Mayor nixes potential brewpub district amid blowback from neighbors
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So, about that potential brewpub/nightlife district in downtown Safety Harbor?
Never mind.
During an August discussion about extending food truck hours and defining amplified entertainment in the city, Safety Harbor Mayor Andy Steingold said he was in favor of allowing brewpubs, restaurants and other entertainment-focused establishments in the city’s two Service Corridor-2, or industrial, districts.
“When we talk about fostering change in the community in certain areas, I guess it comes down to a philosophy of whether or not you want to keep this more or less a warehouse or light industrial type area, which is what it has been, or is the progression of the area moving towards microbreweries and restaurants?” Steingold said during the August 15 city commission meeting.
“As time goes on, this could become an area that becomes kind of a nightlife type area,” he added. “Because it seems like we’re not getting a lot of industry here in Safety Harbor. A lot of industry is fleeing, and we’re getting a lot of either retail office or restaurants, microbreweries. So this could actually become a district unto itself.”
But on Monday night, the idea of turning the city’s industrial corridors into entertainment hot spots essentially died on the vine after city officials received backlash from some residents and merchants located primarily in the CS-2 zone on Tenth Avenue South, home to the city’s first microbrewery, one-year-old Crooked Thumb Brewery.
While seeking direction on potential code amendments that would extend food truck hours and define entertainment and noise allowances, a number of disgruntled residents and business owners stepped to the podium to protest the potential ramifications such moves could have on their neighborhood.
“Restaurants and industry don’t mix,” Ken Nichols, president of Mastercraft Cabinetry on 10th Avenue South, said. “This is the reason why cities have zones. We have zones for industry, we have zones for houses, we have zones for restaurants and business. These businesses need to be kept separate because they’re counterproductive to each other.”
“Industry needs it’s own zone because…we do the dirty jobs in the ugly buildings,” he continued. “You don’t need a college degree to figure out that this type of environment would be the worst possible location for a restaurant. A good analogy would be, it’s like mixing chocolate and gasoline. They just don’t work together.”
“I think allowing restaurants in that area would be a bad idea,” outspoken resident Jim Barge, who does not live or work near the district, added. “I think what we need to do is build our Main Street core….and I think anything that takes away from that isn’t strategically good for our city.”
After another local business owner, Bill Hanley of Hanley Automotive, criticized the overflow parking problems related to Crooked Thumb, brewery co-owner Kip Kelly addressed the concerns while explaining what his business needs to remain viable.
“I’ve made a very big financial commitment into Safety Harbor in addition to doing a number of volunteer things,” Kelly said. “And I gotta tell you, it hurts to listen to people criticize your business when you’ve really tried to bend over backwards to try to do things the right way.”
“We’re not perfect, far from it,” he added. “And although it hurts to hear these things tonight, it is of benefit to the brewery because we will respond to them and make sure that we eliminate these problems, as we have been doing the entire time we have been here in town.”
Kelly explained how he and fellow brewery co-owner Travis Kruger have addressed the parking problem by putting up “no parking” signs and using social media to direct guests to the additional public parking at nearby City Park; he then steered his statement back to the purpose of the discussion—food trucks and entertainment.
“That beer garden is something that’s really critical to the viability of the brewery,” he said. “It has been a huge financial commitment to open the brewery in town, and let’s just say the business needs to have entertainment in order to be able to attract enough people to be able to cover those expenses.”
“Without having some sort of entertainment, at least from time to time, it’s going to be very challenging for us,” he added while pointing out that currently no definition of allowable entertainment exists in the city’s code.
“I will say however this is sorted out, and perhaps we’ll be able to have some sort of music, we will do everything we can to buffer the neighborhood from that sound.”
Kelly added that after applying for grant money more than a year ago, they will be installing a new privacy fence on all three open sides of the brew garden area beginning next week.
Following the public comments, the commissioners discussed what should be done moving forward.
Suggestions included allowing some sort of food establishments, such as cafes, coffee shops or delis, as well as artistic-themed endeavors and other businesses that have elements of manufacturing built-in.
“Right now, it’s an industrial park,” Commissioner Cliff Merz, a longtime proponent of industry and manufacturing, said.
“If you begin to take away the manufacturing aspect, the character of the district will change.”
While there were no clear answers provided, Mayor Steingold’s final comments on the matter left one thing certain: don’t expect to see a district comprised of brewpubs and restaurants in Safety Harbor’s SC-2 corridors anytime soon.
“My idea was to turn this into a special district, but, I mean, not to the detriment of the surrounding community,” Mayor Steingold said.
“It sounds like, with the input, it may create some issues, and I do worry about turning this area into something other than what it already is.”
City staff is expected to research the food truck and entertainment options and bring their findings back to the commission at a future date.
Related content:
- Commission considers creating brewpub district in downtown Safety Harbor
- Crooked Thumb Brewery takes root, branches out
- Lastest topic to rankle Safety Harbor residents? Sidewalks
Pre-Brewery, this was a complete industrial/manufacturing area. Most likely the bulk of the action in this area was during normal business hours.
BUT, if you change this area to a brewery/”nightlife” zone, then this becomes a completely different animal – we would switch to more nightlife hours, which would ultimately affect the local neighborhood.
Most of the people in the nearby neighborhoods bought before the brewery – so I completely understand and back them – I would NOT want my local neighborhood basically rezoned as I’m certain most others would not as well – including the owners of Crooked Thumb.
As a citizen I welcome Crooked Thumb and appreciate all they’ve done. But, I’m not in support of making this a new brewery or nightlife zone – that’s a whole different story.
Great job Safety Harbor Commissioners and Mayor!!
There is a city park right at the southern end of the SC-2 district. Kids playing and family events and bars. Sounds like a good idea to me. Use your head people.
Do you want to sit at a restaurant listen to saws, impact wrenches, body work being done on a car, smell fiberglass being laid, or get a plate full of dust from a business next door? Because I sure don’t want that while I eat lunch or dinner. Use your head people. .
As the article states in the title neighbors dont want it. There is no property available in the SC-2 district. These warehouses are just that. Converting one into a restaurant would be very expensive. 11 of those 13 properties are owned by local residents and businesses. Some property owners have been there as long as 1950, and have sustained generations of family businesses. .
It would pull away from Main Street. Safety Harbor needs to worry about vacancies on Main Street not the SC-2 district because there are no vacancies there.
Don’t the operating hours of the Brewery conflict with the operating hours of the businesses that are complaining? And so what is the real issue?
I think restaurants would be willing to pay more rent for properties than the current businesses do. Plus the residential neighbors have legitimate concerns about traffic and noise.
Preservation of Safety Harbor’s unique history should be protected! Once that previous image is lost it is gone forever! We have the power to put prestige forward in Health & Wellness which has finally come back into fashion. We must AVOID becoming just another tourist destination-either the Keys-Islamoorada-Coconut Grove in comparison. NONE of those places is any where similar to a very special trait of healing provided in Safety Harbor so it MUST remain that way with new
ways to promote positive living. Dragging down the town with a brewery is far from what should ever be permitted so I commend the Mayor for following his instincts to steer clear of clouding our City’s pristine reputation. We plan to help further the cause through our ventures connecting
credible celebrity physicians and superior scientific studies preventing people from all illnesses!
Very sad, would like to see some improvements to this area. These businesses back there are operating out of tin shacks. At least put some money into your buildings to improve the area.
I have not diagreed with too much the mayor an commissioners have done. But at what point do we stop impeding businesses from coming into SH. Dunedin thrives….Why? The very thing the mayor wanted to happen, but didn’t push forward with it. We are losing all opportunities we get because we continue to say no or set these ridiculous limits. By the time you figure it out, the reputation of “don’t bother even trying in SH” has ruined all new and upcoming opportunities. High time we get with the program. Small breweries and restaurants could have made this sleepy town thrive.
Very well said!
1 step forward 2 steps backward.
Same old same old, progressive thinking quickly recycled into regressive actions.