SCARBOROUGH — The Scarborough Planning Board approved a site plan review for a tasting room and demonstrative brewing operation on Aug. 28.The Portland-based craft brewery Allagash Brewing Company purchased land at The Downs development in Scarborough with plans to open a tasting room and demonstrative brewing operation. The seven-acre parcel is about a half of a mile from Interstate 95.
“Portland has been and will always be our home,” Allagash founder Rod Tod said in a statement. “It’s where we brew all of the beer that made us what we are today, where we employ a team of over 140 people, and that’s not changing. Our core goal at Allagash has been to give people new experiences and create community through beer, and this future space in Scarborough will achieve that and so much more.”
At an earlier meeting, the board stated that the brewing company, which has been crafting Belgian-inspired beers since 1995, must meet the standards of small-batch brewing. The board requested further landscaping for the parking lot, an inventory of existing trees in the “tree save” area, and clarification on the nature of the proposed kitchen. Several of the standards have been met, such as odor mitigation, traffic issues, neighborhood compatibility and noise.
Allagash provided the board with proposed changes that were brought up by the board.
On behalf of Allagash Brewing Company Chris Taylor of Sebago Technics said “the run-down of the site changes that occurred since we last met with the board include adding deciduous trees on the outside of the parking lot. I know that the shade trees were an important factor. We also added a few evergreen trees along Market Street to help the buffer between Market Street and the building. We also included a future layout of the parking lot. The layout shows future parking expansion if needed.”
“We also submitted revised cut-sheets for the lighting showing that the CRI value was changed from 70 to 80 as requested,” Taylor said. Allagash also met with the town traffic consultant to finalize the traffic impact numbers, or estimated trip generation for this site.
Roger Beeley, the planning board secretary, said “I’m glad you agreed with the traffic engineer to widen the driveway entrance.”
James Hubert said he was appreciative that Allagash added shade trees. However, he felt that maple trees would be a better choice over white oaks. He said that white oaks just don’t look as nice during the fall season. Allagash agreed to change from white oaks to maple.
Board member Jennifer Ladd asked about the details for a possible kitchen. She said that the kitchen would probably have an impact on trip generation. She also expressed concerns that there might not be enough room for tree growth and the tree roots. Her final point was that large trucks should be directed to Haigis Parkway.
Bennett Flanders, a second alternate on the board, said, “I’m excited for this project to move forward”.
First alternate on the board Noah Perlut expressed frustration that plant species that were being chosen were not plants native to Maine. The Allagash spokesperson said that most species were a hybrid variety of natural, local plants. The board said it was important to research and select plants native to Maine.
Other issues included over-flow parking, traffic and bike racks. Currently, the planned over-flow parking is a grass lot. The board asked Allagash to put up signs that prevent people from parking there unless all other spots are filled. Allagash agreed to provide a truck routing and delivery schedule. The board suggested Allagash pay traffic impact fees to help mitigate traffic. In addition, the board felt a few more bike racks might be needed.
With agreement from Allagash to ensure that they follow all rules discussed, the motion was approved.
“Welcome to Scarborough,” Planning Board Chair Rachel Hendrickson said.
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