Mansfield Officials Targeting Brewers, Vintners, Distillers

MANSFIELD, CT — The Mansfield Downtown Partnership this week called on "entrepreneurs" to "discover new opportunities in the town of Mansfield" following a recent local ordinance change that allows farm winery, brew pub/restaurant, and brewery permits.

Over the summer, the Mansfield Town Council amended its ordinances to allow the uses, mirroring the prior approval of the permitted uses in the town's zoning regulations.

"Tourism and agriculture are economic drivers for the Town of Mansfield," said Cynthia van Zelm, the Executive Director of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, which coordinates economic development for the town. "These changes create new business opportunities, such as craft breweries, wineries, and distilleries, while also expanding the options for value-added products for local farms and supporting ancillary businesses such as restaurants, hotels, and gas stations."

Van Zelm continued, "For many years, we have heard from interested businesses and
entrepreneurs who have expressed a desire to open a brewery or brew pub in Mansfield, but were
unable to do so due to outdated regulations. With the new amended ordinance in place, we are excited to be able to welcome these types of businesses to town."

The Mansfield Economic Development Commission has long ben on the record as supporting the addition of brew pubs and breweries and requested the change as early as 2015, van Zelm said. At that time, though, local leaders learned that state statutes made such changes nearly impossible.

She said the EDC then supported Mansfield's state legislators in their efforts to change the state statutes to allow for local legislative bodies to directly make changes to alcohol permits.

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Van Zelm said interested brewers, winemakers, craft distillers, and entrepreneurs are invited to contact her at 860-429-2740 or mdp@mansfieldct.org to learn more about opening, moving, or operating a business in Mansfield.