StillFire Brewing Wants To Come To Downtown Smyrna, But Residents Are Divided

SMYRNA, GA — A proposed brewery on a 1-acre parcel of land in downtown Smyrna has divided residents, with at least 100 of them packing City Hall on Sunday to vocalize support — or opposition — for the brewery and the process of bringing it to the city.

Supporters and opponents packed the pews in City Hall to learn about the proposed brewery, which would sit on one of the last pieces of vacant land in the city.

If approved, the brewery — which would be a second location of Suwanee-based StillFire Brewing — would take up 1 acre between Atlanta Road and the Smyrna Community Center, with a remaining 0.6 acres kept by the city and used to build a park beside the brewery.

City Council is expected to vote on the land sale in the coming weeks. They already signed a non-binding letter of intent with StillFire to sell the 1-acre parcel for $600,000, but nothing is final until an official council vote.

• Related: Proposed Brewery Town Hall Meeting Set In Smyrna

Bringing the brewery to Smyrna is part of the city's larger effort to revitalize downtown. Council already approved a $6.5 million downtown redesign plan, with future plans for another three-story, multimillion-dollar parking deck north of downtown.

“Speaking frankly to you as our economic development director, our downtown needs additional visitors to the area to be successful,” said Andrea Worthy, Smyrna's economic development director, during the Sunday brewery town hall.

Smyrna was renovated 26 years ago and won awards for its design, but the downtown has “seen a mixed bag of success” since then, Worthy said. She added that a brewery, much like Glover Park Brewery in Marietta or Horned Owl Brewing in Kennesaw, would bring more foot traffic to the area — and help the other downtown businesses and restaurants, not just the brewery.

Some residents were concerned about an increase in crime and DUIs; others were concerned about the possibility of an industrial appearance to the brewery, which wouldn't match the rest of downtown; and some were concerned about noise and light pollution.

But most voiced concerns over the brewery's location, calling it inappropriate given its proximity to a major road and the Smyrna Community Center and saying that even with stipulations on what can be done with the land if StillFire leaves, it would be too expensive for the city to buy back in the future.

Many residents also criticized Mayor Derek Norton and council for not advertising the land as available for purchase, but attempting to sell to StillFire anyway.

Resident Dave Lincoln accused Norton's support of the plan, calling it an "inside job" and accused him of being a lobbyist for StillFire. He was met with a round of applause from other opponents of the project.

Norton's also been accused online of being college friends with Aaron Bisges, owner of StillFire, and that's why he wants to bring the brewery to the city. While both studied at the University of Georgia, Norton attended about 20 years before Bisges.

"I thought the mayor was a nonpartisan position and what I guess a lot of us have not realized is we elected a lobbyist for StillFire Brewery," he said. "In Suwanee, they're not in the public space. They're outside of that. Here, shame on them to come in, push their way into our public park space, cause this divisive issue when there's plenty of [other] great locations that they can be right here in Smyrna. They do not need to be in our public park space. Period."

Norton took offense to the accusations and immediately addressed Lincoln.

"To accuse me of some kind of inside job — I didn't meet these guys until Andrea brought them to us," he said. "I am elected to do what I think is best for the city of Smyrna, and put forward ideas that I think is best for this city and that's exactly what I am trying to do here because I think it will be such an economic driver. I think it will be such a benefit to our community."

However, at least two council members have previously voiced concern over the brewery, particularly its location: Charles "Corky" Welch and Susan Wilkinson. On Sunday, Welch said he still doesn't support the brewery because of the location and because the money from the land sale would be used for a park that he feels is specifically for the brewery, not the public.

"The city's spending all of the money that we get from the brewery to build a park, so to speak, for the citizens, when really I feel like it's for the brewery," he said. "The appraisal for this property is $863,000. [The] $600,000 is that portion of the property that Still[Fire] wants to move onto. If we want to get something in return, let's sell them the whole property and let them build the park."

Bisges spoke during the town hall in an attempt to quell the other concerns about the brewery.

Bisges said plans include a 20,000-square-foot brewery, but that's across three stories as of early site plans, which are still subject to change. Each floor would take up 4,000 square feet for a 12,000-square-foot total, while the brewery production portion would take up 8,000 square feet in the back of the brewery.

There would be two silos — rather than six, which was rumored to be the case — and Bisges proposed letting local artists paint murals on them.

As far as crime goes, Bisges said that hasn't been an issue at its Suwanee location as it's not a bar that's open until 2 a.m. StillFire occupies an old fire station across from Suwanee Town Center, and Suwanee City Manager Marty Allen said the police department gets more calls from the local Taco Bell than they do from DUIs, he told council in a Committee of the Whole work session Dec. 2.

"We aren't a bar. We don't encourage people to get drunk," Bisges said Sunday. "You don't have to drink to enjoy a brewery."

One of the other pain points that city officials have heard from residents is that the brewery wouldn't sell food, but that's not the plan. In Suwanee, StillFire has rotating food trucks each night, which is what they plan to bring to Smyrna as well, Bisges said.

Supporters of the brewery voiced excitement over what a brewery could bring to downtown Smyrna. Several called downtown "sleepy" — one going so far as to say it's "not sleepy, it's asleep" — and a brewery would bring life to the area.

"We moved to Smyrna earlier this year, so we are new residents but that doesn't mean we love Smyrna any less. We saw so much potential in this city," said Lauren Pfiester, who moved from the heart of Atlanta with her husband Cody. "We didn't want to move to the 'burbs, we didn't want to move out where there wasn't things to do, but we just fell in love with Smyrna ... This city can become so much more than it is, and I see that happening through the brewery and other businesses that come to downtown. I'm just really excited for this."

If approved, Bisges said he plans to start construction in spring 2022 and have it completed by spring 2023.

SEE ALSO:

• Smyrna Downtown Redesign Approved After Months Of Debate
• Smyrna Downtown Redesign Could Cost $1M Less Than Anticipated
• Smyrna Sets 3 Public Input Meetings For Downtown Redesign
• New Details Unveiled For Smyrna Downtown Redevelopment
• $6.5M Downtown Redesign Approved By Smyrna City Council
• Downtown Smyrna Makeover Is In The Works