Lagunitas Brewing Company is making a push to significantly expand its Chicago operation, with plans in the works to increase its brewing output, add a new rooftop bar and construct a small concert venue. But before any of the proposed changes to the Douglas Park brewery can take place, Lagunitas would need regulatory approval from the city, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Currently, the 300,000 square-foot facility is located within a planned manufacturing district, so in order to proceed with any changes, Lagunitas would first need to change its zoning to that of the less restrictive industrial-commercial planned development.
If signed off by the Chicago Plan Commission, the zoning change would allow the brewery to construct a music venue similar to the LaguMiniAmphitheaterette, located at the company’s Petaluma, California, facility. Spokeswoman Karen Hamilton told the Tribune that the music space would be located within the existing facility, host approximately 15 concerts a year and hold 400 to 650 people.
Additional plans call for the construction of a second bottling line and cold storage facility, expansion of Lagunitas' current taproom, and construction of a new rooftop bar sometime in 2018. The plan commission has not yet set a hearing date.
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