Jake Berg and Chase Churchill presented their plans to open their business, 137 Water Street Brewing Company, acknowledging that the corporation has seen their financials and has some questions about them, adding that the hope is to return at the next JDLC meeting with a more in-depth look at those.

“We’re really excited about the project,” Berg said. “The space on Water Street, it’s the only outdoor space I think Jamestown’s going to have. So, we’re going to kind of fill that void that Jamestown’s been waiting for for a long time.”

The plan is for the business to provide an outdoor space where people can gather, listen to music, and spend time with friends. Churchill said they are looking to provide a space where families can come together, even though there will be beer served there. He said spaces like that as shown at other breweries, tend to draw people and families in.

“The development of the outdoor area that Jake spoke about gives us a lot of opportunity for some fun events, fun spaces for people to play and enjoy themselves, something that I think is kind of lacking in Jamestown,” Churchill said. “I don’t know of any other place you can go and eat outside with an open play space where you can let kids wander free.”

Jake Berg and Chase Churchill are pictured discussing their plans for the 137 Water Street Brewing Company with members of the Jamestown Local Development Corporation recently.

Churchill addressed some parking concerns that have come up, saying that he knows of another brewery in the city with 100 parking spots, and the total for them so far is about 50 or 60. Additionally, there are four joint lots, he said, that can host over 17,000 additional square feet for parking areas that people can use at their brewery.

Churchill acknowledged that the Water Street area does have some “shady characters” around there, and part of the goal of the project is to shine a light on that area and bring in some more traffic and people of “higher caliber” that he said the city would want to see in the area. Bringing in more businesses and activities would help to push some of the other stuff away and try to help out that neighborhood, he said.

“I have a long history in the neighborhood there, ever since I was a small kid spending time down there and I’ve seen it kind of go downhill,” Churchill said. “I don’t think it’s beyond bringing it back in the other direction. I believe firmly that this kind of anchor spot down there is just what we need to start that momentum in the right direction.”

It was acknowledged that the pair did not come before the JDLC with any formal application at this meeting, and that this presentation was more for sharing information. The group then discussed the space behind the building, which was said to be very large and have a lot of room for things like put-put or cornhole and other activities. Churchill has also been a business owner in that area for a long time, and knows some of the other neighbors who are also working to bring the neighborhood back. Churchill himself owns the property, but it will be leased to Water Street Brewing Company. The project in the future will also have to go before the city’s planning commission and Zoning Board of Appeals, as the property sits in the Waterfront Overlay District and is also zoned for a manufacturing area.

The JLDC then discussed a bit more financial items, and that there used to be a different brewery in that same building.

Churchill invited the JDLC members to come visit the property anytime and see what it is like, adding that he is always open if they had any more questions. Right now, the timeline for the project that they are aiming for is late spring or summer next year, which Churchill said gives them a tight timeline. The two plan on returning to the JDLC next time with a clearer financial projection for them.