Changes are coming to the intersection of North Hall Road and West Bessemer Street. After gaining approval from the Alcoa Planning Commission last week, Blackhorse Pub and Brewery owners are set to install additions to the beer garden on the pub grounds with a mixed-use development nearby.
The proposed three-story building as drawn will provide a mix of residential and commercial use and will face North Hall Road to the south of the pub. Developers hope to begin work when interest rates become more attainable.
Commissioners unanimously approved the plans in an April 18 meeting.
Jeff and Sherri Robinson own Blackhorse and have been working on the land and surrounding area for years. After purchasing land at the intersection in 2022 with the stipulation of constructing a mixed-use development, they’ve already brought similar plans to commissioners this year. In January, the planning commission approved a site plan for additional development on land currently used for parking on the north side of West Bessemer Street.
That development would bring a blend of townhomes and mixed-use buildings to the area, with space for businesses on the ground floor and residences on the top floor. Commissioners also approved basic renovations to the pub’s exterior, including replacing stone with turf, placing a sitting wall facing away from the nearby intersection and enclosing part of the outdoor seating with large doors.
Last week’s meeting saw the approval of a building plan with more than 4,700 square feet of retail space and potential for seven commercial tenant spaces. Eight residential units, each two stories, would sit above the commercial space, with an additional ADA-accessible unit on the first floor.
A dog park is planned to the south of the property.
The proposed work would involve installing new parking. The work is supposed to be done in three phases, but commissioners asked the Robinsons to complete the first two phases simultaneously to address the need for parking with such a development.
At the pub, commissioners approved adding a container bar, keg cooler and outdoor bathrooms to the beer garden, creating a more complete outdoor space. Items like the container bar and the bathrooms are functional units that just need to be placed on concrete pads at the site, Jeff Robinson said.
“It’s like if you get an Airstream, pull it up to the campground and plug it in,” Robinson told commissioners.
Commissioners raised questions about the safety of the beer garden since the area sits beside one of the busiest intersections in town, but Robinson said he’s never seen a wreck come within reach of the property. The beer garden fence, which could be swapped for a privacy hedge or larger fence, sits along the edge of the property line, and a few dozen feet lie between the garden and the road. Trees and utility poles, he said, also make threading the needle to the garden almost impossible for out-of-control vehicles.
Robinson told commissioners he’d like to wait until interest rates calm down before obtaining financing for the development, meaning it may be a while before the project comes to fruition.
“Two years or a year from now we may have to bite the bullet and move on,” he said. “But I would really like to see interest rates come down a little bit before we go that deep into debt.”
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