Falmouth Planners Issue Administrative Approval For Aquatic Brewing Outdoor Seating
Falmouth Planning Board voted last week to give administrative approval to a request from Aquatic Brewing to establish outdoor seating at its Main Street location.
In a 4-2 vote, the board approved the brewery’s request for administrative approval to amend its site plan to include four standing-room-only tables that will accommodate about six people per table on a new green space behind the building. This approval from the planning board is the first in a series of steps the brewery must complete—as well as going before the select board and updating its liquor license—before it gets the final go-ahead to implement the outdoor space.
Despite its approval for the request, the board did express some hesitancy in granting the request.
“We got a little bit burned on brewery outdoor seating because people drinking brew get noisy,” said chairwoman Charlotte Harris. “Are there neighbors back there?”
Town Planner Thomas Bott said that there are no residential neighbors directly abutting the project, and that the closest housing unit is across a parking lot used by the Falmouth Housing Authority for parking and utilities.
“It’s town property,” said vice chairman James Fox, who also said that he sold the property to its current owner about four years ago before it was renovated.
Board member John Druley expressed some concerns about hours of operation and noise level, but Mr. Bott said that the brewery shuts down at 8 PM, even on Fridays, and there is no music involved.
“Frankly, it’s pretty quiet and sedate back there,” Mr. Bott said. “This place is a considerably different venue than some other breweries we’ve had some outdoor seating at, and their neighbors are of institutional uses.”
Mr. Bott also said that the brewery will likely put up some sort of barrier to reinforce a chain-link fence and minimize noise pollution in the area, but since this is just the first step, the details are in need of some fine-tuning.
“They will also likely have to go before the ZBA to ask about changes there because when this building was built, the zoning board of appeals had conditions that didn’t include outdoor seating for this [building],” Mr. Bott said.
Board member Robert Leary voted against giving administrative approval for the project, as did Mr. Druley.
“Once burned.” Mr. Leary said. “Are they going to limit it to 20 people? They could have 50-70 people out there raising hell. At Pier 37, cops are down there all the time because of complaints. They’re on the harbor. And you’ve got elderly housing right there across the parking lot. No, I got burned once on a decision like this, so I’m not going to get burned again.”
Other board members acknowledged his concerns as valid, but also stood by their decision to issue administrative approval by the majority vote.
“I agree we’ve been burned, but I also think we’re talking about what our decisions are limited to,” Mr. Fox said. “I believe that the select board is in charge of sound and noise and [that’s] not something the planning board usually follows.”