Thousands of Delta residents and craft beer fans have signed a petition supporting a proposal by Four Winds Brewing Co. to build a new 27,000-sq.-ft. brewery and restaurant in Tsawwassen’s Southlands development.
The petition was started by Delta resident Dan Patching after Delta city council voted down the proposal last month over concerns the brewery represented an industrial use in the commercial development.
“We think that Delta City Council made the wrong decision. We want the craft brewery and restaurant to be approved as is, and think that Four Winds will help to anchor this community and provide a much-needed social gathering space,” Patching states on the petition’s website.“We ask that the councillors who voted to deny the proposal reconsider their position. We ask Council to allow this nationally acclaimed local brewery to build their proposed craft brewery and restaurant as planned.”
So far, more than 6,500 people have signed the petition.
“I’m signing for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that Four Winds is a homegrown world-class company that is doing great things right here in our community and deserves our continued support,” one Delta resident commented on the petition. “I attended one of the community info events and have read a lot on what is proposed and I think it is reasonable and an exciting project. I also think it may have been initially denied partly because citizens tend to be more vocal about what they oppose than what they support (as a general rule).”
The proposal would have seen the brewery and eatery housed in a 30,000-square-foot building that would be up to 51 feet in height. It would have contained the brewing and bottling components of the operation, while the warehousing and distribution would be handled at an industrial location elsewhere.
Following council’s rejection, Four Winds co-founder Adam Mills expressed frustration about the process, saying they will evaluate their next move include remaining in Delta.
According to the city’s planning department prior to the vote, the proposed uses were consistent with the original vision for the Southlands. However, the plan drew opposition from many area residents who at the public hearing said an industrial use was not in keeping with the original vision of the Southlands.
To learn more about the petition, or to sign it, visit the petition’s page at Change.org.
–With files from the Delta Optimist
