KC allows tiny breweries in neighborhoods, liquor and beer sales in City Market

It’s getting easier to make and sell craft beers and liquor in Kansas City.

The City Council voted Thursday to allow tiny “nano” breweries to operate in neighborhood strip malls and storefronts, and also approved liquor sales at downtown’s City Market.

In the past, tiny breweries of less than 5,000 square feet had to be located in industrial areas of the city.

But Councilman Scott Taylor said he was approached by a family in the Brookside/Waldo area who wanted to start a nano brewery like those popular in other cities.

“These are smaller neighborhood breweries that are perfect for filling empty storefronts in areas such as Waldo and Brookside East where there are available storefronts,” Taylor said.

Taylor said many of the buildings in industrial areas are too large to house these nano breweries of 1,000 to 5,000 square feet, but strip mall storefronts could accommodate that type of small startup business. He said no opposition surfaced when a council committee considered the proposal this week.

The nano breweries must be located in commercial buildings and can’t be in residences.

The ordinance stipulates that no more than 50 percent of the product may be produced for sale to a wholesaler and at least 50 percent must be sold for retail use, to be consumed either on or off site.

Also Thursday, the council approved the sale of locally produced beer and liquor at City Market.

The sale of Missouri wines began at City Market last summer and has gone so well that vendors wanted to expand offerings to include beer and distilled spirits. Farmers and producers would be allowed to sell only the alcohol they manufacture.

This story was originally published May 28, 2015 at 5:41 PM with the headline "KC allows tiny breweries in neighborhoods, liquor and beer sales in City Market."