Nano brewery, restaurant green-lighted

By Louise Ronald of the Palladium-Item

A zoning variance to allow a nano brewery and restaurant at 2019 E. Main St. was approved unanimously Thursday at a meeting of the Richmond Board of Zoning Appeals.

Owner Kris Nelson’s vision for the property is to create something along the lines of an old tavern/inn.

“A lot of those places used to make their own beer,” Nelson said Friday.

Plans for the Campbell House Brewery & Inn include a bed and brew arrangement for overnight guests who want to participate in the brewing process and a tavern serving the home brew along with pizza and calzones. The tavern will be open to the public.

Because the former Scrapbook Cottage already was set up as a bed and breakfast, Nelson said he and wife Jill — who also own the Philip W. Smith and Martha E. Parry bed and breakfasts on East Main — will be ready for overnight guests as early as June 1. He hopes to have the brewing experience for those guests ready by July 1.

Opening date for the tavern will mid-October or early November, Nelson estimates.

City Planner Scott Zimmerman said there is no legal definition for the term nano brewery, but that for purposes of his department’s report to the zoning board, it was “considered brewery-processed beer on a 4-barrel brewing system or less.”

Nelson plans two brewing systems, one with a one-half barrel capacity and the other with a 1 ½-barrel capacity. He has been working with friends who own breweries in Corydon and Hope, Ind., to learn the process.

Also Thursday, the board approved a variance reducing the number of required parking spaces for the tavern. Designated parking already is available for overnight guests, but Nelson wanted to limit restaurant parking for two reasons.

“I really want to encourage local people to ride their bikes … or walk … like the old local tavern,” he said.

Nelson also wants to keep the residential look of the property, something a parking lot would disrupt.

“Ultimately, our goal is to maintain the integrity of East Main Street,” Nelson said.