Board of Appeals unanimously approves setback variance for nano‑brewery at Point Lookout Road

The St. Mary's County Board of Appeals on March 12 approved a variance request enabling a portion of the commercial building at 18080 Point Lookout Road to be converted for alcoholic beverage production. The board voted unanimously to reduce the 50‑foot front setback to 18 feet and to reduce the 15‑foot side setback to 5 feet to accommodate the existing building.

Staff described VAP25‑0395 as a minor‑site‑plan conversion of a 1945 commercial building in the Rural Service Center zone to Use Type 85 (alcoholic beverage production). The application materials, legal advertising and certified mailings to neighbors were completed in February. The applicant — owner listed as 18080 Point Lookout Road LLC — proposed no exterior expansion that would bring the structure closer to the road than its current 18‑foot setback, and staff confirmed the variance was required to approve the site plan and permits.

Applicant Eric Chung, presenting for the business, said the operation would be a self‑financed “nano‑brewery” producing roughly 30‑gallon batches for sale to local restaurants rather than on‑site retail. “We will not be selling on site,” Chung said, adding the partners intend to reuse spent grain with nearby farmers and bakeries and that the operation would create minimal traffic, noise and odor. Partner Alex Reynolds answered board questions about storage, confirming the brewing area would be small (roughly a 12×12 footprint within an existing ~500‑sq‑ft leased area) and that most deliveries would be small volume rather than tractor‑trailer loads.

Board members pressed staff and the applicant on procedural clarifications — including a typographical route number in circulated materials and the property’s prior uses — but several members expressed support for allowing a small, low‑impact local business to start small. One member said the variance process can feel burdensome in these situations but that the current ordinance framework requires the appeals board to rule on setback nonconformities for existing structures.

The board’s unanimous approval means staff will prepare a written order reflecting the decision within 60 days; an affected party has 30 days after the order is signed to seek review in circuit court. The recording secretary will send the applicants a copy of the order after signature.