Lodi planners OK brewery, winery expansions
The Lodi Planning Commission unanimously approved three requests for local breweries and wineries during its meeting Wednesday night. They also gave a approval for Gateway South, a 560 unit subdivision.
The commission approved Lodi Beer Company owner Roger Rehmke’s request for a condo map to divide one parcel into a condo lot with two stacked vertical spaces at 101 and 105 S. School St. Commission member David Kirsten recused himself from the vote because he owned property within the project’s sphere of influence.
According to City Planner Craig Hoffman, one space would be the basement and first floor, where the brewery would be located. Another space on the second story would be available for residential or commercial use.
During the meeting, commission member Dave Hennecke asked Rehmke what his plans were for the second floor space. Rehmke told Hennecke that he didn’t have much of a plan at the moment. According to Rehmke, at one time they did have someone interested in a residential project in that space, but they have since changed their mind. However, Rehnke said he was looking to move forward with the condo map to divide the spaces and is now looking at a commercial use for the space. According to Rehmke, local contractor John Della Moncia told him that the southwest corner of the building would not be good for a residence because of a combination of factors, including natural light and certain requirements for residential use.
The commission also approved a request from the Dancing Fox Winery for a use permit that would allow for a craft distillery and to duplicate three alcohol licenses they already hold for the Ice House, located at 25 E. Locust St.
According to Hoffman, Dancing Fox is looking to duplicate its craft license for its warehouse, which is where the wine and beer production and bottling is done. The use permit and additional alcohol licenses will allow the Dancing Fox to distill at the Ice House and expand its business.
“These are are not new licenses in the Downtown — they are mirroring what exists at the Dancing Fox already,” Hoffman said. “That’s been consistent with how the applicant has worked between both of their properties in the Downtown.”
According to Greg Lewis, owner of the Dancing Fox, they realized during their expansion, they’ve realized that they need more space than just their School Street restaurant for their various projects, from distilling and bottling to storage.
Also on Wednesday, the commission gave approval for a use permit which would allow Riaza LLC to run a wine production facility and tasting room at 2441 S. Stockton St. Both Tiffany Gomes and Crystal Kirst recused themselves from the vote because they either owned a property or a business within the sphere of influence.
Owner Rick and Erin Taylor currently operate Riaza Wines tasting room on Elm Street in Downtown Lodi and have their production facility in the industrial part of town. In an effort to combine the two locations, they will be moving to the space on Stockton Street.
Commission member Mitchell Slater voiced concern over how the tasting room events might affect the nearby residential neighborhood and asked if they have spoken to neighbors about their plans. Erin said they used to live in that neighborhood, so they were familiar with it and know it’s a quite area. She anticipates that Riaza will follow suit and be quiet as well. They don’t plan to hold events after 8 p.m. If they did hold an evening event, she said, it would only be once a month. Their regular hours would be from noon to 5 p.m.
In other action Wednesday night, the commission approved growth management allocations, maps and development guidelines for FCB Homes’ Gateway South project. Kirst recused herself from this vote because she owned property within the sphere of influence.
The 560 unit subdivision, which will be located on Lower Sacramento Road south of Kettleman Lane, will be 131.07 acres.
Lodi residents living near the project site voiced some concerns with the project. Bob Hathaway, who lives on Tehama Drive, was worried that a park included in the project was too small for the number of homes planned, and suggested that they expand it by one more block.
Hoffman said the city has a standard that for every 1,000 residents, there is 5 acres of park. The park in the project is about 6.5 acres and is intended to be a neighborhood park, not a community park, he said. If the park was any bigger, it would serve a different function within the development, he said.
Sandy Alvarez, who lives on East Harney Lane, said she had received a letter stating that FCB Homes would not be building two-story homes near her residence.
Tom Doucette of FCB Homes said he didn’t recall ever saying that they would not be building two story homes in that area, and that they are not restricted from doing so. He said the project would be in phases and that they would start with their Gateway North project first. He said it may be about three years before they start working in that area.