The City Council voted on October 2 to approve the proposed amendments that would allow craft breweries as an allowable use under the City’s zoning ordinance. The vote on the proposal had been delayed (chartered) by its lead sponsor and Vice President of the Council, Rick Lipof. Several Councilors at the last meeting had objected to passage of the ordinance without some level of parking requirements. (Requirements were originally proposed but then eliminated by the Zoning and Planning Committee. See ZAP revised ordinance and Fig City News article.) Councilor Gentile reported that with the help of the Planning Department a compromise was reached that basically cut the parking requirements in half from what had originally been proposed. The changes from the original requirements to the compromise requirements are:
- 1 parking stall for every 500 sq. ft. ==> for every 1,000 sq. ft.
- 1 parking stall for every 4 employees ==> for every 8 employees
- For on-premises consumption: 1 parking stall for every 5 patrons ==> for every 10 patrons
The Council voted (21 – 0 with 3 absent) to approve the compromise parking proposal and voted (21 – 0 with 3 absent) to approve the ordinance. (Watch the NewTV video beginning at 20:36.)
Councilor Lipof said, “I’m thrilled that we were able to craft, no pun intended, brewery legislation to add these vibrant businesses to our community. I know a lot of people enjoy not only artisanal beer, but the community that it brings. I can’t wait for the first ribbon-cutting.”