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Mad Paddle granted conditional use to operate brewstillery with one-year review amid neighbor noise concerns
Summary
Mad Paddle LLC received a conditional-use permit to continue brewing and distilling at 301–307 West Street, with a one-year term and a five-year renewal if no complaints are filed; board members flagged outdoor-patio music and cited the city noise ordinance (10 p.m.) as the standard.
Brenda Cooper, applicant and owner of Mad Paddle Brewstillery, told the Madison Board of Zoning Appeals she seeks to continue brewing and distilling at 301 and 307 West Street after buying the business.
The board approved a conditional-use permit for Mad Paddle LLC for one year, with a provision that if no complaints are received during that year the renewal period will extend to five years and the permit will remain in the business name, Mad Paddle LLC.
The issue drew questions about an outdoor patio adjacent to an apartment building. Planning staff noted a brew pub falls under conditional use number 220 and that “other entertainment” had been classified as conditional use number 729. A board member warned that a residential building “literally 10 feet away” overlooks the patio and said music could “rattle his windows.” Cooper said the business would “work with Brooke and also keep the apartment complex in mind” and would try to accommodate any complaints.
A staff member reminded the board of the city noise ordinance and that “10:00 in the evening is when noise is supposed to cease.” Board members said the ordinance and its enforcement mechanisms were the primary control on outdoor music and noise; one member proposed allowing outdoor dining but not music. Planning staff reported they had received no complaints about the operation under previous ownership.
A board member moved to approve the conditional use for one year, with a five-year renewal if no complaints were filed and to issue the permit to Mad Paddle LLC; another board member seconded the motion. Roll call votes by Scott Baldwin, Rick Ferris, Carl Eaglin, Mark Acosta and Nancy Burkhart were all recorded as “yes,” and the permit was approved.
The board and staff emphasized the permit’s one-year term as an opportunity to monitor neighborhood impacts, and cooperatives between the business and nearby residents were encouraged.
The board directed staff to issue the permit under the terms voted and to treat complaints during the initial year as the trigger for reverting to a shorter renewal cycle.
