Suzy Ageton George Karakehian KC Becker Tim ... - City of Boulder

Four small wineries and one meadery (considered a winery) are also located in Boulder
(Attachment C). Urban wineries are a somewhat recent phenomenon whereby a wine producer
grows grapes in a rural location or buys grapes from a vineyard and then transports them to an
urban facility for crushing, fermentation, aging and bottling. The Colorado Wine Association
lists 22 urban wineries in the Front Range alone.
The general intent of the retail uses at the breweries, distilleries and wineries is to introduce
and market their products to the general public and, in effect, serve a clientele much broader
than the local industrial neighborhood. Many of the breweries, distilleries and wineries are
included in regional beer, wine or distillery tours and have become part of a burgeoning
tourism industry in the state.
As the breweries, wineries and distilleries facilities become popular destinations for
residents, local employees and tourists, all of these manufacturing facilities in the industrial
districts are including tap or tasting rooms where samples of their products are sold and
consumed on-site. Two of the older breweries in town (Boulder Beer and Twisted Pine)
operate restaurants at the manufacturing facilities as a result of earlier site plan approvals.
Some of the manufacturers periodically have live music in the tap or tasting rooms or host
outdoor events with music in their parking lots. In addition, most of the manufacturers sell
some of their products on-site for off-site consumption.
Because of the city’s zone restrictions, none of the manufacturers prepare and sell their own
food for consumption on-site. Instead, the manufacturers occasionally provide food at the
site through a local caterer or mobile food vendor. Brewpubs (e.g. Mountain Sun, Walnut
Brewery, Southern Sun), which are primarily restaurants, are located in the commercial
zones and prohibited from distributing their products off-site.
ANALYSIS
In response to the popularity of the breweries, distilleries and wineries in the city, some of the
manufacturers have approached the city about adding restaurants to their tap or tasting rooms.
Currently, Boulder’s Land Use Code restricts the location, size and function of restaurants in the
industrial districts in order to preserve industrial land for manufacturing and research and to
concentrate commercial uses in the city’s activity centers. Consequently, most of the brewers,
distillers and winemakers would not be able to meet the use standards for restaurants in the
industrial districts. This issue places some of the business owners in a difficult economic
position and in a position of remaining very small or moving to a city with a less restrictive
zoning code.
Current Use Limitations in the Industrial Districts
The purpose of the industrial districts is to provide opportunities for the location of industries of
various types and uses including service and repair, research and manufacturing. Boulder has
four industrial zone districts which including the following:
Agenda Item 5B Page 14