The second and third articles on the agenda at the upcoming Special Town Meeting concern a new class of business being considered by the town: the microbrewery.
If approved, these articles would allow the construction of microbreweries in the town’s commercial district along Ayer Road. Microbreweries would be able to brew up to 5,000 barrels of alcohol yearly. They could engage in retail sales of both the beverage and other products related to it, but only for consumption off premises.
Microbreweries wishing to sell their product for on-premises consumption would need to apply for an additional special permit from the Planning Board, and such sales would have to remain ancillary to the main brewing operation. Additionally, all alcoholic beverages distributed by the microbreweries, whether for on- or off-premises consumption, would need to be brewed on the premises.
These articles, whether approved or not, will have no effect on the businesses in town that currently distribute alcoholic beverages. Notably, Carlson Orchards’ distribution is counted as ancillary to its agricultural operations. These articles are also unrelated to hobby-type homebrewing.
The Planning Board supports the addition of microbreweries to the town, partially to respond to people’s desire, recorded in survey results, for such businesses. According to Harvard’s town planner, Bill Scanlan, “Folks want to have places to go, and this would be a nice thing for people to do.”
Beyond the potential of microbreweries as interesting diversions and social venues, increasing the number of businesses in town could improve the commercial tax base. Additionally, the Planning Board anticipates that microbreweries may use locally produced crops, providing additional support for local agriculture.
While breweries have higher requirements for water and sewer use than many other businesses, Scanlan anticipates that, given the limited scale of operations permitted by these articles, there should be little difficulty getting necessary approvals from the Board of Health and the Planning Board.
