USA, NJ: Plans in the works for construction of Bay Ave. Brewery in Somers Point
Plans are in the works for construction of Bay Ave. Brewery at 435 Bay Ave., the empty lot on the corner of Maryland Avenue in Somers Point, the Ocean City Sentinel reported on October 22.
Longtime summer residents of Ocean City, cousins Tom Dooner and Brian Murphy are behind the project.
Both grew up in Pennsylvania but had family homes on the island. Dooner, 32, not lives in Pleasantville while Murphy, 33, lives in Linwood.
Both have worked as professional brewers since earning their graduate-level certification from the University of the Sciences in 2020.
We both graduated from that program and started working in the industry, Dooner said.
He worked in the quality control lab for Cape May Brewing Co. and at Dock Street Brewery in Philadelphia.
Murphy worked at Kings Road Brewing Co. in Haddonfield and Brewery ARS in South Philadelphia.
They both worked locally throughout their youth, with Dooner serving on the Ocean City Beach Patrol from 2013 to 2020 and Murphy working at Uncle Bills Pancake House for about a decade.
I worked from dishwasher all the way up to the pancake grill, he said.
Their love of beer started long ago, as both were home brewers for years before they earned their certificates.
Dooner said the cousins would be renting the space from a silent partner who is buying the property and funding construction.
They plan to brew and serve about 10 beers on tap as owners and operators of the brewery. There will be no food service, which requires a full liquor license, but Dooner said they are allowed to have food trucks on site.
We probably will lean into that option pretty heavily, he said.
Dooner said New Jersey will issue a limited brewery license for about $1,000 but a liquor license could cost upward of $1 million.
In addition to serving their product on site, they plan to offer their brews to go so customers can enjoy them at home or at local BYOB places.
Grab a four-pack or six-pack and bring it to a restaurant that allows that, Dooner said.
The cousins said they chose Somers Point partly because of their familiarity with the city and its thriving night life but also because South Jersey in general doesnt necessarily have as many breweries as Philadelphia.
We think that theres a market for it and especially with Somers Point being known for the bar scene, Dooner said. We would love to put our beers on tap at local watering holes and hopefully can build relationships that people find out about us at businesses that have been around forever.
Donna Mohr of the citys Historic Preservation Commission said the board approved a Certificate of Appropriateness several months ago and that they complied with almost everything we asked them to modify. But they had to return to the board for adjustments.
Councilwoman Janice Johnston, liaison to the HPC, said the board met Oct. 8 and approved changes to the COA.
Johnston said the citys code enforcement officer had notified the developers that the project did not meet elevation requirements, forcing them to raise the building height 2 feet and construct a retention basin.
She said the unexpected work forced the developers to go back and tweak some other things to offset the cost.
They did have to make some significant changes and I guess theyll have to come back again, Johnston said.
Mohr said the property is not in the historic district, which stops on the south side of New York Avenue, but is in the historic zone, allowing some oversight.
We asked them to use certain architectural elements that fit in with the district, she said.
Johnston said the project would be a good asset to the city, noting it would increase the walkability of the neighborhood.
The business would join Carolines, which is on the northeast corner, a large housing complex under construction on the southeast corner and a medical office building on the southwest corner.
In addition, next door is Mexiquilla restaurant, which underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation beginning in 2022, and the Somers Point Paddle Club is under construction just south on Bay Avenue. Motel 6 is just behind the vacant lot.
Im just excited to see development in the north end of Bay Avenue, Mayor Dennis Tapp said.
Murphy said the land developers have a few more permits to obtain and are hoping to break ground before the end of the year and open by the end of next summer.
We are working on it every day and super excited to get started whenever we can, Murphy said.