New owner of Staunton Coca Cola plant returns before planning commission: agenda
schedule of work
STAUNTON – Coke plant, take two. Last month, the Staunton Planning Commission scheduled a public hearing on a request to rezone the former Coca-Cola Bottling Works plant from municipal business to public business.
The request came from Albemarle County business owner John Schoepp, who plans to use the building at 709 N. Augusta Street for a beer production and tasting room. The Coca-Cola plant moved from this location to Augusta County in the early 1970s.
But Schweib made a mistake in timing the meeting and showed up late. The public hearing was held, where many nearby neighborhood residents expressed concerns about parking and the environmental impact. With the applicant not in attendance, the Planning Commission voted to advance the application to this month’s meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 21 at 5:30 p.m. It’s a safe bet that Schoep has built that time into his calendar.
Last Saturday, Schoep opened the building for public tours. In the two hours he had, nearly 200 people visited, including city officials and Staunton residents, Shoop said. He said it was a huge success, and told The News Leader that most of the comments he heard were supportive.
“Not to say concerns about parking haven’t been raised,” said Schoep, who co-owns Brew Re Nata Brewery in Crozet. “I addressed this issue head-on and feel that many of those who attended on Saturday will attend the meeting on Thursday. None of the neighbors who expressed concerns at the last meeting at City Hall attended the meet and greet. We distributed 250 flyers to the neighborhood and knocked on doors in hopes that they would attend “.
The reason for requesting the rezoning is to allow beer brewing. The current zoning allows for a restaurant. What is not allowed is production. Schoepp insisted that he has no plans to start a restaurant now or in the near future. He may not have one on this site at all.
His plan is to brew the beer at the North Augusta Street facility and take it to his business in Crozet and to a new venue possibly up to Staunton, The Steam Plant, located at 420 Richmond Ave. Near the intersection with Greenville Avenue. Chip Clark bought the property in 2017 and plans to create a space for music events, which he hopes to break ground this year, he told The News Leader in August.
If the old Coca-Cola plant were just a brewery, Schoep said it would only need two to four employees, so parking wouldn’t be an issue. With a tasting room, or if a restaurant opens on site, more parking will be needed.
“We are in talks with a couple of neighbors who have relatively large parcels that we can purchase and turn into our parking lot as well,” Schoep said in a video of Saturday’s tour posted by Darlene Schneck on YouTube.
In the same video, Schoep can be heard telling hikers that there is a possibility the second floor of the building could be used as an Airbnb, a service that allows landlords to list properties for short-term rental, usually for those vacationing in the area.
Schoep confirmed that was the case to The News Leader, saying it was allowed under current and proposed zoning. He will need to add sprinklers and obtain the proper permits to operate as an Airbnb.
Below are the city and county meetings for Sept. 19 through Sept. 26.
Tuesday 19 September
Augusta Valley County Aging Services Program, 10 a.m
Augusta Soil and Water Conservation District Headwaters District, 10 a.m
Staunton-Augusta-Winnsboro Community Action Program, 5:30 p.m
Waynesboro Historical Commission Meeting, 5:30 PM The regular monthly meeting of the Waynesboro Historical Commission will be held on Tuesday, September 19 at 5:30 PM and due to conflicts, the meeting will be held at the Arnold House (red brick house) on New Hope Road. Built in 1820, the site is one of Waynesboro’s most historic homes. Ten years ago, the city transferred the house to Red Brick House, Inc. The plan was to transfer ownership to someone who would renovate the building and save it from demolition. This was done, and after several years, the renovation process moved forward. Owners, Tracy and Mark Holmes, will give a personal tour of the home, highlighting old versus new and the future. Those of us who saw the original case will be amazed by this transformation. Work on the property is ongoing and there is a lot to be done.
Waynesboro Planning Commission, 7 p.m
Wednesday 20 September
Waynesboro Library Board of Trustees, 4pm precedes Joint Library Board meeting (see below).
Valley Libraries Connection Joint Boards Meeting, 5:30 p.m. A special meeting of the Joint Board of Directors for the Augusta, Staunton and Waynesboro County Libraries will be held on Wednesday, September 20 from 5:30-7pm at the Fishersville main branch of Augusta County. Library, 1759 Jefferson Highway. Lisa Varga, of the Virginia Library Association, will speak about library advocacy.
Regional Youth Committee, 5:30 p.m., United Way Community Room at 24 Idlewood Blvd., Staunton.
Augusta County Parks and Recreation Commission, 7 p.m
Thursday 21 September
Planning Commission Meeting, 5:30pm The Coca-Cola Plant is back on the menu! But there are new things, too: The field trip for this meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 19, at 4 p.m. Committee members and staff will meet in the assembly room on the first floor of City Hall. The committee will review drone footage of the New Hope and National Avenue site and then proceed with a site visit if committee members deem it useful.
See the agenda here.
Augusta County Utilities, 1:30 p.m
Friday 22 September
Monday 25 September
Staff briefing for Augusta County Board of Supervisors, 1:30 p.m
Regular monthly work session of the Staunton School Board, 5 p.m
W. Bev Bicycle Infrastructure Public Forum, 6 p.m. The City of Staunton’s Planning Department is holding a public forum on the bicycle infrastructure planned along West Beverley Street. The event will be held Monday, September 25, at 6 p.m. at the Central Shenandoah Emergency Emergency Services Council Training Center, 2312 W. Beverly St., Staunton. The city has contracted with Timmons Group to design the bicycle infrastructure along West Beverley Street in accordance with the Staunton Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, which will be implemented with the street repaved. The project will include the reuse of vehicular travel/turn lanes where possible on West Beverley Street to allow for bicycle facilities to be implemented within the existing pavement section (i.e. a “road diet”). Representatives from the Timmons Group will provide information about proposed improvements to bicycle infrastructure and receive public comment about changes to West Beverley Street.
Waynesboro City Council regular business meeting, 7 p.m
more: A public forum for input on proposed bicycle infrastructure in Staunton
Tuesday 26 September
Common Council Meeting, 8:45 a.m. – 1 p.m. The Augusta County Social Services Board, the City of Waynesboro Social Services Board, and the City of Staunton Social Services Board will meet in person on Tuesday, September 26, at 8:45 a.m. in the Augusta County Government Center, Smith Room -West, at 18 Government Center Lane, Verona. The boards will also meet in conjunction with the Shenandoah Valley Social Services Advisory Board at 9:45 a.m. at the same location.
Augusta County Department of Social Services, 8:45 a.m
SVASC Owners’ Meeting, 2 p.m. Shenandoah Valley Animal Services Center Owners’ Meeting (Augusta, Staunton and Waynesboro Counties).
Historic Preservation Commission meeting, 5:30 p.m
Augusta County Emergency Services Officers Association, 7 p.m
