Hoping to continue the exponential growth that their Silver Harbor Brewing Company has enjoyed since bursting onto the scene four years ago in 2016, Mike and Jamie Gross have a request before the St. Joseph City Commission tonight to allow for a dramatic expansion of their operations in the city through creation of a new special events space in the building they have acquired next door.
Silver Harbor, which is located at 731 Pleasant Street in downtown St. Joe, has enjoyed a spectacular run with their popular brewery and restaurant, including their expansion to an outdoor patio early on and later the addition of their on-site event space called The Garden which has hosted many private parties and other events.
Mike Gross says that last year he found an opportunity to purchase the 216 Court Street building immediately next door, which previously had been home to a cleaning business and additional office space. His vision is for the space to be used for private event rentals along with pop up events at the brewery. His plans are to create a staff connection between the two buildings, along with a substantial facelift for 216 Court with a new glass front, as shown in the rendering he provided to the city. He’s also hopeful that they can maintain the original concrete floor and wood ceilings in the expansion.
Silver Harbor currently has 48 full-time staff with additional hired during busy summer months, and says that with the creation of the new space he anticipates an additional 30 positions would be created.
Once he had purchased the building and began rehabilitation, he learned that the proposed use was not allowed in the CO-B Commercial Office District and that the property would need to be rezoned to D Downtown which is the zoning in his existing brewery to the south of the expansion.
The 8,755 square foot expansion project was taken before the St. Joseph Planning Commission back on May 7th to appeal for a zoning change from CO-B Commercial Office District to D Downtown, matching the existing brewery’s zoned designation.
The city of St. Joseph’s 2016 Master Plan designates that parcel and all parcels in the immediate area as Central Business District, while the 2020 Downtown Vision Master Plan was silent on the need to rezone properties within the study area.
The properties to the west and south are located in the D Downtown District, and the property at 721 Pleasant Street was rezoned to the D Downtown District on May 3, 2007. Properties to the north and east are located within the CO-B Commercial Office District. All properties are improved with commercial or office buildings with some having on-site parking.
The success of Silver Harbor Brewing has been notable with several national and internatnional awards for their craft beer products in 2017 and 2018.
After hearing the appeal for a zoning change on May 7th, the St. Joseph Planning Commission voted unanimously, 8-0, to recommend approval of the change to the City Commission, and they are being asked tonight to provide their approval of the first reading on an ordinance to amend the city’s zoning map to allow for continuation of Silver Harbor’s plans.
