Washington’s City Council, during its meeting Monday, amended the city’s zoning code to allow microbreweries in certain commercial districts.

The Planning Board, which previously discussed the issue, recommended the zoning code be amended. The proposal to amend the zoning code was in response to requests to add microbreweries in some commercial districts, according to a memorandum from John Rodman, the city’s community and cultural services director, to Mayor Mac Hodges and the council.

“Somebody came in and made some inquiries about putting a microbrewery downtown,” Rodman said Wednesday.

When someone submits the paperwork associated with a proposed microbrewery in the specified zoning districts, neighboring property owners will be notified concerning that request, Rodman said. Someone is exploring the possibility of putting a microbrewery downtown, he noted.

“It’s no secret they’re talking it in the Fowle Building,” Rodman said.

Justin Fejfar, president of Structural Visions and spokesman for the owners of the Fowle Building, said Klew, LLC, owner of Tight Lines Pub & Brewing Co., both are in Morehead City, is interested in opening a location in Washington’s downtown. The company has two locations, one in Morehead City and the other in Beaufort, Fejfar said Wednesday.

“They were looking to expand, he said.

Plans for the proposed brewpub are progressing, with the possibility of those plans being submitted to the city within several months, Fejfar said. Currently, those plans call for using a third of the space on the Fowle Building’s ground floor, he added.

The amendment approved by the council earlier this week defines a brewery, microbrewery, tap room and brewpub. It also creates specific criteria for each of those uses.

• Brewery — manufactures malt liquors (beer and ales) in excess of 15,000 barrels (a barrel is about 31 gallons) a year.

• Microbrewery — manufactures malt beverages on the premises and produces less than 15,000 barrels of malt liquor a year. Microbreweries provide areas for on premise consumption, education, retail sales or other accessory uses.

• Taproom — an area that is necessary for a microbrewery where the public may purchase and/or consume on the beer produced on site. A taproom is considered an accessory use to a microbrewery.

• Brewpub — a combination brewery, restaurant and/or pub. Beer is brewed for consumption on the premises and served with food. A brewpub is considered an accessory use to a microbrewery.

With the change to the zoning code, breweries are allowed as a permitted use in the heavy industrial and light industrial zoning districts. Microbreweries are allowed as a special use in the business historic and general business districts. The city’s Board of Adjustment would issue special-use permits for microbreweries, which would be required to meet specific criteria before receiving a permit. The Board of Adjustment determines those specific criteria.

The following are special criteria required for a microbrewery to receive a special-use permit:

• The permit is valid for one year and must be renewed annually.

•Required to include one or more accessory uses such as a taproom, restaurant or other use incidental to the microbrewery and accessible to the public. The taproom shall have a minimum of 500 square feet.

• A microbrewery production area cannot exceed 7,500 square feet of gross floor space. Microbreweries adaptively reusing buildings within a National Register Historic District are exempt from size limitations for all portions of the building existing at the time the zoning code was amended.

• The permitted use must be a minimum of 200 feet from any church or religious institution, public or private school and day care facility.

• The Board of Adjustment may require other conditions as it deems necessary to ensure the proposed project is compatible with the city’s land-use and comprehensive plans.

For more information about the possibility of a microbrewery/brewpub coming to Washington, see a future edition of the Washington Daily News.