Updates to the Prince George Zoning Bylaw will give craft beer fans, distillers, and winemakers something to cheers about.
Council approved a few bylaw amendments that will allow alcohol production and sales in more spots around the city. With approval from the Liquor Control and Licensing Board, businesses can brew small batches of beer downtown, residents can make wine and cider on rural properties, and more breweries and distilleries can produce in heavy industrial areas.
Councillor Terri McConachie feels new business opportunities are good for the economy.
“Any time that you see a certain business sector that just goes through growth and kind of catches fire, I just think that’s great so I’m happy to support it. Anything that brings business to, especially, downtown and has that opportunity to bring people together, you can’t beat it.
Councillor Jillian Merrick notes other local sectors will benefit as well.
“It has a huge tie in with farms because we have farms in the region that produce hops and barley si it’s a great secondary manufacturing for the local agricultural sector,” she says, “we even have a great local entrepreneur here who’s actually met the demand of craft breweries all over Canada with his mobile canning operation.”
Only Councillor Albert Koehler was against the amendment. He feels Prince George doesn’t need more liquor outlets right now.
“We had the Superintendent (Warren) Brown of the Police here a few weeks ago. He clearly mentioned that 85% of all nuisances are related to alcohol and I don’t know that we have to amplify all of that.”
Major brewing and distilling operations will be limited to heavy and special heavy industrial areas. Indoor manufacturing areas of 250 m2 or smaller will be allowed downtown, and in regional and highway commercial areas, as well as light, general, and transition industrial spots.
Wineries and cideries are seen as a secondary use to agriculture because the primary focus is growing and harvesting fruits and berries. Making these will be allowed in greenbelt, agriculture & forestry, and rural residential lands.
These updates address new liquor control rules and an increased demand in the local market.
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