By Cecilia Nasmith

Cobourg council has directed staff to accept the offer of to purchase land in the Lucas Point Business and Industrial Park by BevRij Packaging and Brock Street Brewing.

Details in a report by Small Business Facilitator Melissa Graham presented at the committee-of-the-whole meeting Monday gave details of plans for the four acres they plan to purchase at $40,000 per acre – a new packaging plant for canning ready-to-drink vodka sodas and cocktails, as well as packaging beer.

The company will purchase a 12,000 sq. ft. building initially, with expansion plans for later. It is expected they will hire 25 to 35 people from the local community, possibly growing to 75 or more jobs later.

Councillor Nicole Beatty asked another brewery-related question – given the upcoming zoning bylaw review, will there be consideration of a zoning to allow brew pubs in the Downtown Business Improvement Area.

That is the plan, Director of Planning and Development Glenn McGlashon said.

“We will be looking to create new definitions for microbreweries, brew pubs and other similar operations we don't currently have in our bylaws,” McGlashon said.

“If it is a restaurant that does have brewery operations on site, they are permitted to do that as a restaurant and accessory brewery. But if their primary function is a brewery or micro-brewery, that is a light industrial operation.”

The review will clarify these matters, he said, and potentially bring brew pubs to the downtown.