Friday March 29th, 2024 10:58AM

Gainesville clears way for brewery in 4 to 2 vote

By B.J. Williams
GAINESVILLE - Gainesville City Council has given final approval for the city's first craft brewery. <br /> <br /> At a meeting Tuesday afternoon, Council voted 4 to 2 to amend the city's alcohol ordinance to allow licenses for malt beverage and hard cider breweries. Council members also approved rezoning for a new brewery on the city's west side by the same vote.<br /> <br /> The moves clears the way for Left Nut Brewing Company to move forward with a facility in an existing brick warehouse on Maple Street. <br /> <br /> Councilmen Bob Hamrick and George Wangeman voted against the ordinance and the rezoning. <br /> <br /> Before the vote, Hamrick voiced his concern over the image of the business, specifically concerned about the name of the brewery and the signage that will appear on the building.<br /> <br /> "Unless you put a condition on it, they can do anything," said Hamrick.<br /> <br /> Left Nut Brewery owner Pap Datta, who is from Forsyth County, told council members there is no intent to offend citizens.<br /> <br /> "Although we have some back humor in the story of where LNB came from, there's no overt explicitness in any of our intent or actions," said Datta. "You've seen that in all the plans we've presented to you."<br /> <br /> Datta assured the city council that the signage would feature most prominently the letters LNB, while allowing the full name of the business to be more discretely displayed.<br /> <br /> After the vote, Wangeman acknowledged he did not approve of the name of the business, but also said he's more concerned about how liberal the city's alcohol ordinance is becoming.<br /> <br /> "Eventually, we'll probably have taverns here - or open bars - and I would hope and pray that we don't," said Wangeman.<br /> <br /> Left Nut Brewery is expected to open in April 2015.<br />
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