Residents voice concern about planned brewery at Village Art Plaza; city says small on-site brewing is expected

At the City Commission meeting on Feb. 25, 2025, Sunrise residents raised concerns about plans for a small brewery to be one of several commercial uses in the new Village Art Plaza, a redevelopment project the city says is intended to activate the site with retail, a coffee shop, a stage and weekend programming.

The matter drew several speakers during open discussion, with Dorothy Martin, a Sunrise resident, saying, “I just don't see a brewery with alcohol and children over here at the park and down the street, and then 3 churches on the other side.” Shirley Robinson, another caller, asked how residents could formally register opposition and said, “A grill is not what we need” in that location.

City Manager Mark Lebowski told the commission the Village Art Plaza is set to open later in March and that the redevelopment divides the former shopping-center bays into eastern bays for city programming and western bays for activation and commercial uses. “One of those uses is a brewery,” Lebowski said, adding that the city’s East Sunrise Improvements master plan (2019) identified a brewery as a desirable activation use. He described the likely brewery as “very small” and said “there may or may not be anything for distribution,” noting the bays are limited in size.

Commissioners and staff said the city expects additional uses around the plaza — a coffee shop on a corner bay and a stage for community events such as farmers markets — and that the brewery was proposed to help animate evening and weekend programming. Assistant Deputy Mayor Jacqueline A. Guzman noted the site will have cameras and pointed out that police and fire facilities are within walking distance.

Commissioner Joseph A. Scudo, who has been involved in the plaza’s redevelopment, described the city’s long-term purchase and consolidation of multiple bays and said the goal is to “bring the neighborhood back together” by creating a family-oriented plaza with daytime and evening uses. Scudo said the city has invested in the area over many years and expects the activations to complement the park and stage.

In response to residents’ requests for more information and an opportunity to weigh in, the commission and staff agreed to present detailed plans at the next East Sunrise Residents Association meeting so neighbors can view drawings and ask questions. Lebowski apologized for any lack of prior notice and said staff would make a presentation to the residents association; he also noted the city scheduled a board meeting for the redevelopment before the next commission meeting, which contributed to the timing.

The commission did not take further action on the proposed uses at the Feb. 25 meeting. Staff said they will return to community meetings with details about the intended layout, security cameras, programming plans and the projected size and scope of the brewery.

The discussion at the Feb. 25 meeting combined background about the long-running master plan for East Sunrise with immediate community concerns about proximity to a park, schools and religious institutions. Commissioners directed staff to present the plan to the East Sunrise Residents Association and to accept public comment there before finalizing occupancy of the commercial bays.