Summer is now in sight and the Furnace Room Brewery (FRB) is getting ready for the outdoor dining demand. The local business is asking council to extend its permissions to run a microbrewery and a seasonal patio.
“The patio was really helpful to our business last year,” owner Mike Dykstra told council during a public meeting on the matter this week. “Part of the seasonal enjoyment is to sit outside and enjoy a beverage. So we are looking to further that again.”
Last spring, council approved FRB’s application to be temporarily designated as a microbrewery. The application was submitted after it was discovered that the brewery was selling drinks under the wrong license. The approval allowed them to operate as a microbrewery until 2024. They would like council to extend the designation to 2026.
FRB also received approval to run a patio from July to October of that same year under the Town’s Al Fresco program. The Al Fresco program has, however, been discontinued. Dykstra and his team are asking for a temporary zoning bylaw amendment to be allowed to run a 32-seat patio until 2026.
FRB hopes to run two patio locations. One would be in the facility’s loading area during the week and on Sundays, and the other in the brewery's own parking lot on Saturdays.
“The applicant suggests that loading occurs infrequently and can take place during off-peak hours,” Planner Ruth Conard said.
According to a report to council about the application, FRB is looking to "secure a lengthier lease with Metrolinx to use the GO Station parking lot to accommodate the displaced on-site parking spaces."
No members of the public came forward to provide feedback on the proposal. During the brewery's 2022 appeal to council, several members of the public had come forward to express concerns about noise levels.
By granting a permit at that time under the Al Fresco program, the Town placed conditions on hours of operation and only allowed un-amplified music during certain hours.
Town staff will bring a recommendation to approve or deny the brewery's requests to a future council meeting.
