USA, MI: Plans for Livonia microbrewery submitted to city’s planning commission

When Andrew Schumacher and Nathan Pastuzyn looked at the Michigan Brewers Guild map of breweries across the state, they noticed a big hole in the eastern Livonia/Redford Township/Southfield/Farmington Hills area without a brewery, Hometownlife.com reported on May 3.

The two 28-year-olds are hoping to change that.

Schumacher, a Livonia resident, and Pastuzyn, a Midland resident, have submitted plans to open a new microbrewery in the former Motor City Carpet and Floor Covering building at 27719 Seven Mile in Livonia, located between Inkster and Harrison. They went before the city’s planning commission during its study meeting April 30 and will return for a public hearing in front of the planning commission May 14 over its application for waiver use approval to utilize a micro brewer license.

“I saw this property and it fit kind of all the criteria we needed,” Schumacher said.

The yet-to-be-named brewery would fit into a space that hasn’t seen a business operate in since 2010, said Schumacher, a graduate of Farmington High School. He recently purchased a home in the area and decided they would look to start their brewery in that area.

The two, both University of Michigan graduates and chemical engineers, got into homebrewing and decided to turn it into a business.

“Because I’m a chemical engineer, someone got me a brewing kit. And I thought it was neat, and then just kind of dabbled with it for the next few years,” Schumacher said. “We started brewing more frequently and started sharing with more of our friends. That’s when I actually thought this might be something.”

They hope to serve several varieties at the brewery, with several styles including ales, stouts and IPAs.

“We are planning on having a large range,” Schumacher said.

They plan to add an outdoor beer garden to the current building. An additional parking lot would also be added to the property, as well as an additional cooler on the property.

“The open date depends on construction, licensing, all that kind of stuff,” Pastuzyn said. “So it’s hard to give a solid answer.”

Hours are originally planned for weekends, Schumacher said.

The two hope to begin work on the property later this summer. No opening date has been set.

If the brewery does open, it would join two other places to serve locally-made beer. Schoolcraft College sells beer made by students in the VisTaTech Center off Haggerty, and SuperNatural Brewing and Spirits opened in 2017 on Plymouth Road.

06 May, 2019