Proposed Distillery for downtown Prince Rupert up for Council review tonight

What could be the next social occasion attraction for the city is up for review tonight at Prince Rupert City Council, with the city's Mayor and Councillors to review a report from the city's planning office related to a proposed distillery facility for Fraser Street.

The development which is being led by investors in Port City Spirits would see a small scale distillery and tasting room put in place at their preferred location in the downtown core.

The distillery is the subject of a Rezoning application tonight, which seeks to add Distilleries as a permitted  use under the current C3 Service Commercial Zone designation. The site is the old U Brew location on Fraser Street behind Save on Foods and  facing Rupert Wood and Steel Construction, kitty corner to the Friendship House.

Location map for the proposed site of Port City Spirits
(From City of PR Agenda package for May 9th)

The report for Council provides some background towards the rezoning request and notes of the research that the proponents from Port City Spirits had taken on towards their proposed venture.

The report also observes of the success the craft brewery in the city as well as to how other communities have hosted small scale distilleries with tastings rooms and view them as a positive addition to their city cores.

click to enlarge

The full documentation from the report is available through the City Council Agenda for tonight starting on page 80.

Should Council accept the recommendations from the planning department, the subject property would then be up for a Public Hearing at a future Council session. 

That part of the process will offer opportunity for those who may be impacted to comment towards the project, or those who may be in support of it to have their say in front of Council.

The proponents of the proposed Distillery have created a Facebook page towards their plan for development of the location, though there have not been very many entries posted to the information portal since it was created in  the fall of 2021.

More notes on this evening's City Council session can be explored through our Preview item here.