There may soon be a new place to sip whiskey in Alexandria, Minn. – in the warehouse of a company that makes it, Panther Distillery.
At its meeting Monday night, the Alexandria City Council agreed to amend the city’s comprehensive plan and rezone the property where the warehouse is located from light industrial to general business.
Panther Distillery, based in Osakis, bought the old Wedum Supply Building at the northeast corner of Sixth Avenue and Nokomis Street in Alexandria about a year ago and it’s been storing about 300 barrels of whiskey there. Owners Adrian and Pamela Panther plan to partition off part of the 111-year-old building and operate a cocktail room with a restaurant.
The site was zoned light industrial because it once housed a creamery plant and a wholesale building supply company.
At the planning commission level, there were some concerns raised about parking. The city requires one parking stall for every three seats. Currently, there are 38 stalls available on the north side of the building. Panther said he may take down a loading dock by the railroad tracks, which would provide a few more stalls.
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Panther noted that the bar/restaurant would bring added revenue to the area and make a beautiful historic building useful once again.
The Panthers must still apply for a liquor and restaurant license. They said they will meet the city’s requirement of having at least 35 percent of their gross sales generated by food sales.
