Now it appears that restaurants in Provo will be allowed to expand their operations to include the on premise brewing of craft beer. After a city council vote on Tuesday night, the Provo council members voted 4-3 to approve the new ordinance. "It includes a sunrise clause that would require the proper licensing to be in place before this goes into effect," according to a tweet from the Provo City Council announcing the vote.
This new ordinance doesn't mean that you can have brewpubs or breweries anywhere within the city, it only allows for restaurants in certain zones: regional shopping centers, the general downtown area and the downtown Provo core.
Provo City's booze regulations are also more restrict for restaurants serving alcohol, in addition to regulations that the state already has in place.
There were plenty of concerns about the micro brewery ordinance during the public comment portion of the council meeting. However most of those concerns expressed by some of those in attendance were for issues that are already regulated by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
A survey of city residents conducted by Provo City found that there is broad support for the change among Provo residents and it now looks like craft beer will begin to flow in the heart of Happy Valley.
I'm curious to see who will be the first to take advantage of this new ordinance. Any guesses?
Cheers to all of you beer nerds in Provo!
