Four Winds Brewing Co. has responded to Delta City Council’s rejection of the award-winning brewery’s proposed Tsawwassen flagship facility. In a letter to the public posted on the brewery’s official Facebook earlier today, Four Winds expressed disappointment, saying the decision was a major setback, and sought to clarify misinformation about the size and scope of the project.
“Other municipalities are not out of the question, but at this point we will work with Delta to better understand our options in The Southlands,” said co-founder Adam Mills in an email to The Growler. “If we can’t come to a resolution there, we will look elsewhere in Delta and then other municipalities. Delta is our home so we hope to stay here but nothing is guaranteed at this time”
Four Winds Brewing is currently located in Delta’s Tilbury industrial Park and was named the Best Brewery in Canada at Canadian Brewing Awards in 2015.
Here’s Four Winds Brewing’s statement in its entirety:
You may have recently heard about the upsetting conclusion to Delta City Council’s vote on April 8th, 2019 that ultimately denied our proposed craft brewery and restaurant in the Southlands. We are extremely disappointed by this news. We spent four years passionately developing our dream with Century Group, taking input from members of city staff. We believed that we had designed a facility that would have not only suited the original vision for the Southlands, it would have been a tremendous complement to the community we are proud to have grown up in; the community in which we are now raising our own families.
To be clear on the results of the final council meeting, we had 3 councillors in favour of our project and 3 councillors against, with Mayor George Harvie making the final decision to deny our proposal. While this is a stumbling block for Century Group, this decision is a major setback to the future plans of Four Winds.
It seems the main concern of the councillors in opposition is the size and scope of the project. We would like to take this opportunity to clearly put into perspective our intended use for the space. The total square footage of the building is approximately 27,000 sq. ft., roughly the size of Thrifty Foods in Tsawwassen. However, this is not the size of the brewery, this is everything in the plan combined. When you break down the square footage of our proposed facility, you begin to see that the production component of the brewery is not nearly as large as it has been portrayed.
The breakdown is as follows:
– Retail/Lounge area – 2,000 sq. ft.
– Restaurant/Dining Room – 2,000 sq. ft.
– Private Dining Room – 1000 sq. ft.
– Kitchen – 1,500 sq. ft.
– Staff Room – 1000 sq. ft.
– Office Space – 4,000 sq. ft.
– Packaging Area – 2,500 sq. ft.
– Refrigeration & Storage area – 5,000 sq. ft.
– Actual Brewhouse & Fermentation Component – 8,000 sq. ft.
With the denial of our proposal, we have much to consider. We will be working with Century Group and the City of Delta to determine whether or not we can create an alternative plan that works for our business, while still serving the Southlands community. The current zoning will allow a brewpub in Southlands. Although we will consider this option, a full craft brewing facility with an attached restaurant is our main priority. We want nothing more than to stay in Delta and share in the unique nature of the Southlands project. However, we need to do what is best for our business, our 45 employees, and their families by considering all our options.
We are extremely grateful for all the support that we continue to receive for our proposed Southlands project. We truly believe that the majority of Deltans support our plan. We will continue to be optimistic about our future options and look forward to keeping you informed as our new vision unfolds.
If you feel like you want your voice to be heard on this matter, you can reach Delta City Council via email or by mailing a letter to one of the following addresses below:
ATTN: Delta City Council
4500 Clarence Taylor Crescent
Delta, BC – V4K 3E2
Sincerely,
-The Four Winds Family
