The company that owns New England Brewing Co. is pulling out of a deal with the city of West Haven to relocate to the former Savin Rock Conference Center, according to Mayor Nancy Rossi.
City officials said that they were notified that a revised lease agreement was off the table due to a lack of support from some city council members, a few Land Trust of West Haven members and an appeal filed by the owners of Jimmies of Savin Rock restaurant.
In a statement, Rossi said most of the city's residents and businesses supported the relocation, and many even spoke in favor of the project at council meetings.
New England Brewing Co. Director of Business Development Marty Juliano said that the brewery has two other offers to relocate elsewhere currently in the works. He didn't specify where.
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"Many residents say they want development, and I brought them a development they could be proud of - but a few City Council members and a couple of Land Trust members, along with the Jimmies' owners' appeal, tanked it," Rossi said.
The City Council unanimously approved the original lease agreement between the city and brewery to relocate to 6 Rock St., a "prime waterfront location," according to Rossi. That agreement would have allowed the city to maintain ownership of the four-plus acre property while allowing the developer to demolish the existing conference center and construct a new building that would include a brewery, tap room and event space.
Rossi said Jimmies at Savin Rock took legal action against the developer, contesting setbacks to the property. The developer, Doug Gray, then revised the original plans to encompass the footprint of the existing structure, but the scale of the project was significantly reduced, the mayor said.
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During a City Council meeting on Aug. 28, some members and residents voiced concerns about the proposed lease agreement. The mayor said she is "extremely disappointed that some council members and business owners chose to publicly embarrass" the developer and brewery, describing the move as "shameful."
In a statement, New England Brewing said, "Unfortunately, the time it has taken along with our confidence in it actually happening without further challenges through the legal system has gone too long and our business needs to move forward and execute on our backup plan to achieve the growth that the market demands."
New England Brewing Co. currently brews Sea Hag - the number one selling craft IPA in Connecticut - and other popular India pale ales in Woodbridge.
City records show that the Savin Rock Conference Center opened in April 1997 and closed for renovation in Feb. 2019. The building, which was constructed in 1971, previously housed The Casino and Harbour Mist restaurants, as well as Phyllis' Restaurant.
