Suzette Cook
The City of High Springs approved a conditional use permit application that would allow a microbrewery and tasting facility to operate in the High Springs Industrial Park.
Leslie and Luke Lynn made the request at the Oct. 28 regular commission meeting and explained their plans for River Rise Brewing Co. to be located on Lot 2 of the park at the corner of NW 182nd Avenue and NW 244th Street.
The 1.03-acre parcel of land has a line of trees growing along its east boundary separating it from a residential neighborhood and Whitfield Window & Door, Inc. adjacent to the south.
After a presentation of the conceptual site plan, the commission approved Conditional Use Permit (CUP) 21-01 allowing for the venture to operate within the industrial and mixed use park.
“We’re really excited about this project,” Leslie told the commission. “We intend to be good corporate citizens. We have a lot planned as far as outreach to our local community.”
The Lynns said they wanted the brewery to highlight conservation efforts around the river and partner with cleanup efforts.
“We will be promoting the river as a resource that needs to be preserved,” Leslie said. “We think about the brewery as more of a resource center alongside a business. People love the river and we want to bring them in with the idea of celebrating the culture of it but also imparting some wisdom about its need to be preserved and well taken care.”
The Lynns plan to reach out to High Springs Brewing Company, which opened in 2019 at its location across the street from the now closed Priest Theater. They said they would like to team up with High Springs Brewing Company.
“We want to partner with them to make High Springs a destination,” Leslie said. “Breweries do better when they are around other breweries.”
The new brewery will help increase the town’s visibility.Â
“We think that this project will highlight High Springs and be a community gathering spot,” Luke said. “The population is growing in leaps and bounds and they need places for people to congregate and have fellowship.”
The initial conceptual plan shows a 2,385 square-foot building that will house the brewery operations, a tap room, seating and tasting area. There will also be outdoor seating.
The next step in the process will be the submission of a site plan to the City for approval.