Sussex council approves Belltown brewpub
A Belltown church will soon embark on another chapter in its history.
Sussex County Council voted 3-1 March 8 in favor of a conditional-use application to convert the former John Wesley United Methodist Church into a restaurant/brewery.
Developer Beachfire Brewery Co. LLC had filed the application for an 8,500-square-foot facility, on a 2-acre parcel of six lots between Route 9 and Beaver Dam Road near Five Points.
The owners said preservation of the church and integrating its design features into the rest of the building will be a top priority.
A conditional-use was required because the land is zoned agricultural-residential, AR-1, where commercial development is not a permitted use.
Council members George Cole, R-Ocean View, Rob Arlett, R-Frankford, and Mike Vincent, R-Seaford, voted in favor of the conditional-use application; Councilwoman Joan Deaver, D-Rehoboth Beach, voted against it. Councilman Sam Wilson, R-Georgetown, was absent during the public hearing and was excluded from the vote.
Council debates two conditions
Deaver made an impassioned plea with council to amend the planning and zoning commission's conditions and prohibit consumption of alcohol in the former church sanctuary. “Please, please don't let people drink beer in the church,” she said, adding she was making the motion on behalf of constituents in Belltown.
Although Arlett seconded her motion, it failed 3-1 with Deaver casting the lone vote for the amendment.
“We are in the land-use business and not the alcohol business. We need to stick to our job,” Cole said. “We are not good in enforcement, and I just think we'd be going down a path we shouldn't be.”
He said the state's Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control would have public hearings and be charged with enforcement of the state's liquor laws.
Even though Beachfire Brewery owners testified they would only use the former sanctuary area for restaurant seating with the bar and brewery contained in separate buildings, council voted to strike that condition from those imposed on the project by planning and zoning commissioners.
It was Cole who suggested council strike the condition; it passed with a 3-1 vote. Deaver voted against the amendment.
“This is out of our jurisdiction, and enforcement would be difficult,” Cole said.
“The people are not happy at all,” Deaver said. “It's a slap in their face.”
Arlett said he wanted to remind everyone that church members are the sellers of the property. “I understand the concerns of a brewery in a church, but in the end, it's just a building; the church is within. I think this is a great compromise to honor that historic building to preserve the history.”
Cole said the character of that section of Belltown near Five Points has changed to a commercial area over the past few years. “The church members and residents have been aware of the sale for years,” he said. “It's a more attractive location for commercial.”
Preservation key part of project
Harry Metcalf, one of four partners, said the restaurant will have a family-friendly atmosphere with reasonable prices. He said the restored church would be an intricate part of the restaurant. He stressed that the church only be used only for restaurant seating and would be separate from the brewery, bar and kitchen.
He said the partners were quick to rally around preserving the church, preserving the history and telling the story of Jacob Bell, Belltown's founder and the first black land developer in Delaware and possibly on Delmarva. “We want to incorporate this history in the restaurant. We have a tremendous opportunity to do something unique,” Metcalf testified. “Our vision is to respect what is there as much as possible. The existing footprint of the church is a priority.”
The restaurant will be 8,500 square feet and sit about 220 people with 55 employees. At 1,700 square feet, Metcalf said, the church will actually be a small section of the restaurant. The conceptual plan shows 15 tables in the church.
Beachfire Brewing was recently granted another conditional-use application to open a microbrewery and small tasting room in West Rehoboth.
Emotions run high at public hearings
The application ignited emotional testimony for and against the project during a pair of public hearings.
Concerns about traffic surfaced, as with most applications in the Cape Region, but so did concerns about allowing alcohol to be served at a former Methodist church. A few residents said the proposed project would only add to the sell out of Belltown as more and more parcels are sold for commercial operations.
Others said the developer's plan to restore the church and help preserve Belltown's history is commendable. Jeron Duffy, president of the trustees of Faith United Methodist Church in Rehoboth Beach, said church members voted to sell the building.
John Wesley Church - built in 1946 and dating back to 1873 - was closed in 2007 and merged with two other churches into Faith U.M. Church. The church has been rented to God's People for Purpose Ministry with some former John Wesley members still attending.
Church officials have testified that the church is falling into disrepair and maintaining the 69-year-old structure is a burden.
