Hopkinsville Brewing Co. cleared the first hurdle in an expansion plan after securing approval Wednesday for a conditional use permit from the Board of Zoning Adjustment.
Brewery owners Joey Medeiros and Kate Russell sought the permit for the Upton Body Shop building that is attached to the brewery on Fifth Street between Main and Virginia streets.
Russell told the zoning board she anticipates using the extra space for patrons and brewing operations. In an interview prior to the hearing, she also explained she would like to expand the number of taps. Currently, there are eight.
Community and Development Services staff gave a favorable recommendation for the permit, and no one spoke against it during a public hearing before the board Wednesday.
The board voted unanimously in favor of the permit.
A conditional use permit is required for a microbrewery in the area where the brewery is located, which is zoned B-3 (Central Business) District. A microbrewery is defined as an operation that brews up to 15,000 barrels annually. Even with the expansion, Hopkinsville Brewing will be well below that mark.
The new permit will also allow the brewery to be open on Monday and Tuesday if the owners elect to expand the days of operation. Currently, the brewery is open Wednesday through Saturday.
The permit alone does not guarantee the expansion. Russell said she and Medeiros will get a real estate appraisal of the property next and then discuss the purchase.
Richard and Karen Upton own the body shop building.
Hopkinsville Brewing Co. opened in the fall of 2016.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
