State Route 78 is known as "Hops Highway" to acknowledge the burgeoning craft beer scene.
Now, Oceanside is exploring how to attract more small breweries to the Coast Highway, as a way to generate foot traffic for local businesses.
Oceanside held a workshop this week to get community input on a zoning change that would allow more craft breweries in its commercial downtown. Like most cities, Oceanside currently only permits brewery operations in industrial zones, unless they are combined with a restaurant. A handful of restaurant/breweries already operate in the city.
Principal Planner Russ Cunningham said breweries and other light manufacturing with on-site retail may be the economic kick-start needed in the city's downtown.
"People are dining and leaving. They're not dining and window shopping, they're not dining and strolling down Coast Highway or down Mission Avenue to the extent that we would like to see them," Cunningham said. "We're looking to find that right mix that brings people here and keeps them here for a period of time."
The proposed zoning would allow craft breweries, wineries and other light manufacturing that includes on-site retail.
"We want to trouble the assumption that you can't have manufacturing occur in a commercial zone when that manufacturing is low to no impact," Cunningham said.
Comments at the workshop ranged from worries about parking and wanting public input before a brewery is approved, to the positive economic impact breweries bring. The National University System Institute for Policy Research found San Diego County craft breweries generated $299.5 million in direct economic impact in 2011.
The zoning amendment will be reviewed by the Oceanside Downtown Advisory Committee, Planning Commission, and brought to City Council by June.
The North Park community in San Diego is among the few municipalities that allow craft breweries in a commercial zone.
