Plans to develop a brewery at the Charles Point Marina in Peekskill took a step forward this month when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill that added the Westchester site to a list of properties exempt from a law restricting manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers from sharing interest in a liquor license.
The bill adds the waterfront property to a list of geographic “carve-outs” that exempt it from “tied house” restrictions in the state”™s Alcoholic Beverage and Control law. The law prohibited manufacturers, wholesalers, and importers of alcoholic beverages from exerting control over retailers such as restaurants, bars, and liquor stores.
“Micro-breweries are wildly successful modern businesses hindered by laws written a hundred years ago,” said state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Democratic lawmaker representing parts of Westchester County and sponsor of the bill in the State Legislature. “This bill will allow the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company to circumvent an archaic statute and thrive in a new location. I”™ve seen firsthand the success of the Brewery in Elmsford, and I”™m excited to watch the business grow in Peekskill.”
The new legislation removes a legal obstacle to Vaccaro”™s opening a Captain Lawrence satellite brewery in the building at 5 John Walsh Blvd.
“It is never an easy task to navigate New York liquor laws,” said Vaccaro. Vaccaro added that with the help of Stewart-Cousins and New York State Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, “we were able to get through the process of getting an approval that will allow us to expand our business, add jobs and participate in the revitalization of a part of Peekskill that had fallen into disrepair.”
The $5 million to $6.5 million Charles Point development is led by Vaccaro, Diamond Properties co-owner William Diamond and Peekskill restaurateurs Louis Lanza and John Sharp. The Charles Point project would include second-floor dining and event space in the vacant, 45,000-square-foot main marina building and a ground-floor entertainment complex. The 11-acre lot off John Walsh Boulevard also includes a 17,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and a 3,200-square-foot building.
Construction is underway on the Factoria at Charles Point, a 14,000-square-foot restaurant, catering facility and event space that will feature outdoor seating and views of the Hudson River. Lanza is driving that venue”™s development along with Sharp, who co-owns the downtown Peekskill eateries Birdsall House and Gleason”™s. The complex is expected to open in late winter this year or early spring of 2017.
