Murray Hill could be adding another local venture by the spring — Town Beer Company LLC, which intends to sell local and Florida brews on tap and by the can or bottle.
Alex and Priya Moldovan are seeking zoning approvals to operate Town Beer Co. at 1176 Edgewood Ave. S.
If approved, they hope to open by mid-March.
“Our goal is to do our part to support the local beer sector and reduce craft beer’s carbon footprint,” Alex Moldovan said.
He said they intend to carry local craft beers on 10 taps and sell Jacksonville- and Florida-brewed beers for on- or off-premises consumption.
They also are considering selling locally produced wines.
“We want to keep it as community-based as possible,” Priya Moldovan said.
Alex Moldovan’s undergraduate degree from Jacksonville University is in sustainability, “so I realize the carbon footprint the beer industry has.”
He sees products trucked in from other states “and I see there is enough great beer right here locally and no establishment is catering to local only.”
He said as the brewery representative for Veterans United Craft Brewery, he noticed how difficult it was to get products sold in the local market.
Hours of operation have not been determined. They expect to hire two employees. The Facebook page is Town Beer Co.
Moldovan left Veterans United on Dec. 1 after two years as a brewer and brewery representative. He also served in the U.S. Navy for five years as an aviation egress technician.
In addition to earning his bachelor’s degree, he also is in his last semester toward an MBA in management at JU.
Moldovan said he left Veterans United because of the new venture and attending school. “I am handling most of this build-out by myself and am a full-time student,” he said.
A floor plan shows 30 seats, an office, a walk-in cooler and a restroom in 1,200 square feet.
The Jacksonville Planning Commission is scheduled to review the zoning requests Feb. 9.
District City Council member Jim Love said today because of Town Beer Co.’s small footprint, he doubts there will be pushback from neighbors.
He sees Edgewood Avenue becoming a livelier place for entertainment.
“It certainly has been needed for a long time. It has been slow, but it is picking up fairly quickly now,” he said.
The requested zoning exception is for the 2COP license to sell beer and wine by the drink for on-premises consumption or in sealed containers for package sales; the waiver is to reduce the required distance between the store and a church from 1,500 to 1,270 feet; and the administrative deviation is to reduce the minimum number of off-street parking spaces from 10 to three.
The waiver application says there are other existing locations with liquor licenses that are closer to the church than Town Beer Co.
The parking deviation application says having inadequate parking spaces is common to numerous sites in the neighborhood because Murray Hill was planned as a town center with plenty of street parking but little on-site parking.
Moldovan also references reducing the carbon footprint with the parking deviation.
He said the deviation should encourage less automobile traffic and more use of public transportation, cycling and walking.
Increased foot traffic, says the zoning application, would increase the property values of the surrounding retail and residential areas.
Moldovan also is considering promotions for customers who walk, cycle, take a ride-sharing service or public transportation.
There is no food service planned other than offering complimentary peanuts and pretzels.
Priya Moldovan, 24, is a full-time social media and marketing specialist at 3D Digital Solutions and earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of North Florida.
High school sweethearts in Virginia, the couple married in October. They bought their first home in August in Murray Hill.
“We love this neighborhood and we can’t wait to invest our hearts and souls into it,” Alex Moldovan said.
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