A proposal by Smuttynose Brewing Co. to construct a new brewery and restaurant off Route 1 is dead after Portsmouth the City Council denied a proposed zoning change that would have been the first step in the process.
Some of the opposition seems pretty provincial (but then we are biased):
Kathleen Hersey of 1761 Lafayette Road also opposed the change because she worried it would devalue her property.
“I can’t imagine anyone would want to look out their living room window and see an industrial plant in their neighborhood,” she said.
Others like Tim Ellis of 1781 Lafayette Road worried about odors. “How do I live in my house if it smells. You can go by the brewery right now and it smells,” he said.
Some people have short memories. Founder Peter Egelston pointed out he invested in Portsmouth downtown in the late 1980s when he was told it was foolish to do so.
“You can go by the brewery right now and it smells,â€
Wow – it’s difficult for me to fathom anyone not liking that aroma. I wonder if he’s ever been to a paper mill?
But after spent grain sits wet overnight, the smell is no longer pleasant
Spent grain goes outside in the specially designated dumpster for the farmer — pretty sure it’s hauled away before it becomes offensive to the neighborhood!
Many in Portsmouth moaned when Smutty was ready to pack up and develop a huge mill in a neighboring town (Newmarket, NH). Those plans fell through, however. So what do some Portsmouth residents do when they get a second chance to retain a growing, thriving, local business? They say “you stink”!
And yes, many breweries donate or have their spent grain picked up by local farmers. It’s a win-win, though I’m unsure if Smutty has a similar relationship.
This is pretty scary stuff nowadays. Residents are not willing to accept that people need food on the table, clothes on their back and a roof over their head. In other words, people need to work, and a business like a brewery is a local business which can be positive in many ways.