A local land-use board approved a use variance permitting a distillery with a tasting room and limited on-site alcohol consumption at 110 East Edgerton Street and recommended that the City Council vacate a nearby alley with a 20-foot utility easement; a separate sign variance for the property was tabled for lack of applicant information.

The action came Tuesday after staff described plans by applicant and property owner John Trippie to convert the former granary at 110 East Edgerton into a distillery and tasting room. Andrew, a city staff member, said Trippie was not present at the meeting but has state-approved construction plans and intends to serve food “without a hood system,” which will limit cooking options. Andrew said the applicant proposed hours of roughly Wednesday through Saturday, noon to midnight.

The board approved the use variance on a roll call vote. Board member Hallett made the motion to approve the variance as shown on the site plan and an unnamed member seconded; the roll call yielded affirmative votes from members present including Jack, the mayor, Bob, Bridal, Tyson and Brian, and the motion carried.

Why this matters: the approval allows on-site manufacture and on-premises consumption that current zoning otherwise restricts. Andrew told the board the site is in an I-2 district and that under the current zoning the building’s owner already may manufacture alcohol on site but may not sell or allow on-premises consumption without a variance.

Board members and staff discussed capacity, parking and neighborhood notice. The building’s plans list occupancy loads of 61 for the tasting area and 15 for a display area (76 total), and Andrew said Trippie plans to use adjacent property he owns for customer parking, estimating about 20 spaces. Andrew said the city sent notices to property owners within 250 feet; the only caller was resident Aaron King of North Main Street, who initially confused the proposal with another local business but accepted the clarification once he understood it was the granary.

On the issue of signage, staff said Trippie applied for grant funding from the Bridal Area Foundation to place signage on the top of the concrete tower but had not provided final sign designs. Because the applicant did not deliver required materials before the meeting, the board voted to table the sign-variance request. A board member moved to table; Bob seconded, and the motion to table passed on roll call.

Separately, the board considered an alley vacation affecting the parcel between North Main and North Walnut that runs from Edgerton Street to the railroad tracks and that is partially covered by the existing concrete tower. Staff reported no utilities currently located in the alley but noted a historic anchor and previous three-phase service in the area. Engineering staff indicated no objection to vacating the alley provided a recorded plat preserves a utility easement; the board directed that a 20-foot utility easement remain along the south border of the vacated alley. Jack moved to recommend vacation of the alley to city council with that 20-foot easement; the motion carried on roll call and the board said it would forward the recommendation to the City Council.

What was not decided or remains pending: the sign variance will return when Trippie supplies final sign plans; the alley vacation requires City Council action to be final. Staff said construction may begin on the project once required permits and approvals are in hand, noting that state-approved construction plans currently exist for the building.

Meeting context: staff led the presentation, the applicant was absent, and the board conducted three votes on related items for the same parcel — approval of the use variance, tabling of the sign variance, and recommendation to vacate the alley with a utility easement. No opposing votes were recorded on the motions taken at the meeting, and the only public contact noted was a single caller who had no remaining objections after staff clarification.