MANTEO, N.C. — A property once thought of as Ocracoke-based 1718 Brewing's possible second home, was purchased in May.
This comes after 1718 Brewing ended its efforts to purchase it, saying the nine-month process caused friction with the Town of Manteo.
“We felt like it wasn't a cooperative effort," said Garick Kalna, vice-president of 1718 Brewing.
For nearly a year, 1718 Brewing eyed Manteo as a second home to expand its operations in the Outer Banks.
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“We really like the idea of being close to Ocracoke in Manteo, and that they had a wastewater treatment plant, which was key to one of our decisions. It was the first craft brewery site in in the state of North Carolina, so we thought it had a lot of marketability and a lot of greatness attached to that," Kalna said.
But in February, the Manteo Town Council denied the brewery’s zoning request, related to worries about the town’s wastewater infrastructure. Another effort was made by commissioner Michael Basnight to create an overlay district allowing a brewery, reported by our newsgathering partner the Outer Banks Voice.
Though willing to cooperate, the brewery feels it just faced a roadblock at every turn with the Town of Manteo.
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“I think the approach could have easily been different, and we could be working with our architects and engineers on our building plans right now. But unfortunately, it didn't go down that path," Kalna said.
At that point, the brewery felt like they couldn’t win and decided to end their efforts to acquire the property for their second home.
In May, the more-than four acre property was purchased for $750,000 by Manteo 525 LLC.
A representative of the LLC told News 3 they had previously bid on the property in 2024 and once they heard 1718 Brewing was no longer interested, they made another offer that was accepted. They also said there is no set project, but a residential project is being considered.
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For 1718 Brewing, they have appreciated the amount of support the Outer Banks community showed in their efforts.
"I'd just like to say how thankful we are for all the support that the people all over the Outer Banks showed in their comments, we were humbled by all that," Kalna said.
As far as what’s next, the brewery is still eyeing an expansion to another town in the Outer Banks and have had representatives and property owners reach out. But for now, that won't be in Manteo.
“They've shown us that they aren't willing or cannot support our business plan. So right now, unless something changes, then that's where we are," Kalna said.
Efforts to reach the Town of Manteo via phone for a response were unsuccessful on Thursday.
