There is reassuring news for Revelstoke residents concerned about the possibility the Mt. Begbie Brewing Co. might build a proposed $1.5–$2 million brewery outside of Revelstoke.
In late 2013, brewery president Bart Larson appealed to city council for some kind of tax relief, saying building a new brewery here was prohibitively expensive due to high commercial and light industrial taxation rates.
Council agreed to explore developing a new property enhancement exemption bylaw designed to give tax breaks to property owners who improve their properties.
There hasn’t been any substantial news to report on the revitalization proposal since then, although some councillors have requested updates on its progress.
However, at council’s Jan. 14 meeting, a sewer relocation plan showed that the brewery is taking tentative development steps on a proposed location near the Revelstoke Railway Museum.
903 Farrell Road refers to a collecation of lots next to the rail museum’s parking lot. It used to be a trailer park, and was slated for substantial redevelopment about six years ago, before the great recession halted those plans.
Larson has said the lots were a potential site for the new brewery.
Now, the City of Revelstoke is planning to relocate a city sewer line that crosses diagonally through the property. The City of Revelstoke’s engineering director Mike Thomas said the city doesn’t have the proper legal paperwork in place, so the existing pipe is essentially trespassing on the property. It’s also a hindrance to building a brewery on top of the line.
In order to make way for the development, the City of Revelstoke plans to fund a $125,000 relocation project out of a 2014 sewer budget.
In an interview with the Times Review, Larson said the sewer project is a step in the right direction, but the deal to develop the property is still subject to conditions.
“Proceeding depends a lot on this revitalization tax [bylaw],” Larson said.
