Microbreweries are one step closer to being allowed in downtown Winfield after the city planning commission recommended zoning changes to encourage their development Monday.
The commission recommended changing the required distance that a business receiving 30 percent or more of its annual gross revenue from alcohol sales (including liquor stores, drinking establishments, microbreweries and private clubs) must be from churches, schools, colleges, libraries, hospitals or residential zoning districts.
Previously, these businesses had to be at least 300 feet away from the above entities. Now, they have to be only 200 feet away. The planning commission also approved omitting residential districts from the 200-foot distance requirements and allowing microbreweries in the central business district with a conditional use permit. In some instances, a microbrewery or similar business is appropriate for a certain area and in others is not, said public improvements director Patrick Steward.
The amendments “seem like an appropriate balance of protecting the surrounding neighborhoods while also maximizing the potential uses of the central business district,” Steward said.
City officials have said that allowing microbreweries is a way to encourage downtown development.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)