Special Exception - 212, 214, 214 1/2 and 216 S. Michigan St

Home Browse Search

T Area Board of Zoning Appeals 11/6/2012 Dear Sir or Madam, I,Andrew Elegante, in my capacity as General Manager do hereby request a Special Use/Exemption variance for the State Theater and its associated store fronts.The property lies in Portage Township in the CBD(Central Business District)and is zoned as such.The exemption is requested for the manufacturing of food products as defined in Section 21-03.06 of the St Joseph County Zoning Ordinances code. Please refer to (a) Primary Uses, (2) Special Exception Uses, (B) Manufacturing Retailers. We would like to establish a brewpub with an on-premise brewery in the former State Theater and associated storefront at the address of 216 S Michigan Street. We will be brewing beer in small batches of 1 barrel (31 US Gallons)with annual production in the 600-1000 barrel range. Additionally we have long term plans to produce wine and sodas on-site. Brewing of beer requires a Brewer's Permit while the making of wine requires a Vintner's permit, each of which will be obtained separately. No special permit is required for the making of sodas. The only physical change required for this is venting to the alley side,some of which is existing. I would like to address the requirements of the Standards for Special Exceptions(I.C. 36-7-4-918.4)with the following. (I) South Bend has a long and proud history of brewing, beginning with Drewery's in 1853 and continuing today with the Four Horsemen brewery located in the Monroe Park neighborhood. Our endeavor seeks to continue that legacy as part of an overall plan to revitalize the currently vacant State Theater property by incorporating a brewpub which sells on-site brewed beverages along with foodstuffs. Brewpubs have a long tradition of helping to draw communities closer together as a place to connect with friends and strangers over a high quality, locally produced beverage. As such they do not represent a threat to public health,safety,comfort, moral standards, convenience or I general welfare. On the contrary our business can contribute positively to these things by encouraging the growth of a strong and sound community. (ii) Because the brewing operations will take place in basement spaces and the only significant physical change required is the addition of exterior venting,some of which is already present,there should be no negative impacts on adjacent areas or their property values. Our hope is to actually improve the values by drawing more people to the area and making the southern part of Michigan St more attractive to a variety of businesses. (iii) Urban revitalization is taking place all over the country and local craft breweries are a big part of that trend across the country but also here in Indiana. There are several breweries that have been put into historical structures such as the State Theater which are listed below. Brewing is part of the historical fabric of the city of South Bend and compliments other food production activities such as those undertaken at Dainty Maid. There are several locations nearby the Theater that serve alcohol including Club Fever, Backstage Grill, Os Pub and,soon, Chicory Café. '7• Barley Island, Noblesville