New Realm Brewing Co. representative Jeff Ash and Cary Perkins, with McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, agreed to hold neighborhood meetings about the company’s proposed bar and restaurant after receiving neighborhood pushback over noise concerns during a Nov. 10 Board of Zoning Appeals public meeting to review the company’s zoning compliance application.
The company is leasing the Old Cigar Warehouse at 912 S. Main St. near Fluor Field and hopes to create an indoor entertainment facility and pavilion as part of its plan to bring a five-barrel brewhouse to the site.
Resident Janis Kilburn lives directly across from the proposed restaurant — 50 feet from her bedroom, to be exact — and said the only buffer between her and the noise will be her condo wall. She said it would cause problems “for years to come.”
Barbara James, another downtown resident, said if an exception were granted, it wouldn’t be long before similar establishments would locate downtown seeking the same exceptions to the zoning. She noted the abundance of residences nearby.
“Would you want this next door to your home?” James asked.
Staff with the Greenville County Board of Zoning Appeals raised concerns about the traffic and noise levels, noting a noise ordinance that would keep the restaurant at a maximum of 80 decibels from the outside stage.
Residents and staff both expressed concerns about parking, as the board noted private and public spaces are at a premium even before a restaurant goes in. The owner would have to provide a parking plan for at least 75% of the spaces needed.
New Realm Brewing Company operates restaurants in Atlanta, Savannah, Virginia Beach and Charleston. Ash said the company was excited to be coming to downtown Greenville, promising a “craft beer forward” vision.
The board deferred the application until after the neighborhood meetings.
Approved: Drive-thru for First Carolina branch on North Church
First Carolina Bank, a bank that caters to both business and commercial customers, set its sights on a drive-thru location on the corner of North Church and North Academy streets. The BZA staff raised more questions about the abundance of traffic, but Kristen Brabble, a representative of the bank, said the actual traffic would rarely exceed five cars per hour because they mostly service commercial clients.
The staff raised concerns the traffic would back up onto Church Street, but the board recommended possibly adding a second remote drive-thru window should the need arise. The bank promised to renovate the building, get better landscaping and make the building a more attractive part of the neighborhood.
“I do think this could be a use that works,” said Chris Price, appeals board chairman, before the board approved the bank’s request.
