Huntsville opens tap for new small businesses 

Published on May 26, 2022

An ordinance change approved by City Council will expand the footprint for brewpubs to operate in the Lincoln Mill area.

The amendment updates the boundary to allow brewpubs to locate in areas north of downtown bounded by Meridian Street, Oakwood Avenue, Burbank Street, Hurst Avenue, Webster Drive and Abingdon Avenue.

Additional tweaks will further allow brewpubs, which produce 10,000 bottles or less annually, to go through the same zoning approval process as larger brewery manufacturers that produce 60,000+ bottles a year.

“These modifications provide new economic opportunities for small businesses and new jobs for individuals to live and work in these areas,” said Thomas Nunez, Manager of Planning Services. “We’ve repeatedly seen the value brewpubs provide in revitalizing economically distressed areas in our urban core, and we want to provide these same opportunities to the Lincoln Mill business district.”

The City of Huntsville first mapped designated areas for brewpubs in 2013, following new state legislation that removed many of the barriers for operation.  Huntsville zoning regulations for brewpubs and larger brewery operations follow commercial and industrial zones where bars are already permitted.