Rock Row plans to host an outdoor beer garden seven days a week starting in May.
Smuttynose Brewery Co. out of New Hampshire will operate the beer garden with seating for up to 200 in the parking area for the now closed Maine Savings Pavilion. A 50-foot-by-100-foot section of the gravel lot will be covered with turf, and Smuttynose will have a beer truck there, which will be joined by a food truck and an ice cream truck.
The blue dotted area shows the location of the beer garden at Rock Row. Contributed / City of Westbrook
The Westbrook Planning Board gave unanimous approval to the beer garden Tuesday.
The temporary setup will be open from noon to 9 p.m. through October and will also include a small stage for acoustic and low-key musical performances and a standalone bathroom.
“Any live music would be done by 9 p.m.,” Andy Hart of Smuttynose said over Zoom during the Planning Board meeting.
According to City Planner Jennie Francheschi, developers Dirigo Center Developers LLC said the beer garden would serve as test run for something more permanent, but developers did not return comment by American Journal deadline.
The project drew few comments from the Planning Board, though board member Robin Tannenbaum said the plans were “very exciting.”
The beer garden is separate from Rock Row developer Waterstone Properties’ plans for a brew hall, according to spokesperson Greg John.
“It is a very cool concept and we are happy to have it at Rock Row this summer,” John said.
The Maine Savings Pavilion concert venue has been shut down so construction on the Rock Row medical campus nearby can begin.
While Rock Row developers would not comment on whether the venue would return, they have said, “Future plans call for a conference center that can serve as a music venue.”
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