Dallas looks to make it easier to open a micro-brewery

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BigWally
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Dallas looks to make it easier to open a micro-brewery

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From the DMN:

It's getting close to beer-thirty as City Hall looks to make life easier for expanding number of microbreweries opening around Dallas

ByRobert Wilonsky
[email protected]

9:13 AM on Tue., Mar. 20, 2012

Slowly, surely, the list of beer-makers in Dallas gets a little longer with each passing month: Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Peticolas Brewing Co., Lakewood Brewing Co. and, coming soon to West Dallas, Four Corners Brewing Co. The evidence is undeniable: Opening a microbrewery in Dallas "seems to be a popular concept," says Theresa O'Donnell, head of the city's Sustainable Development and Construction department.

Which is why, come Thursday morning, the city's Zoning Ordinance Committee will discuss amending the Dallas Development Code to "develop appropriate standards for alcoholic beverage manufacturing including establishing specific regulations for microbreweries, micro-distilleries and wineries."

Till recently, such standards weren't necessary; no need to regulate what didn't really exist. And at first, even this mini-boom of microbreweries wasn't enough to fast-track an amendment. But, says O'Donnell, Four Corners stepped up and paid the $1,200 filing fee, which got the issue moved to the head of the line.

"Staff's list of code amendments is as long as your arm," she says. "If you have an issue and want to get it in front of people, that's the way to do it quickly." Pay the fee, that is. Otherwise, the might not have gotten to ZOC for another two, three years.

As you can see in the docs below, the city intends to make it easier to open a brewery -- especially if it's not specially mentioned in a planned development district's list of permitted uses. As you'll note in Dallas manufacturing booze is really only allowed in a part of town zoned "heavy industrial," and even then a business needs a specific use permit -- unlike in, say, Fort Worth or Austin or Grapevine, where alcohol manufacturing is allowed under myriad classifications. Says the 10-page look-see below:

This proposal removes manufacturing of alcoholic beverages as a potentially incompatible industrial use; allows for small scale manufacturing in industrial districts by right and in certain retail districts by Specific Use Permit; allows for large scale manufacturing in industrial districts by right; and clarifies the floor area for manufacturing in brewpubs.
Says O'Donnell, right now, say, if you wanted to open such a business in, oh, let's say Bishop Arts, for instance, it'd be difficult if not impossible -- because, right now, the word "brewery" isn't once mentioned in the 2010 ordinance creating its planned development district. And, says she, "In Bishop Arts, if it doesn't specifically call it out as a permitted use, it's an automatic no." And while some exceptions have been made in recent months, the city's had to do a work-around, sometimes by referring to the microbrewery as a liquor store, which comes with a whole other set of limitations. "But if they're willing to accept the different classification," O'Donnell says, "we try to see if there's one listed and see how close we can get to it."

But the city sees the benefit in giving microbreweries their own classification. And thanks to Four Corners it can now speed up the process of clearing a path to the bar.

"It's something we're very supportive of," O'Donnell says. "It's the kind of organic homegrown business citizens like to see, and seems to be a good venue for small business operators."

So, then, how long before it reaches the city council for full approval? That's the bigger issue: ZOC has had myriad code amendments slow-roll toward their respective OK's in recent months, chief among them a parking amendment issue that appears stalled in the driveway. O'Donnell says her department is trying to get these amendments in front of council committees, which need to weigh in before the issues reach the full council, but that their schedules are starting to get overwhelmed with higher-priority matters. (And a two-week council spring break isn't helping either.)

"Most of the committees are starting to get filled up with budget-related issues, which needs to be their priority," she says. "Parking amendments have been bumped several times. This morning we went to agenda review with [council members Linda] Koop and [Sheffie] Kadane and said we could send parking to the Transportation and Environment Committee, so we'll have that on the next TEC agenda. We're trying to move these through as quickly as we can, given the council priorities -- especially some small ones, because we'd like to get these finished before gas drilling code amendments starting eating up everyone's time and resources."

Oh, right. Forget the popcorn; pass the microbrewed beer.
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RyanWeary
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Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:37 pm
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Re: Dallas looks to make it easier to open a micro-brewery

Post by RyanWeary »

This is great news. Dallas (what I've come to call "The City of NO!") is finally doing something beneficial for itself.
“I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.” ~ Frank Sinatra
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BigWally
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Re: Dallas looks to make it easier to open a micro-brewery

Post by BigWally »

I'm sure once this get to the Dallas council, they'll find some way to eff it up :roll:
Maybe the purpose of your life is to serve as a warning to others.
RyanWeary
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Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:37 pm
Location: Oak Cliff

Re: Dallas looks to make it easier to open a micro-brewery

Post by RyanWeary »

BigWally wrote:I'm sure once this get to the Dallas council, they'll find some way to eff it up :roll:
I hope not. I wrote to my councilman to support it. I don't know how much a difference it makes - but I'd like to think so.
“I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.” ~ Frank Sinatra
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BigWally
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Re: Dallas looks to make it easier to open a micro-brewery

Post by BigWally »

RyanWeary wrote:
BigWally wrote:I'm sure once this get to the Dallas council, they'll find some way to eff it up :roll:
I hope not. I wrote to my councilman to support it. I don't know how much a difference it makes - but I'd like to think so.
Did you include a "contribution" to their re-election campaign? Not that I am cynical or anything.
Maybe the purpose of your life is to serve as a warning to others.
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