City of New Haven images
The planned new NEBCO brewery, coming soon to River Street.
Plans for a new 80,000 square-foot brewery, tap room, and event space for a vacant former-industrial lot on River Street are moving ahead, as the city prepares to welcome “The Beatles of Craft Brewing” to Fair Haven.
City officials and a brewery-development team sketched in more details on those plans during the latest regular monthly meeting of the city’s Development Commission.
The focus of the hourlong virtual meeting this past Wednesday was New England Brewing Co.‘s (NEBCO) planned move from its current home in Woodbridge to a new “forever home” at 100/142 River St.
That’s a roughly 10-acre, city-owned site between Lloyd Street and Blatchley Avenue that that formerly housed a Hess oil terminal, city Deputy Economic Development Administrator Steve Fontana explained Wednesday.
Wednesday’s Development Commission meeting.
As first discussed publicly during a recent Fair Haven Community Management Team meeting, the city plans to sell 7.3 acres of that site (all of the 142 River St. address and a portion of 100 River St.) to New Canaan-based developer Doug Gray of Eclipse Development, who in turns plans to build a new roughly 80,000 square-foot building for NEBCO to relocate to. (Gray recently walked away from the 201 Munson St. development project after selling his shares in the still-unbuilt site for $9 million.)
Fontana said during Wednesday’s meeting that he thinks of NEBCO as “The Beatles, when it comes to craft brewing in Connecticut.
“Their beers receive the highest ratings from those who know craft beers. They’re a growing company, and an exciting company. And they do a heck of a lot for the community.”
NEBCO’s Rob Leonard…
…and Marty Juliano.
NEBCO’s Rob Leonard and Marty Juliano spent the bulk of the meeting fleshing out some of the details for their company’s planned relocation. The new building will include:
• One side for the actual production of beer. “We’re looking to double our production size out of the gate and still just service Connecticut, as we can’t produce enough beer for the state currently,” Juliano said.
• A tap room, event space, and offices. “We’re looking to host events like weddings, trade shows,” Juliano said. At NEBCO’s current Woodbridge location, he added, “We do weddings, dog birthday parties, bar mitzvahs. We did a trade show for Milwaukee Tool.”
• A covered patio, second-floor deck space, and a lawn by the river for outdoor concerts. “We’re not your typical restaurant or bar. We close at 10 p.m. on Fridays and 9 p.m. every other night of the week,” Juliano said. “So noise issues with music should not be any kind of issue.”
They also said the project should create roughly 70 local jobs. “We’re looking at probably doubling our production staff now, putting another 10 to 12 people in the production side of the business,” Juliano said. “The majority of the jobs will be in the customer service end with the tap room, gift shop, events. We’ve be increasing our sales and marketing teams” as well.
He also said they’re collaborating with the local hiring outfit New Haven Works to make sure they hire locally.
The company promises to continue community service initiatives, including helping sponsor Smilow Cancer Hospital’s annual Closer to Free Ride, a Christmas toy drive for Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, New Haven’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Elm City Party Bike, and the New Haven Grand Prix. Juliano said NEBCO is also working with the Newhallville Community Action Network to create new garden spaces in the neighborhood, and it has started a scholarship program for students to attend Sacred Heart University’s brewing program.
Markeshia Ricks pre-pandemic file photo
Doug Gray, at a 2018 community meeting about 201 Munson.
City of New Haven
Who will own the site at the end of the day? Development Commission Chair Anthony Sagnella asked.
Gray will, replied Fontana and fellow city economic development staffer Kathleen Krolak. The city is currently drafting a proposed Development and Land Disposition Agreement (DLDA) to be submitted to the Board of Alders next month that will detail the terms of the proposed sale of city-owned property to Gray.
Sagnella noted that Fontana said there were some “lingering environmental issues” with the site. “You don’t anticipate them presenting any problems going forward?” he asked
“At this point, we do not,” Fontana said. He said his economic development staffer Helen Rosenberg has been working on clean-up efforts for the River Street area for years. “Some things we’re finding in the ground need to be dealt with.” Gray said that part of the remediation will be the development itself — that is, the parking lot and building will serve as a “cap” on top of whatever contaminants underneath.
And is this a long-term lease? asked fellow Development Commissioner David Valentino (pictured). Or could NEBCO walk away and leave a few years down the road?
“I never, ever want to move again,” Leonard said about his business. “It’s a long-term lease. We plan to be here 30 years and beyond.”
He said he’s long wanted to bring NEBCO to New Haven. “I consider NEBCO New Haven’s brewery.”
Gray said that construction should begin in October, and the new brewery should be open in the second quarter of 2022.
Click here for more details on the planned NEBCO relocation.
Jaigantic Move Still In Negotiations
Fontana also gave a brief update on Jaigantic Studios, the planned new movie studio and production complex that actor Michael Jai White plans to build in the River Street area as well.
Fontana said this project is not yet as far along as the planned NEBCO move. He said the city is still negotiating a DLDA with White. He also said the city has not yet finalized a location for White’s planned move, though it likely will be in the same River Street area as where NEBCO is heading.
“For Jaigantic, their plans are still evolving,” Fontana said. They are considering acquiring a number of parcels of land in the River Street location to allow for the planned new production studio to grow.
“We very easily could see a situation in the next few years where you have NEBCO at the center, then around you have a variety of Jaigantic Studio facilities” for movie production.
“This is another way of putting New Haven on the map, not just regional, but from a national and international perspective.”