York County is looking to join the microbrewery movement in the Historic Triangle.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed Tuesday to sponsor an amendment that addresses bringing small-scale alcohol production —microbreweries, micro-distilleries, micro-wineries and micro-cideries — to the county by creating a specific category in the county code for those uses.
York County Economic Development Authority Director Jim Noel told the EDA in March there was a growing interest in establishing microbreweries with tasting rooms in the area.
In a Sept. 5 memorandum to the board, County Administrator James McReynolds said Virginia craft beer production brings in $623 million a year.
“The growing micro-alcohol production industry presents an opportunity for localities seeking to reap the economic and tourism benefits associated with the growing appeal of craft beers, whiskeys and such,” he said.
The current York County zoning ordinance does not define “microbrewery;” microbreweries are instead labeled as ordinary breweries. The new ordinance seeks to create a new category for the term that would allow alcohol production in areas zoned for commercial businesses either as a matter of right or with a special-use permit.
Microbreweries and micro-distilleries are typically small-scale operations with tasting rooms and a maximum production capacity of 15,000 barrels a year.
Performance standards limiting the amount of alcohol produced and the floor area requirements for tasting rooms, as well as regulating parking, lighting and noise would be required if the new ordinance were established.
York County has one microbrewery in Ewell Industrial Park off Mooretown Road. Alewerks Brewing Company was established in 2006 and has since added a new taproom and partnered with Colonial Williamsburg to brew beer for the living history museum.
AleWerks Brewing Company Manager Chuck Haines said he supported the county’s move. “It would be wonderful if there were another brewery or two in the area,” he said. “The assumption is that we can all grow.”
He told WYDaily he is looking at expanding his business. Currently, the operation is spread throughout three buildings, and he said it would be much more feasible to work in one larger building.
Although he is not sure whether the expansion will happen in York County, he said the location has played a large role in helping his business grow.
“Craft breweries are small and they focus on quality,” he said. “They also play a role in the community, and it takes time for all those things to gain recognition.”
He said he has been in contact with The Virginia Beer Company, who plans to open a craft brewery in the Historic Triangle in 2015, according to its website.
The growing market has sparked interest for other breweries and distilleries in the area; the Williamsburg City Council recently agreed to allow Copper Fox Distillery Enterprises LLC to open a microdistillery at the former Lord Paget Motel on Capitol Landing Road.
The Planning Commission will review the application to amend the ordinance, and then it will go back to the Supervisors for approval.
Related Coverage:
- Copper Fox Distillery Gets Final OK From City Council
- Growing Craft Beer, Liquor Industry in Historic Triangle Brings Jobs, Tourists
- Williamsurg Distillery Working to Open in James City County
- City Agrees to Sell Former Lord Paget Motel to Distillery
- Copper Fox Distillery Eyes City-Owned Lord Paget Motel Property
- New Timeshare Buildings May Replace Patrick Henry Inn
- City Successfully Bids on Lord Paget Motor Court
