Tacoma’s basement winemakers have gotten the green light to bring their businesses above ground.

At the recommendation of the city Planning Commission, the Tacoma City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday to allow small-scale microwineries in certain residential areas.

Right now, people can make wine in their homes if they apply for a home occupation permit with the city, but they can’t sell the product there or hold wine-tasting events.

Unlike vineyard-based or factory wineries, microwineries produce small batches of wine using grapes imported from other locations. The approved ordinance would allow microwineries to produce and sell up to 1,000 cases of wine a year in neighborhood retail areas known as C-1 zones, as well as in higher-density commercial areas. The businesses will still be outlawed in strictly residential areas.

The ordinance will go into effect Dec. 31.

The proposal came from Tacoma winemaker Philip Coates, who’s wanted to expand his home-based winemaking business since 2006. He’ll now start operating Coates Winery out of a retail location he owns at 2621 N. 21st St., in a zone where microwineries were formerly prohibited.

Since Coates proposed the amendment to the zoning regulations in December 2006, he’s been able to store some wine at the site, but that’s about it, he said.

“Legally we couldn’t sell from that site, we couldn’t serve and we couldn’t produce any wines,” Coates said. “We didn’t know if we could go forward.”

Planning Division manager Philip Huffman said his staff determined that allowing the microwineries in low-level retail zones wouldn’t be disruptive to housing and could improve the neighborhoods’ livability.

“The idea is that it would facilitate people walking and getting into these small commercial nodes,” Huffman said. “If you get people from the surrounding neighborhood to utilize it, it could contribute to the community.”

Cities vary in how they regulate wine-producing operations, but allowing microwineries in mixed residential-commercial areas isn’t uncommon, Huffman said.

According to the Planning Commission’s review of Coates’ proposal, a microwinery producing up to 1,000 cases of wine a year would cause fewer traffic and nuisance concerns than a restaurant operating in the same area.

Still, microwineries would be required to keep all alcohol serving and wine production well-contained to avoid disrupting nearby residents.

Of the 543 wineries licensed with the Washington State Liquor Control Board, only 25 produce fewer than 250,000 liters of wine a year – the equivalent of about 28,000 cases.

Coates compared small, locally owned microwineries to boutiques, which he said can improve the character of a neighborhood.

“It wouldn’t be just another hair salon,” Coates said. “It would add some diversity.”

Melissa Santos: 253-552-7058

melissa.santos@thenewstribune.com