A two-level brew pub proposed for downtown will have a liquor store on one level instead.
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the change at its meeting Tuesday night in City Hall.
City resident Paresh Patel wants to open a liquor store on the Howe Avenue side of the building, at 475 Howe Ave. Three employees would work in the 3,000 square-foot site and the business would be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The other side of the building faces White Street, where Ken Schaible Jr. wants to open a brew pub. Both sides are storefronts.
Schaible said he changed the plans because “the population downtown doesn’t support” the original design the board approved last July.
The board was concerned Tuesday about beer trucks parking improperly to unload, a common problem in other communities, said Anthony Panico, zoning consultant. But Schaible said Patel would prevent that problem.
The original design, by local architect John Ruffalo III, called for an open patio area tucked underneath the building. The lower area, entered by White Street, was going to include the microbrewery, according to July’s meeting minutes.
However, the top floor can’t support the weight of the brewery equipment, according to Schaible.
Meanwhile, Ruffalo on Tuesday presented a proposal to add 200 square feet to the downtown Danny O’s restaurant balcony for music acts or karaoke. The board unanimously approved waiving a site plan review of the proposal.
“Good luck,” board chairman Ruth Parkins told the applicant after the approval.
