National City’s planning commission approved a Craft Beer Policy on Nov.20 that would make it easier for craft breweries to open and do business with in the city.
The policy will now move to the City Council on Dec. 5 where they will vote on it.
National City small business owner and National City Chamber of Commerce board member, Stepheni Norton, who helped draft the policy, said craft breweries often have a difficult time just getting through the permitting process in National City, and often craft beer business owners would have to appear at numerous planning commission and city council meetings only to find out they won’t be awarded a business permit.
Norton said that the new policy is designed to make the permitting process easier and more attractive for brewery owners.
The proposed policy uses California’s Alcohol and Beverage Control’s definitions related to the size of breweries.
Currently, National City has one defined brewery size in its municipal code and that was only for large breweries.
The policy requests that medium sized breweries also be included in the municipal code. A large brewery is defined as a facility producing over 60,000 barrels per year, while a medium one is defined as a brewery that’s producing under 60,000 barrels.
The proposed policy also changes some zoning requirements. The requirements would make medium sized breweries zoned use by right for small breweries and tasting rooms in mixed-use areas.
Use by right is a use permitted in a zoning district and not subject to special review and approval by the city council. Property that is considered use by right is listed within a zoning district in the zoning ordinance.
“National City currently had zoning by right for large breweries for large breweries which would be anything like Anheuser-Busch, a very large industrial brewing area,” Norton said. “But they (the city) didn’t have anything (zoning wise) for smaller breweries that allows them to go into similar places that a restaurant or a bakery can go to.”
Currently, smaller breweries are in National City are regulated by a conditional use permit.
The proposal also creates a new code that would require “no minimum distances from schools or other uses are required for brewery tasting rooms.” The policy said precedence was set with Novo Brazil’s new National City location which sits an alley way away from Integrity Charter School.
Planning Commissioner Gonzalo Quintero said he supported the policy because National City could benefit from the economic benefits of breweries.
“It makes me sad that National City is the last incorporated city to not have a craft beer footprint, “he said. “There’s a lack of tasting rooms and no breweries. It’s one of the things where the city is missing out on the economic impacts.”
Quintero pointed out the transformation breweries have brought to Chula Vista’s Third Avenue.
