The Smyrna City Council voted 7-0 on Dec. 17 to permit breweries, brewpubs and distilleries to draw numerous brewers looking to locate their breweries within Smyrna.
In making his motions for approval, Councilman Tim Gould said these changes “open the city up for some great economic opportunities.”
Besides adding definitions related to breweries and distilleries in their code amendments, Council members now list breweries, brewpubs and distilleries as permitted uses within the General Commercial, Light Industrial, Central Business District and Mixed Use zoning districts.
Over the last year, the city’s Community Development staff has worked with numerous brewers to identify potential business locations and assist them with the permitting and licensing process, according to Community Development Director Ken Suddreth.
However, until the Council’s Dec. 17 vote, the city’s Zoning Ordinance was silent on breweries, brewpubs and distilleries and did not list them as permitted uses under any zoning district in the city.
Community Development has researched the state law and surrounding governmental jurisdictions to review how those governing authorities address breweries, brewpubs and distilleries, including Cobb County, Duluth, Kennesaw and Marietta.
With Smyrna’s new code amendments, now they are competitive with other local governments in attracting breweries, brewpubs and distilleries.
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