Kind brewing in West Kelowna
A Westbank brewery will provide a nice addition to the Wine Trail and Farm Loop, City of West Kelowna staff say.
Councillors will be asked Tuesday to endorse a liquor licence application for the owners of Kind Brewing, at the entrance to Westbank on southbound Highway 97.
The business has been open for four months under a licence that allows only for a retail area and tasting bar, but the current application is for a traditional lounge and patio.
“The Wine Trail and Farm Loop have become major tourist attractions with positive economic benefits to the community,” planning staff write in a report to council.
“Kind Brewing is situated between these two areas and will continue to create a positive linkage between these areas as well as form a bookend for Westbank centre,” staff say.
Kind Brewing owner and chief brewer Joe says he hopes the business will help to revitalize downtown Westbank.
“It is our vision and hope to to attract other similar and synergistic businesses to this area and bring a little more nightlife that in turn will attract more local and visiting patrons,” Slykerman says.
“It is our hope to offer a lounge service at our manufacturing facility this spring and to become a vital part of West Kelowna’s business community and nightlife,” he says.
The downtown brewery represents a relatively rare example of economic development in Westbank, where a number of premises have been vacant for some time.
City council has also expressed concern about the proliferation of marijuana shops, currently operating illegally, and about the difficulties of creating a more pedestrian-friendly shopping area given the highway couplet that bisects downtown Westbank.