Petition aimed to delay brewery plan

NEW HAVEN — Close to 100 people have signed a petition asking the Board of Zoning Appeals to put off a decision on a brewery proposed for River Street until the city mediates an agreement among all the potential users for property in play there.

Armada Brewing has signed a lease to have a taproom and small beer manufacturing facility at 190 River St., which has already gotten site plan approval from the City Plan Commission.

The proposal was to come before the Board of Zoning Appeals on Wednesday, Sept. 29, where Armada’s owner, John Kraszewski, is seeking a special exception to manufacture beer on the premises to serve customers on site and through retail sales.

There is already a precedent for such an arrangement when the city approved a special exception for the East Rock Brewing Company to manufacture and sell beer at its location on Nicholl Street.

John Kraszewski Jr., owner of Armada Brewing, said he was shocked by the petition.

The Fair Haven Community Management Team, on its website, urged residents to sign the petition opposing the special exception “at this time.” The petition was circulated on Change.org by David Weinreb, a member of the management team.

“However, we believe there is room for multiple businesses on River Street and the surrounding area. We therefore call on the City’s Department of Economic Development to engage the businesses that are interested in developing River Street in a mediation process to establish a solution beneficial to all,” the statement reads.

The New England Brewing Co. has signed a memorandum of understanding with the city for land at 100/142 River St. for its brewery, the largest in the state, while Jaigantic Studios has an ambitious plan for 25 production stages on the site, has an

MOU for three parcels, a deal that expires at the end of the month.

The petition itself emphasizes the need for economic development and job creation. It expressed concern that development proposals are proceeding “in the absence of an overall plan, which takes into account the potential employers that we know of.”

Jaigantic Studios, which is being proposed by actor Michael Jai White, estimates accommodating 1,000 jobs as it expands; New England Brewery has said it will bring 70, while Armada, which would be 3,000 square feet to 80,000 square feet for NEBCO, estimates adding 15 jobs between this site and its main brewing facility in East Haven.

Neither NEBCO nor Jaigantic have signed land disposition agreements with the city. The city has said the delay concerns cleaning up environmental contaminants.

Lee Cruz, of the Fair Haven Management Team, said its main concern is maximizing the number of jobs and improving the city’s fiscal health, which he said is the job of the city development staff, which should be negotiating a deal among the parties.

City development staff has said that continues to be its goal.

Helen Rosenberg, a city economic development officer, said the property is covered by the River Street Municipal Development Plan approved by the city and state two decades ago, where infrastructure improvements and remediation have been ongoing.

She said it is inaccurate to say there is no plan.

“There is a plan,” Rosenberg said for the area as a number of businesses have moved in and taken advantage of remediation grants. “There are rules and plans in place.”

She said it has taken about four years to clean up the site at 190 River St., while G.L. Capasso put in its own money to save the building and market it, bringing in Armada as a tenant.

The building will be sold to Capasso, a restoration company, once it has been retrofitted for Armada and the brewery gets a certificate of occupancy.

The management team tabled an endorsement of the Armada plan at a summer meeting.

Kraszewski said he watched the Zoom meeting the next month, but was not asked to testify before the group, nor was he put on the agenda.

“I genuinely felt hurt. I don’t know what merit it holds,” Kraszewski said of the petition.

If Armada were to get BZA approval, they would apply for a liquor license and finish the interior work with the intent to open next January.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo A section of the former Bigelow Boiler Company on River Street in New Haven that was renovated by the Capasso Restoration Corporation.