City council strayed from its normal practise Monday night in order to fast track a new craft brewery for downtown Campbell River.
Rather than give third reading and adoption to a bylaw at two separate meetings, council did both at its Monday meeting, to allow ‘craft brewing’ as a permitted use on the 11th Avenue lot where the brewery intends to set up shop.
Chris Osborne, the city’s senior planner, said council had the option to do both at the same meeting because there were no conditions placed on the rezoning.
“Staff has not identified any conditions as being necessary and no input from the public hearing has changed this view,” Osborne said. “To date, all public input to this application has been supportive and the proposal has not proven to be contentious.”
The proposal is for a craft brewery – Beach Fire Brewing and Nosh House – run by entrepreneurs Darrin Finnerty, Matthew Fox and Laura Gosnell that’s intended to be more than just a brewery.
Fox said the atmosphere will be akin to that in the bar on the popular TV series Cheers, where social engagement is encouraged over tapas and quality craft beer, and where everyone is welcome.
“We love getting together with our friends and we love a place where everyone knows our name,” Fox said during a public hearing for the rezoning Jan. 11.
At that meeting, a packed council gallery turned out to show support for the brewery.
Several people spoke in favour of the brewery and praised the innovative concept for Campbell River, including representatives from the Downtown Business Improvement Association (BIA) and the Young Professionals of Campbell River group.
Council, taking all of that into consideration, on Monday unanimously approved the rezoning for 11th Avenue and at the same time, also gave third reading to a bylaw amendment to allow ‘craft brewing’ in all of the city’s four commercial-1 zonings. Osborne said the area in question encompasses largely all of downtown east of Ironwood Road.
Coun. Charlie Cornfield wanted to know whether the community had been consulted on adding ‘craft brewing’ in all of those zones.
Osborne said no additional consultation was carried out other than the public hearing.
Coun. Michele Babchuk said she was satisfied that was sufficient.
“It was my understanding from what we heard at the last meeting, a lot of those organizations were represented and we heard dramatic support for all of that,” she said.
