The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Middletown soon to become a more ‘hoppening’ place
Zoning change will allow city to become hub for breweries/distilleries, brewpubs
MIDDLETOWN — A change in the city’s land use zones now allows breweries/distilleries and brewpubs to operate in certain areas of Middletown.
The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the measure.
“I think this is fantastic,” Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Stephen
Devoto said.
“Middletown is ideally situated for these kinds of establishments, with our location and with the kinds of land and buildings we have,” Devoto said.
“Other towns and cities have enacted regulations like this, which have been very, very successful,” Devoto explained. “We anticipate residents and visitors can support other establishments like these.”
The trend is consistent with policies across Connecticut and the country, according to new City Planner Marek Kozikowski, who joined the Planning, Conservation and Development office in late September.
While there are very strict federal and state liquor control regulations and permitting processes already in place, the city didn’t have these uses set out in its zoning codes.
“It has turned into common practice for municipalities across the state to separate breweries and brewpubs as a separate use category,” said Kozlowski, who explained his amendments during Wednesday night’s meeting at City Hall.
The city already has three entities operating in the Robert M. Keating Historical Enterprise Park (formerly Remington Rand) at 180 Johnson St. in the North End: Forest City Brewery and Stubborn Beauty Brewery as well as Spoke + Spy Ciderworks.
The new code provides definitions for each of the uses.
Breweries and distilleries are facilities where alcoholic beverages including beer, mead, cider or liquor are manufactured, stored, bottled, distributed and sold at wholesale or at retail directly to the consumer.
A brewpub is a restaurant that manufactures beer or other alcoholic beverages for onsite consumption, according to the new code.
In the process of drafting up this change, Kozikowski discovered there was no definition for restaurants in zoning regulations, so he added that information.
A number of exceptions were also approved, including the allowance of live or recorded music to be played in the facility, and tasting or tap rooms for onsite consumption of products produced onsite.
Retail sales for offsite consumption will be limited to only products produced on site at breweries or distilleries, according to the code, and retail sales directly to customers for offsite consumption at brewpubs is prohibited.
“A growing trend in breweries and brewpubs is outdoor uses, and any time you have growth, there’s a potential impact on neighbors and residential communities,” Kozikowski said.
The change allows the establishments to be located in business zones in the downtown area, he added.
The code includes regulations on outdoor consumption, which is permitted as long as the area is fully enclosed with an entrance through the interior of the establishment.
Also, food trucks may be allowed on a limited basis, pending the commission’s approval. Also, additional parking will be required for tasting and tap rooms, similar to areas zoned for restaurant use.
Already, there are more than 100 breweries open in the state, with many more in the works, according to the CT Beer Trail. In Middlesex County alone, there are a handful, including 30 Mile Brewing Co. in Old Saybrook, Fat Orange Cat Brew Co. in East Haddam, Little House Brewing in Chester, and Steady Habit Brewing Co. in Haddam (slated to open early next year).
Two others will be coming soon: Coles Road Brewing in Cromwell and Powder Hollow at 62 Washington St., Middletown, according to CT Beer Trail.
Breweries mostly function as manufacturers, Kozikowski said, so they would be allowed in Middletown’s industrial areas, such as the I91 corridor, the northern part of Newfield Street (near the Cromwell line), and in Maromas, located in the southeast area of the city (bordering Haddam).
“It’s a great, smart, proactive thing to be doing,” Mayor Ben Florsheim said. “The craft beer industry is booming in Connecticut, and we want to make sure it’s not just a flash in the pan (in Middletown).
“What has been missing to some extent with these breweries — not just in Middletown, but across the state — is the kind of brewpub/restaurant culture around them. My understanding is this will make it more possible for them to play a bigger role in the city’s scene, in addition to just being a vendor of growlers and that sort of thing,” the mayor said.
“It really fits into the image we’re trying to cultivate for ourselves in Middletown, and will allow us to establish ourselves as a real hub for breweries and restaurants,” Florsheim said.
“This shows the vibrancy of our city. These are uses that bring people into our city. We want developers to know they can open these things and the city will approve them,” Devoto said, himself a home brewer.
“It brings locally produced beverages to the residents and it attracts people from out of town to our city.”