It’s not an appropriate location.
That’s what some concerned Tsawwassen residents plan to say at a public hearing next Tuesday on a proposal by Four Winds Brewing to add a craft brewery and 200-seat restaurant, as well as a craft distillery and winery, to the commercial component of the Southlands development.
Residents plan to question whether the type of development being proposed now was envisioned when Delta council gave approval for the Century Group to build 950 housing units and 80,000 square feet of commercial space on the property.
The current proposal would see the craft brewery and restaurant housed in a 30,000-square-foot building that would be up to 51 feet in height. It would contain the brewing and bottling components of the operation, while the warehousing and distribution would be handled at an industrial location elsewhere.
The distillery and winery would be in buildings of no more than 6,000 square feet.
According to the city’s planning department, the proposed uses are consistent with the original vision for the Southlands.
However, saying industrial operations were never part of that plan, nearby resident Pat Greig has several concerns, including the proximity of the proposed buildings to existing homes. She said it’s an important policy question of siting industry outside industrial zones.
“It is about building size near residences. It is about who should bear the burden of long known development retail market trends - the developer or its closest, and most affected, neighbours,” her submission with fellow resident Paul Lowry states.
Lowry said breweries, with or without restaurants, are currently permissible in Delta only in industrial zones, including the current Four Winds facility near River Road.
“My concern is that this is an incremental strategy and this is the first rezoning application. I don’t think this is the last we’ll see by any means. I don’t think they can deliver what they promised and I’ll think we’ll see more of it… no one said the Southlands Village will be comprised 25 per cent or more industrial space,” he told the Optimist this week.
According to the Century Group, which is developing the Southlands, a major factor that influenced Four Winds’ decision to locate was the ability to have a restaurant and brewing facility right beside a farm, giving Four Winds the opportunity to grow its own hops, grain and other ingredients. The restaurant will also focus on using ingredients sourced from the farm and local to the region, the company claims.
"Growing up in Tsawwassen, I could have never imagined the kind of community that Century Group has planned for Southlands,” said Adam Mills, sales and marketing director and co-founder of Four Winds Brewing Company, in a press release last summer.
The company also got letters of support submitted to the city, including an endorsement of Deltassist Family and Community Services, noting the brewery’s long-time support for the organization.
“Their new facility would allow them to hold events on a much grander scale on site and have it as part of their annual plan to build on this fundraising momentum,” the organization states.
Another letter from a resident notes, “As a resident of Boundary Bay, I believe it is paramount that Delta ensures that the farm and market square components of the property achieve their potential as a true farm-to-bottle or farm-to-table capable amenity. This can only be realized by supporting locally owned artisan and craft-based operations such as Four Winds.”
Tuesday’s public hearing takes place at city hall at 7 p.m.
