Richardson City Council approved a special permit and special development plan that would allow Lockwood to operate a distillery along Sherman Street during its April 8 meeting. Director of Development Services Sam Chavez said the permit and special development plan would be exclusive to the company, and any new users would have to reapply for either with the city.
The overview
Chavez said the permit would allow Lockwood to blend alcoholic beverages on site as well as package, label and bottle wines or other liquors. There are also plans to construct a large overhead door along the structure’s eastern elevation, he added.
Lockwood co-owner Evan Batt previously told the Richardson City Plan Commission that there were no plans to add a tasting room within the larger production facility, which is expected to allow for the company’s continued growth. The company opened its first tasting room and restaurant in Richardson in 2019, and has two other locations in Fort Worth and McKinney.
The context
Batt previously told the Richardson City Plan Commission that finding a building suitable to the needs of a distillery is difficult within a metropolitan area. He said during the April 2 meeting the 19,602-square-foot structure at 816 S. Sherman St. checks a lot of the company’s boxes.
The commission previously recommended approval of the request.
What’s else?
Batt did not provide a timeline for the completion of the new facility, but he said there are plans to double the production site’s workforce from 10 to 20 employees.
