and a decade after the concept was legalized in Colorado. 

The Denver City Council unanimously voted Monday to open applications in June, 45 days sooner than previously planned.

The five-year pilot will allow businesses to establish areas where customers can mingle outdoors and walk between businesses with alcoholic beverages. Currently, city rules require patrons to finish drinks before leaving a venue.

“(The pilot is) a way to reactivate some community spaces safely and thoughtfully,” said Erica Rogers, with the Department of Excise and Licenses, during a committee meeting.

Denver’s common consumption areas won’t be like New Orleans or Las Vegas, as the designated areas will be strictly enforced and limited to no larger than 100 acres (a space more than twice the square footage of Denver International Airport).

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Areas will need to be approved by city council and licensed by Excise and Licenses. Potential candidates are the Dairy Block, McGregor Square, Larimer Square, Santa Fe Art District and the Great Hall at DIA.

Licenses for regular common consumption areas will last a year and be renewable annually. Temporary licenses will be available for events, lasting 15 days.

Other Colorado cities have already taken advantage of common consumption areas since the state legislature legalized them in 2011, including Ivywild School in Colorado Springs and Ninth Street Plaza in Greeley.

Rogers said it will take the typical applicant three to four months to get through the licensure process once they apply.

The process includes the initial application submission, an agency review, a public hearing, a city council review and inspections by multiple agencies.