Things brewing downtown
City Council paved the way Monday night for microbreweries to locate in the South Cape CRA district with a unanimous vote on two ordinances changing the city’s Land Use & Development regulations so as to allow such businesses in Cape Coral.
The ordinances restrict the amount of product the Artisan Breweries, Wineries, Distilleries and Brewpubs can produce on an annual basis. Except for brewpubs, which essentially are sports bar/restaurant type establishments that produce beer or wine for on-site sales, only product made on-site can be sold.
Councilmembers Richard Leon and John Carioscia thought it might be better to allow breweries to sell wine and other products produced elsewhere.
“It does not make sense to me to restrict that,” said Carioscia. “The more product available to sell means more chance for the business to be a success.”
Leon also took issue with the annual product restriction to 10,000 barrels of beer. Establishments wishing to produce up to 20,000 barrels a year would have to apply to the city for an exception.
“Why should we limit what a business can do?” Leon said.
Councilmember Rana Erbrick countered, “The name artisan means a craftsman in whatever genre. Adding other outside products for sale it becomes a party store. That defeats the artisan concept.”
Since the microbrewery ordinances gained support through the first public hearing, staff did more research into concerns raised about noise and pungent odors associated with the brewing process. The results indicate that with the limited amount of production, noise would be minimal and the odors equal to that of a typical bakery or restaurant. The regulations restrict the amount of time the waste grains or yeast can be stockpiled to just 24 hours and must be stored in closed containers.
The additional information satisfied Councilmember Jim Burch, who raised the noise and odor concern at the first public hearing.
“I don’t want to hold things back, because there are people ready to do this,” said Burch. “I’m comfortable with this now. I feel good about what staff has come up with.”
Council also approved the City Manager’s request for a salary increase of 5 percent, effective July 1 through Sept. 30, 2014, for the sworn non-bargaining police employees. The action will cost the city $10,344 to extend the raise to the police chief, deputy police chief and five captains on the force. The city’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget contains a 5 percent raise for these personnel as well as the Fraternal Order of Police union officers that took effect on Oct. 1, 2014.
During the public comment segment several residents, some holding and waving small flags, revisited the recent controversy over the placement of small American flags in the city right-of-way that a downtown business was asked to remove. It was suggested that the city make an exception to the ordinance prohibiting the placement of any flags or signs in the right-of-way to at least allow the flag to fly in rights-of-way on the 17 recognized flag-flying holidays.
Mayor Marni Sawicki said she would confer with the city attorney to see what the legal ramifications would be.
“A good example of the complexity of this is we don’t know if we have the power to say it can only be American flags, excluding flags from other countries. There are a number of legal issues that make this anything but simple.”
“This is the blood, sweat and tears of every man or woman that went to war and fought for our freedoms,” said one woman.
Family Hardware employee Jeff Verzi apologized for the resulting furor that attracted national attention, but assured council that his family members fought for that flag and he was only trying to honor them in advance of Veterans Day (Nov. 11).
Sawicki and City Manager John Szerlag issued a joint statement last week critical of some local media for blowing the incident out of proportion and not reporting the facts accurately.
Council next meets Monday, Oct. 27, at 4:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall.