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During public comment on March 19, 2025, five citizens spoke to the Manteo Board of Commissioners in support of a craft brewery proposal.

At its February meeting, Manteo’s commissioners on a 4-2 vote turned down a request for a text amendment to add craft brewery as a special use in the B-2 General Business District.

Jamie Anderson, speaking for the Manteo Business Association, told the board it should add craft breweries, which are called “people magnets” and would make a “wonderful addition” to the town.

The property on 64/264 is an “eyesore.” The board has already stopped three developments, she charged.

This addition would be locally owned. She was the first to mention that the proposed craft brewery would be on the site of the first craft brewery in North Carolina.

Tim Hass avowed that the craft brewery would be the best use for that property. “Bring to Manteo something people want,” he suggested.

“It’s a sacred space,” said John Robbins. In 1986, the Weeping Radish was set up as the first craft brewery in the state. Robbins was the first speaker to mention an overlay district.

Bobby Harrell said the 1718 Brewery on Ocracoke was a good neighbor. “Manteo needs development to improve the tax base.”

During commissioner comments at the end of the business meeting, commissioner Eddie Mann, who originally voted against the proposal, said he would be supportive of some type of district.

Commissioner Michael Basnight, who was the last to speak, said he was “focused more on what could be.”

He made the following motion:

“I move to direct Staff along with the Town Attorney to prepare a zoning map amendment that creates an overlay district along 64/264 in the vicinity of the Weeping Radish property which allows for, at least, a mixed use of craft brewery/winery and restaurant and to also prepare a zoning text amendment that

(i) that allows craft brewery restaurant mixed use in the overlay district as a special use;

(ii) that defines a craft brewery as being limited to producing 3500 barrels of beer per year;

(iii) that has a minimum acreage and road frontage along 64/264 for any craft brewery restaurant use;

(iv) that requires the user to be responsible for proving, providing and maintaining sufficient pretreatment for the crafty brewery to ensure that the Town does not violate its NPDES permit, state or federal law;

(v) that requires the user to report monthly on the pretreatment program at the user’s cost;

(vi) that allows the Town to inspect the pretreatment program at any time;

(vii) that requires the user to reimburse and indemnify the Town for any fines or damages caused by the craft brewery effluent; and

(viii) that requires the user to immediately stop the craft brewery use if it is determined to be out of compliance with permits, causing damage to the Town’s sewer system or making the Town out of compliance with its NPDES permit, state or federal law.”

The motion passed unanimously.

The proposal will be taken up by the town’s Planning and Zoning Board on April 8, 2025 at 6 p.m. in the Manteo Town Hall on Budleigh Street.

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