USA, MI: War Water Brewery welcomes amendments to St. Clair city’s code of zoning ordinances

You can almost smell the yeasty concoction of malt, grain and hops cooking away in the War Water Brewery in downtown St. Clair, New Baltimore Voice Newspapers reported on April 8.

The St. Clair City Council recently took another step toward making a regional brewer the centerpiece of the city's Riverview Plaza when it unanimously amended the city's code of zoning ordinances to allow micro-brewers, small wine makers and small distillers as permitted uses in existing buildings in the Riverside Drive district of Downtown Redevelopment District. The change allows the same enterprises as "special approval uses" in buildings requiring modifications.

The amended ordinance defines micro-brewers, small wine makers and small distillers as "any business whose primary purpose is the creation of alcoholic beverages, where such business has been granted a license issued by the state of Michigan Liquor Control Commission for such operation."

"The way the Downtown Redevelopment District was originally written, it left some gaps in what could or could not be there," said Kristopher Paul, the local principal of War Water Brewery. "They didn't consider micro-breweries, small wineries or distilleries. This essentially allows us to move ahead with our larger development."

The St. Clair Planning Commission held a public hearing on the ordinance amendment on March 9 and unanimously approved the changes.

"The only reason we did not include a micro-brewery is because they did not have micro-breweries around (back then)," Dan McCartney, vice chairman of the city’s planning commission, said at the public hearing. "Personally, I think this is exactly what we were shooting for to get people downtown."

Paul's brother operates Danny Boy Brewery in Indianapolis, Indiana, which has a brewing capacity of 6,500 barrels per year and no room to expand.

The goal in St. Clair is to construct a brewery that would take up about two-thirds of the old Schwark Furniture footprint of 25,000 square feet, capable of producing 30,000 to 60,000 barrels of beer per year. That would allow the brewery to serve a number of the Great Lakes states, plus Colorado and California.

The brewery complex would feature a full-sized taproom with food and entertainment. Paul plans to retain retail outlets around the perimeter of the building and construct as many as seven residences on the second floor, ranging in size from 1,200 to 3,000 square feet.

"We're in the final due diligence with a couple of banks," said Paul, who is hoping that financing is in place within the month.

He'll then move forward with the final design of the complex.

Paul currently operates War Water as a nano-brew pub in a small space on the south side of Schwark's. The pub is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. War Water brews are served, and guests may bring in their own food.

"Sales have been increasing month to month," said Paul. "The growth is greater than we expected."

On May 5, the pub will begin Thursday service from noon to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday hours shift to noon to midnight, and Sunday hours go to noon to 10 p.m.

Paul plans to add "a super-small fresh appetizer menu" this summer and to attract an open-air food vendor.

"Over the years, I have seen the deterioration of our downtown," Mayor Bill Cedar told the planning commission at its public hearing. "The War Water project has an opportunity to bring life back to our downtown. I fully support it."

"It's exciting," Paul said about the prospects for the larger brewery. "The support has been overwhelming.”

The council introduced the ordinance at its regular meeting on March 21 and adopted it unanimously on April 4.

14 April, 2016