Residents concerned about Wilmington brewery proposal

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A new proposed development in Wilmington has some residents concerned.

If approved by the Wilmington City Council, Flying Machine Brewery would build a 9,100 square foot brewey and 216-seat tap room on Randall Parkway.

It is a proposal some residents in the Devon Park neighborhood are not too fond of, WWAY spoke with several people who had similar concerns.

Those concerns include live bands and bar goers making too much noise, concerns about the environment and wildlife in the exisiting park, and people who are just opposed to change.

“They aren’t interested in that kind of noise in the neighborhood, they really don’t want it to grow anymore. They don’t want it to bring extra people here, they don’t want people drinking and walking into the neighborhood because there is a bridge right there next to it. And they really just don’t want it to change,” Devon Park resident, Zach Busch said.

Busch says his parents along with a few other neighbors have signed a petition against the proposal.

However, Co-Founder of Flying Machine Brewing Company, Grant Steadman insists it will be a positive addition to the area releasing the following statement:

“We are disappointed in the misinformation that has been shared regarding our project. We will be a family-oriented and community-focused business and we believe we will be a positive addition and will be a benefit to our surrounding communities and to the City of Wilmington. We are focused on being good neighbors, and as such, we appreciate and have addressed all of our neighbors’ concerns and will continue to do so. We look forward to continuing to present our project, as well as our plans for mitigation of any noise and environmental concerns at tomorrow’s city council meeting,” Steadman said.

Steadman also addressed noise concerns, he says they will not be open past midnight any night of the week and they will not play amplified music past 9:00 p.m. As for environmental concerns, Steadman says they have hired an environmental engineer to ensure everything they do is done correctly.

Wilmington City Council will go over this proposal Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall in Downtown Wilmington.