A proposal for a first-ever downtown Westwood microbrewery—to be called Five Dimes Brewery—was presented June 29 before the Borough Zoning Board of Adjustment and is expected for a second hearing in early August.
The brewery, which will not serve food but allow food to be purchased at nearby take-out eateries and restaurants, proposes to renovate the now-shuttered LN Grand Building, formerly a hardware 5 & 10 store. The site at 247 Westwood Ave. is midway between Kinderkamack Road and Fairview Avenue.
A second hearing is set for Aug. 3, where board professionals will question applicant experts who previously testified, said Christoper Alepa, owner of 247 Westwood Avenue Corporation and a local chiropractor, who owns Select Wellness in Westwood and Fair Lawn.
“I’ve been passionate about beer for a long time,” Alepa told Pascack Press. He said he hoped to have the “limited brewery” operational within six months after final local approvals.
According to the proposal, a “limited brewery” is a new type of land use approved only a few years ago by the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission. It notes there are no such facilities in northern Bergen County, and only three microbreweries operating in Bergen County, with one in Hackensack being the closest.
Alepa said the name Five Dimes Brewery was a tribute to the former LN Grand five-and-dime store—a downtown fixture for 60 years. The proposal seeks a use variance for a so-called “limited brewery”—a use not permitted in the current CBD-SPE (Central Business District-Special Pedestrian Environment) Zone.
The proposal was initially filed in November but the applicant revised the plans to reduce the scope of the proposed microbrewery.
The revised plans eliminated a restaurant operation, reduced seating capacity to 68 seats from 132 seats originally proposed, and reduced rooftop seats from 47 proposed in November to 14, while adding improved landscaping and skylights to show the brewery below. Alepa said the rooftop area will feature a “green roof” with 50 percent of the area occupied by small trees, plants and other landscaping.
The proposed microbrewery features 12 parking spaces, plus a trash container on site.
“The facility will produce and bottle craft beers, sell beer for on-premises consumption as part of a tour, offer samples to visitors, sell manufactured beer for off-premises consumption, and as an accessory component, sell retail items such as gift cards and related merchandise,” said an application document submitted.
The facility is proposed to be open for tours Monday through Thursday, 4–11 p.m.; Friday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday, noon to 1 a.m.; and Sunday, noon to 11 p.m. A tour is required by state law of visitors to New Jersey microbreweries before alcohol can be consumed or purchased. Three employees are proposed, including a brewmaster, assistant and hostess.
Nearby restaurants may get a boost in business due to the microbrewery not serving food, Alepa said, and an increase in pedestrian traffic due to the brewery’s later opening and closing hours.
The proposal notes that the use of an existing building traditionally used for retailing “is a good fit…and it is a use that can attract customers from outside Westwood thereby making them more familiar with what downtown Westwood has to offer.”
Applicant traffic consultant Michael Marris Associates, Mahwah, estimated that the business will generate a need for a total of 41 parking spaces during peak operating hours, with 12 spaces currently existing on site.
Marris and Alepa conducted a parking survey of available metered on-street parking and open spaces in three nearby municipal lots during peak traffic periods.
Based on Marris’ assumption that a number of microbrewery customers will already be in the central business district, or use ride-sharing options such as Uber or Lyft, he estimates only 33 total parking spaces will be needed at peak for the business. The parking survey analyzed the number of available on-street and municipal lot spaces within 1,000 feet during peak hours.
“The parking occupancy surveys indicate that there were at least 82 vacant spaces in the study area during the 40 hours surveyed…there will be more than sufficient spaces available to serve the limited brewery parking needs,” noted the traffic consultant.
The parking survey was conducted between 5 and 9 p.m. over eight days between Feb. 21 and March 8, 2020.