USA, SC: Nautic Brewing abandons plans for Greenville location

Plans to open a microbrewery next to Miracle Hill's rescue mission defined the clash of identity that has come with the creation of the $61.5 million Unity Park west of downtown Greenville, The Greenville News reported on March 10.

But after months of protest and hand-wringing over city zoning laws, plans for the brewery are no more.

Nautic Brewing, the vision of three local entrepreneurs, has abandoned plans in large part because of the cost of litigation brought by Miracle Hill, one of the investors told The Greenville News.

"They basically threw a lot of money to tie us into a legal situation,” said Steve Schofield, who took the lead on the project that would have opened the brewery on South Hudson Street yards from the mission. "We’re a small business and couldn’t keep up and had to back up. They basically told us they were going to make our lives hell."

The conflict erupted nearly a year ago when Miracle Hill learned that the city had permitted the brewery under existing zoning laws that predated the beginning of construction of Unity Park.

The mission, which operated at the corner of West Washington and South Hudson street for nearly two decades and longer than that in the neighboring area, was unwavering in its opposition, based on the concern that men trying to recover from addiction would face temptation steps away from their temporary safe haven.

Ryan Duerk, Miracle Hill's president and CEO, told The News that the mission was prepared to fight to the end after a state licensing board denied Nautic's request for an alcohol license and the case headed to an appeal in administrative law court.

The license was opposed by multiple members of the community, including residents and clergy, Duerk said.

“Having to spend money on legal counsel rather than helping the people we’ve been called to help — the hungry, hurt, lost and homeless individuals in the Upstate — is not how I want to be spending our money either,” Duerk said.

The two sides were at an impasse last March.

Nautic presented its business plan as family-friendly, similar to other craft breweries that stake a claim in gentrifying communities and develop a communal culture that welcomes families.

Miracle Hill held that the brewery was an insult to its mission in a traditionally underprivileged community that up until recent redevelopment had been an afterthought and that the city offered no chance for public input until the permit was approved.

City leaders expressed concern — and regret — that zoning laws didn't provide more control over the brewery's placement and pledged to review its regulations.

It didn't take long for the city to move in after Nautic's withdrawal.

On Monday, March 9 the City Council voted to place a 65-day moratorium on new development in the area, which includes businesses that sell alcohol. Without the withdrawal, the city would have had to honor the brewery's permit to operate under current zoning laws.

In January, the city adopted a comprehensive development code for Unity Park, but it has since sent the matter back to the city's Planning Commission for further study next month.

The city will now research what an appropriate zoning category will be for that property and other areas, Planning Director Jay Graham said.

The 60-acre park — once a low-lying dumping ground in the racially segregated Southernside community but now dotted with luxury condominiums and a wave of redevelopment — is progressing at a brisk pace after the council also voted Monday to appropriate $38 million to build the first phase.

The cost of the first phase came in $6 million less than originally budgeted. The savings will go to expanding restoration of the Reedy River along the length of the park, adding two more pedestrian bridges across the river - one at Hudson Street, another at The Commons in addition to one already in the middle of the park - and providing a big chunk of the cost to building a new parks and recreation maintenance facility.

The second phase, which will include a 10-story observation tower and a wetlands park, will be largely privately funded and bring the park's total cost to $61.5 million.

The park is expected to be complete in October 2021.

The brewery faced a steep climb in the court of public opinion, as residents and pastors and political leaders spoke against their plans.

In the end, though, the demise of the brewery's plans wasn't influenced by the city but rather the legal opposition, Schofield said.

Weeks ago, the brewery's request for a license was denied, which then sent it to an administrative law court for any appeal.

Schofield said Miracle Hill's legal team was going to "turn a licensing hearing into a two-day trial."

"They came at us from every direction," he said.

The brewery had adjusted plans based on community concern — closing by 10 p.m., limiting noise and light, no liquor.

The argument Schofield made was that a craft brewery isn't a traditional bar and, while breweries can be a signal the pressures of gentrification, they often make concerted efforts to integrate into a community.

A few blocks away, he said, was a liquor store that provides cheap alcohol regardless of the brewery.

“We were here to bring a nice experience for the family,” he said.

The brewery would have used the space formerly inhabited by TTR Bikes at 101 S. Hudson St., directly across from the entrance where men are transitioning from addiction to recovery.

Miracle Hill first moved to West Washington Street in 1957, where it opened a mission near the train station. The mission moved to a bus garage in 1973 and operated there until 1999 when it tore down the garage and built its current facility.

The shelter houses about 150 on any given day and even more when the temperature drops.

“Nowhere am I trying to detract from growth in Greenville," Duerk said. "We simply want individuals to understand that our people need a space where they can heal and grow.”

Miracle Hill didn't push for the development moratorium, but he said he wants whatever plan that comes from it to offer more public input than was provided.

“I simply want us as a community to have a conversation,” Duerk said. "We need to have a conversation about how to protect our most vulnerable citizens."

08 March, 2020