MARS — Restaurants, breweries and other establishments can now legally sell alcohol in the borough following zoning changes approved this week.

The move comes nearly a year after voters in the borough approved a ballot measure permitting the production and sale of alcohol. Though the May 2017 vote approved the matter, zoning ordinances still prohibited it.

On Monday, council approved alterations to those ordinances, with the borough’s commercial district being broken in half. The southern portion, from Clark Street south, is now zoned for alcohol sales and production. The portion north of Clark Street, which is more residential, is zoned for conditional use.

According to Fritz Baehr, planning commission member, the zoning division is aimed at avoiding disrupting residents living north of the business district, as well as promoting growth in the commercial district.

“South of Clark Street on Grand Avenue is kind of our business center,” he said. “It’s really the commercial hub of the borough.”

Permits in the area north of Clark Street can be issued on a case-by-case basis, Baehr said, as long as the applicant addresses noise, lighting and other issues associated with venues that typically sell alcohol.

The changes come after the proposed ordinance was altered from the version presented at a public hearing in March. The proposal presented at that hearing contained parking provisions to address the influx in traffic expected with new business.

The number of spots a business is required to have is based on the square footage of the building as well as the type of business being operated. Council members discussed creating additional spots in lots around the business district and allowing businesses to use them toward the total number of spots required by zoning ordinances. However, several business owners attended the hearing and voiced their displeasure with the parking provisions, leading council members to table the matter.

Those provisions were not included in the changes approved this week, and Mayor Gregg Hartung said the parking conversation will continue as a separate issue.