Hoping to give residents and tourists a new place to socialize, Lilburn is calling for bidders to open a brewery in its Old Town district.
Located on Railroad Avenue, the building in question currently houses Builders Steel Supply, a metal fabrication company. The city’s Downtown Development Authority purchased the lot in June 2020 and it plans to lease out the footprint of the two-story, 29,112-square-foot building to an interested party with brewery experience through a lease-purchase agreement.
“We are at a stage of our downtown growth where we are prioritizing destination concepts, specifically restaurants, and a brewery very much fits that category,” said Brian Burchik, public information officer for Lilburn. “We feel that (a brewery) would be a strong concept to continue to attract people to come into Old Town and discover everything else happening here.”
Given the building’s size, the city foresees the proposed brewery using the lot to produce beer and operate a tasting room with indoor and outdoor seating. The city has already heard from a few interested bidders, Burchik said.
As breweries continue to pop up across the nation, their tasting rooms allow people to gather with one another as they do in coffee shops, Burchik said. He expects the addition of a brewery could further economic development in Old Town and attract more visitors to spend time in the district.
The proposed brewery would adhere to Old Town’s aesthetic guidelines, and the successful bidder would be responsible for all rehabilitation, repurposing and renovation costs. The city plans to construct public parking on the remainder of the property.
This brewery would not be the first in the city. Lilburn approved a plan for Blackbird Farms Brewery on Lawrenceville Highway in Nov. 2020, whose taproom will open in March of this year.
Interested bidders should contact Burchik by email at bburchik@cityoflilburn.com or by phone at 404-368-2584.
