Proposed Brewery Town Hall Meeting Set This Weekend In Smyrna

SMYRNA, GA — The city of Smyrna is set to host a town hall this Sunday to discuss a proposal that would bring a brewery and distillery to one of the last pieces of vacant land in the city.

The town hall will take place from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Smyrna City Council chambers at City Hall, located at 2800 King St. Mayor Derek Norton, council members, city staff and representatives from Suwanee-based StillFire Brewing will be in attendance.

The city has signed a non-binding letter of intent with StillFire to sell a 1.6-acre parcel of land near the Smyrna Community Center to the brewery for $600,000. The land lot is located to the east of the community center, bordered by Powder Springs Street to the north; Fuller Street to the west; Atlanta Road to the east; and Village Green Circle to the south.

Smyrna would sell 1 acre to StillFire, and use the remaining portion for park space with a playground, stage and pet-friendly area. The Smyrna location of StillFire is slated to span 24,000 square feet, with the first floor taking up 12,000 square feet and the brewery/distillery portion taking up 8,000 square feet. The brewery would have two silos, which StillFire's Aaron Bisges said could be painted by local artists, if the city wished.

The sale is not final until the Smyrna Downtown Development Authority and City Council approve a contract. Additionally, all plans have to go through the Planning & Zoning Commission and are subject to urban design standards.

But the project has caused a divide among Smyrna residents, much like the recently-approved downtown redesign plan. Some residents, including those in a civic group called Smart Smyrna, are opposed to the specific location and accuse city officials of not being transparent in the process of bringing the brewery to Smyrna. Others say the city is selling a prime piece of land for too low of a price.

At least 1,064 people signed a Smart Smyrna petition opposing the brewery, according to official figures from the group.

"We don't oppose the brewery, we just oppose the location," said Shaun Martin, founding member of Smart Smyrna, in a phone interview with Patch. "It's just not suitable. The site is not big enough to carry what the mayor and the StillFire owners are proposing."

Suwanee City Manager Marty Allen briefed city officials on Suwanee's experience with StillFire Brewing, which was built in an old fire station across from Suwanee Town Center, during a Dec. 2 Committee of the Whole work session.

In that deal, StillFire leased the building with the option of purchasing it later, limits on what the building could turn into if StillFire left at any point, and a license to use nearby park space for events, Allen said.

Norton said the deal in Smyrna would be similar, but instead the city would be selling the vacant land and putting restrictions on what that land could be used for.

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.

Two council members previously voiced concern over the brewery, and were also the only two members to vote against the downtown redesign plan as well: Charles "Corky" Welch and Susan Wilkinson. During the Dec. 2 work session, Welch again said he didn't like the brewery proposal either due to its location.

"The big difference from my viewpoint is this ... [Suwanee] had an old building that you really wanted to put somebody in. We have one of the last pieces of vacant land in the city of Smyrna right in front of our community center that just quite frankly I don't want to put a brewery in front of," he said.

Related:

• 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