The Trail Store Fruit and More, located on the Penticton boundary, may be offering a whole lot more if the property owner’s plans to open a brewery on the lot are approved.

“Craft breweries are becoming a popular and desired attraction for both locals and tourists. A brewery at this location would strengthen the tourism in this area,” said Nicole Capewell, city planner. “The KVR Trail also provides an opportunity for visitors without the use of a vehicle.”

Penticton city council heard a presentation from city staff on July 16 in regards to a request to rezone the primary use of the lot at 965 Naramata Rd. to allow for a craft brewery/distillery, subject to a maximum gross floor area of 400 square metres.

Aside from the store, the 2.85 ha lot, which is part of the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) and zoned agriculture by both the city and the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC), currently contains a single family dwelling with a detached shop and a pickers’ cabin.

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“The applicants are proposing to construct an addition onto the existing Trail Store. The current proposal is for an approximate 2,900 sq. ft. which would accommodate the manufacturing area for the alcohol,” said Capewell. “The existing area store would be transitioned to be used for the tasting room. The applicants are also proposing to construct a parking area off of Davenport Road which would accommodate seven parking spaces.”

The property owner is also submitting a non-farm use application to the ALC in order to operate a brewery on the land, despite the fact this type of business is permitted in the ALR. This is because the ALC requires all properties over 2ha to have at least 2 ha used to grow primary farm product, and the owner intends to only use 1 ha for barley production for the brewery.

Council voted unanimously to give the bylaw amendment its first reading, with a public hearing to follow at the next council meeting on Aug. 6. Following the results of the public hearing, the property owner has also requested a letter of support from the City of Penticton to be included in their non-farm use application to the ALC.

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