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New Brewery Gets Green Light From City Plan Board

The future location of Blackadder Brewery. (Elise Engle/WUFT News)
The future location of Blackadder Brewery. (Elise Engle/WUFT News)

Soon, there will be another addition to the ever-growing local brewery scene.

The Gainesville City Plan Board voted unanimously March 24 to grant a special use permit to Blackadder Brewing Company, which will allow the company to operate a microbrewery and bar in an area zoned as a general business district.

The brewery will be located in an existing building at 618 NW 60th St., close to the Oaks Mall on Newberry Road.

Joshua Shatkin, owner of Shatkin Architecture, represented the owners of Blackadder, Chris and Sissy Hart, at the meeting.

Shatkin said Chris Hart currently works at Hoggetowne Ale Works, and has always wanted to own a bar and brewery.

“He has award-winning beer, so this has been a dream for him and his wife,” Shatkin said. “They travel all over the world tasting beer.”

Shatkin said the brewery should be completed in two or three months. It would feature Blackadder Brewing Company’s own beer with around 40 more on tap, as well as leather seats and a fireplace.

Shatkin said he also designed First Magnitude Brewery, which distributes and sells its own beer. He said Blackadder Brewing Company will sell its beer exclusively at its bar.

Lawrence Calderon, lead planner at the City of Gainesville, delivered the staff report on the petition.

Calderon said there were two issues that were examined, the first being if the location met the minimum separation of 300 feet from a place of religious assembly and the minimum of 400 feet from a school, and the second being whether or not an alcoholic beverage establishment would be compatible with the area.

Calderon confirmed the location meets these requirements, and it is also 100 feet from a residential area. He said the staff agreed the brewery would be compatible with the area, which is adjacent to the Oaks Mall.

City Plan Board member Dave Ferro said he isn’t surprised by the unanimous vote to grant the permit.

“If you go to the area and look around, it’s a great place for it,” Ferro said. “It makes perfect sense.”

He said the City of Gainesville is working to help small businesses grow.

“They create jobs; they are the backbone of our economy,” Ferro said. “I think it’s good for everybody, and I applaud the business owner for taking a leap of faith.”

Elise is a reporter who can be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.