RiverTrail Beerworks Saranac Lake, NY

RIVERTRAIL BEERWORKS
SARANAC LAKE, NY
The owners of two popular existing breweries; Lake Placid Brewing and Big Slide Brewing Company were interested in opening a third location in Saranac, New York. After a glowing referral from the owners of Common Roots Brewing Company, Phinney design was hired to work with the brewery owners and management team to redevelop a former vending machine warehouse building. The scale of the projects program required combining the site with two adjacent parcels. The new brew pub is located on the shore of the Saranac River and in the heart of the Village of Saranac. The existing site and building were existing-nonconforming with a large parking lot that drained directly into the River. In coordination with the Town, and APA Phinney Design developed a masterplan to address the Town of Saranac’s zoning regulations as well as working with the APA for the redevelopment of this sensitive site in the Adirondack Park, while achieving the program and design that met the need for the new brewery on this downtown site. The location overlooking the Saranac River and connected to the newly expanded River Walk that now extends along the river shore through the Town to the Brewery, and in close proximity to the rail trail, the project is well positioned to encourage a paddle, walking, and biking access. The new site design is seamlessly connected to the new community Riverwalk with an easement provided by the owners to accommodate its extension. With a focus on minimizing the environmental impact of the new project, the new site design dramatically improves the stormwater management on the property to help preserve the health of the Saranac river for future generations. The large low sloping roof surface was positioned to accommodate an extensive solar array, and solar tracker panels were implemented on-site as well, both to power the new brewery, as well as four new fast charge EV charging stations for customers. These solar features are coupled with the buildings higher building envelope for energy efficiency, and new extensive stormwater management as key elements of the projects sustainable design approach. The architectural form references the classic ADK lean at a much larger scale. The exterior finishes were selected for durability, connection to surrounding building context, dark and natural color pallet per the APA requirements, and with douglas fir timber highlights at the structural bracket work and entrance canopies. The projects focus on sustainability will help to ensure the future health of the Saranac river, while providing a great venue within the Town overlooking this beautiful ADK river and community walk. The new brewery was aptly named RiverTrail.