On Monday evening, June 14, the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission acknowledged an application for a proposed craft brewery and restaurant that would be located at 4 Danbury Rd. in South Wilton, in the building that was formerly a branch office of Wells Fargo.
Having accepted the application, P&Z will move to a public hearing on the matter, to be scheduled for June 28.
According to the most recent narrative provided by the applicant, DWG Properties, LLC, of New Canaan, the plans are to “entirely renovate the existing structure and adaptively reuse the building to create a restaurant and craft brewery (brewpub)”.
The applicant asserted that the brewpub would be consistent with “the existing and future character of the neighborhood in which the [brewpub] is proposed to be located,” citing a number of other restaurants, retail stores, offices and multi-family residences in the immediate vicinity.
For the applicant to obtain the necessary special permit, the zoning regulations would need to be amended. While restaurants are permitted for the special permit, a text amendment would add the term “brewpub” to that use and define a brewpub as:
“An establishment that produces and sells alcoholic liquor, which may be consumed on the premises or sold in sealed containers for distribution and/or consumption off-premises, as allowed by a manufacturer beer permit issued by the State of Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection — Liquor Division. A brewpub shall be equipped with a kitchen and prepare food for on-premises consumption and/or carry-out or delivery. The holder of a manufacturer beer permit may also hold a craft café and/or a restaurant liquor permit.”
As envisioned by the applicant, the first floor of the building (shown below) would be for a manufacturing and retail sales center for craft ales and lagers, including seasonal offerings, a varied line of India Pale ales and aged sour beers. The brewery’s manufacturing area would occupy most of the first floor’s roughly 3,700 square feet. New products would be introduced every 4-6 weeks with many offerings only available on the premises.
The second floor (shown below) would have a full-service restaurant. Preliminary plans show a restaurant space with approximately 1,658 sq.ft. Tables for patrons would be located on either side of a bar, and alongside a “brew lab”.
The architectural plans have already met with the approval of Wilton’s Architectural Review Board (ARB). In a meeting on May 6, members of the ARB praised the quality and creativeness of the proposed design as vastly improving what had become something of an eyesore.
The proposed building elevations are seen in the main image (above) and below. Exterior design elements would include some new horizontal plank siding; metal-frame windows, entry doors and door canopy; industrial-look lanterns; and exterior, back-lit metal signage, among other features.
Notice of the public hearing will be posted on the town website. A link to the Zoom meeting will be found on the meeting agenda.
The public may email comments in advance to town planner Michael Wrinn. All letters must include a name, address and the public hearing to which the comments will relate. Meeting materials are available on the P&Z Commission webpage under “Current and Upcoming Public Hearings.”