Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Waitsfield, is nearing completion of the permit process to create an additional 750 square feet of beer garden and a dog-friendly space at its Carroll Road brewery.
The new space will provide additional outdoor seating at the brewery to accommodate 50-60 seats as well as a dog-friendly space for those visiting the brewery as well as those using the nearby Mad River Path trails. Dogs will need to be with their owners and leashed and will be able to hang out, grab a drink (of water) and meet other dogs.
The brewery operates under state and local permits and locally, the Waitsfield Development Review Board heard the application in June and subsequently permitted the additional space as an expansion of an existing use. Creating the new space – which will happen next year – also requires amending the brewery’s existing Act 250 permit. That process is underway as well.
The new 750-foot deck will be built east of the entrance to the taproom and adjacent to the existing boardwalk. The new deck and surrounding greenspace will be enclosed by a fence. The deck will be at grade level, built on helical piles. There will be no additional impervious surface. Access to the new outdoor seating area will be via a 4-foot-wide entry gate off the existing boardwalk and Lawson’s is also proposing an 8-foot-wide entry gate into the new fenced-in greenspace around the deck.
The existing one-way driveway into the taproom parking lot will separate the existing outdoor seating area and the proposed new deck seating. During the local and state hearing process, Lawson’s submitted plans for traffic control that included adding removable speed bumps, adding additional pedestrian and “slow” signage, a new painted crosswalk, and staff monitoring of the outside areas at all times.
The Waitsfield DRB found that the deck meets Irasville Village District setbacks.
In an October 14 filing, engineers for Lawson’s submitted answers to questions from the District 5 Environmental Commission about some final details of the project including dog waste managing, mowing and types of equipment that will be used during construction.
