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North Branford PZC Approves Farm Brewery Zoning Amendment

On Feb. 1, North Branford's Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) voted to approve a zoning text amendment to allow, by Special Use Permit, farm breweries on farms of 10 acres or more in residential zones, with a minimum of one acre dedicated to growing beer ingredients (fruit, hops, barley or other fermentables).

The amendment goes into effect Feb. 16, 2018, said Town Planner Carey Duques. At that point, eligible farm owners in town will be able to apply for a Special Use Permit to operate a farm brewery. The PZC would then review the permit application (including holding a public hearing with site plan review), and vote to approve or deny.

The applicant for the text amendment, Alexander DeFrancesco of DeFrancesco Farm of Northford, (336 Forest Road), pursued the zoning law change to pave the way for the town's first farm brewery. The amendment will now allow, by special use permit, a farm brewery operation which includes manufacturing and brewing of beer, retail sale of beer produced at the farm brewery and related items, a tasting room, and consumption of beer on the premises and group visitations for retail sale or consumption.

The original application had called for allowing special agricultural events to be held at a "farm brewery cafe" (beverages pairing dinners, luncheons, agricultural festivals, tastings, and outdoor agricultural focused events). Instead, the amendment now specifies a farm brewery cafe will be "incidental, complementary and secondary" to the farm brewery; in order to "...permit the preparation and sale of food and/or beer to members of the public seated indoors and/or on a patio area adjoining the building as shown on the site plan."

The final version of the text amendment approved by the PZC on Feb. 1 included some changes based on questions and concerns raised by some members of the public as well as commissioners during the review process. The review began with the opening of a public hearing in November 2017. The public hearing was closed on January 18, 2018.

One of the changes built into the text amendment approved on Feb. 1 calls for site access, parking, and circulation criteria to specifically meet the town's zoning parking requirements for restaurants and other food and beverage service establishments.

Another notes that hours of operation will be determined by the PZC for each application, "...taking into consideration the compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood."

With each Special Use Permit application, in addition to providing an existing conditions survey map and site development plan, added requirements now include completion of a professional traffic impact study as deemed necessary by the PZC;  location of sewage disposal facilities reviewed and approved by state and local authorities having jurisdiction, as required (East Shore District Health Dept., CT Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection, etc.);  location of water supply facilities with meter installed to monitor water usage if deemed necessary (also to be reviewed and approved by required state and local authorities);  a plan for handling process wastewater and spoils (also to be submitted and approved by required local and state authorities); and  proposed hours of operation including manufacturing, retail sales, and consumption of alcohol.