Details on grant for Buchanan Lofts Brewery at the old Groendyk site

Buchanan will be getting a brewery unique multifamily dwellings which will be a rehab of part of the old Groendyk. A blight grant from the county and matching funds from the private developers will be used to complete the commecial part the brewery in the project. Ken McFayden, Botetourt’s  Economic Development Director presented a grant request to the Botetourt County Supervisors on Tuesday, Aug. 23. It was approved.

Here is a timeline of the project:

• October 2021- private developers purchased the former Groendyk manufacturing buildings in the Town of Buchanan;

 • January 2022- Town of Buchanan designated the property as a “revitalization area,” in accordance with Virginia Code Section § 36- 55.30:2 (A) and recognized the blighted condition of the buildings;

• February 2022- Buchanan Town Council approved Special Use Permit for the redevelopment of the property for apartments and a brewpub;

• May 2022- Town of Buchanan received Virginia Brownfields Assessment Fund grant to update environmental due diligence for the property;

• Late July 2022- Developers requested County’s assistance with financing of improvements;

• August 19, 2002- Botetourt EDA submitted Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF) proposal to fund redevelopment of the commercial portion of the project; and,

• August 23, 2022- Requesting Board of Supervisors approval of the grant application and certification of property’s blighted condition

The county asked for a grant of $463,276.50  and it will be matched by the project’s private developers for a total of project cost $926, 553.00 to turn the old building into the brewery . Supervisors approved the grant application.

–Cathy Benson