Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning board backs Troubled Waters Brewing expansion, including proposed microdistillery
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of a conditional use permit allowing Troubled Waters Brewing to expand into adjacent tenant space at 680 Main Street, add a small kitchen, an outdoor patio and a microdistillery use; recommendation is subject to site-plan approval.
The Safety Harbor Planning and Zoning Board on July 9 recommended approval of Conditional Use application 2025-12 CU (Resolution 2025-05), supporting Troubled Waters Brewing’s request to expand into an adjacent tenant space at 680 Main Street and add a microdistillery, limited kitchen operations and an outdoor patio.
Derek Reeves, assistant director, presented the case and described the proposal as an interior expansion of about 2,200 square feet onto the existing 1,980-square-foot microbrewery and 300-square-foot patio. Reeves told the board the request includes relocation of brewing equipment, construction of a small kitchen in the brewery’s former space, and parking-lot modifications to add an outdoor patio. Reeves noted the property is within the Main Street Marketplace character district and that microbrewery and microdistillery uses are conditional in that district. He said staff’s recommendation includes a stipulation that exterior improvements be approved through a site plan prior to construction.
Applicant representative Steve Shanks, filling in for the absent owner, said the owners purchased the property and want to remain on Main Street while expanding operations. "We were fortunate enough to be able to buy the property that we're in right now," Shanks said. He described plans for mostly outdoor dining, limited indoor seating and potential occasional venue rentals, and said the operator intends to pursue the separate license required for distilling. "We have people, like, on staff that know the process," Shanks said, adding that the business hopes to diversify in response to industry shifts.
Board members questioned fire-safety and ventilation for distillation and how food service would operate; the applicant said county permitting and inspections would be required and that existing staff have relevant experience. Reeves clarified parking calculations: the combined interior area totals about 2,500 square feet (requiring roughly 10 spaces), exterior patio about 1,200 square feet (about three spaces), four employees, and two spaces for the post-office tenant, totaling 19 required spaces; staff counted 18 on-site spaces plus credit for one on-street space.
After closing the public portion of the hearing, the board discussed compatibility and reactivation of empty downtown space. A motion to recommend approval subject to site-plan approval passed unanimously.
The board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the City Commission, which will take final action at the commission meeting set for July 21, 2025.
