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A portion of a 675-acre parcel of land on Staten Island's West Shore -- formerly earmarked for an 82,500-seat NASCAR racetrack before it was derailed by public skepticism and political opposition -- is being eyed by the Brooklyn Brewery for a 200,000-square-foot facility, according to a New York City Regional Economic Development Council draft report.

(Advance Photo/Anthony DePrimo)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A portion of a 675-acre parcel of land on Staten Island's West Shore -- formerly earmarked for an 82,500-seat NASCAR racetrack before it was derailed by public skepticism and political opposition -- is being eyed by the Brooklyn Brewery for a 200,000-square-foot facility, according to a New York City Regional Economic Development Council draft report.

In addition to the brewery project, sources told the Advance that the owner of the site, Staten Island Marine, is also working on separate plans for port and distribution components on the vacant expanse that sits adjacent to the New York Container Terminal at Howland Hook.

"Nothing is signed yet," said William Kearney, controller of Staten Island Marine. "We are accepting materials now so the site can be developed in the future, but there's a lot of work to be done. We are raising (the grade of the property) by about 12 feet."

According to the Regional Economic Development Council's draft report, Brooklyn Brewery's plans call for a $70 million, state-of-the art 400,000 expandable to 1,000,000-barrel brewery in a 200,000-square-foot building on 20 to 25 acres.

He couldn't provide additional details about the future of the site.

However, Eric Ottaway, chief operating officer and general manager of Brooklyn Brewery, said the West Shore parcel has all the infrastructure required for the brewery operation.

"We have been looking at sites all over the place. The criteria for our site is 20 to 25 acres that have rail and close proximity to the New York/New Jersey port system, so Staten Island works out to be a pretty good location," said Ottaway.

Brooklyn Brewery's plans call for a $70-million, state-of-the art, one-million barrel brewery in a 200,000-square-foot building, he said.

"There will always be a brewery in Brooklyn, but we don't have the kind of land in Brooklyn that we need. We view this as a complementary production facility to our current specialty and retail facility here in Brooklyn," he said.

ODDO OPTIMISTIC

Said Borough President James Oddo, who will be meeting with Staten Island Marine and the Brooklyn Brewery on Wednesday, "They (Brooklyn Brewery) reached out a few weeks ago to get a date to look at the site. This plant would be great because it would provide jobs. It's great to see our waterfront coming alive above and beyond the exciting vibrant maritime services that we have."

"During the battle with NASCAR there was some of us who said there would be a better project that would come down the line for that property, and the Staten Island Marine folks, who bought the property, have a much better vision and use for that property," he added.

The expansive West Shore parcel is one site being considered by the Brewery, which has sought funding from the Regional Economic Development Council, an advisory board under the umbrella of Empire State Development.

"The West Shore of Staten Island has long held untapped potential and could be a center for quality, good-paying jobs for borough residents. Every project has its unique qualities, and I look forward to learning the details as the proposal evolves," said Mid-Island Councilman Steven Matteo.

MORE EXPORT PLANNED

According to the draft report, the project "represents an opportunity for $10 million in foreign direct investment. The Brewery exported 28 percent of its production in 2013; its export volume is projected to grow to as much as 60 percent by 2022."

The next step in the process is for the Regional Economic Development Council "to choose the projects in the draft proposal to make priorities," said a spokesman for Empire State Development (ESD).

A public forum on the draft report was held on Monday. If the brewery is selected as one of the Council's priorities in early August, among the next steps would be site selection and securing funding, said the ESD spokesman.

"This is the same process that was able to get funding to the New York Wheel and Empire Outlets. Staten Island was a big focus of the Council last year," he said.