The tap room will be part of a two-building development, which was reviewed by the Lake Placid-North Elba joint Planning Review Board at a meeting on Wednesday.

The property was formerly the building and parking lot of the Fireside Steak House, and later housed the Valcour Brewing Company tap room. A number of other businesses have existed at that property, including a Kentucky Fried Chicken shop. Michael Phinney, principal of Phinney Design Group, said the KFC structure is still visible inside the building. Phinney said they tried to find a way to reuse the existing structure, but that it ultimately became clear that they would need to start from scratch.

In addition to the tap room and restaurant, which will include a commercial kitchen and spaces for events and catering, the second building on the property will contain four apartments. The plan for the parking lot is to have a total of 14 spaces, including four for the apartment residents, Phinney said.

The project is being designed and managed by Phinney Design Group, a multi-disciplinary architecture, interior design and construction management group that is headquartered in Saratoga Springs but has a location in Lake Placid. Their portfolio includes eight or nine brewery-type restaurants, Phinney said, including the RiverTrail Beerworks that opened this year in Saranac Lake.

The empty building at 2653 Main St. is pictured Thursday. Two new buildings are planned for the property, including a tap room and four apartments. (Enterprise photo — Grace McIntyre)

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About the Meier’s Creek Brewing Company

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Meier’s Creek Brewing Company is an offshoot of Syracuse-owned stainless steel processing equipment manufacturer, Feldmeier Equipment. Colby Clark, president and CEO of both Meier’s and Feldmeier, said they opened their first location — a brewery in Cazenovia — after another brewing company that was in the process of building a new facility in Cazenovia went bankrupt.

Feldmeier was already in the business of making, among many other products, stainless steel vessels for the brewing industry. Because they didn’t want the facility to go into disrepair, they bought it and decided to brew the beer too.

“The rest is history,” Clark said. Their first location opened in 2020. They started with popular styles of beers, like pilsners and IPAs. As their location’s have expanded — their second location is a tap room in Syracuse’s Inner Harbor neighborhood and Lake Placid will be their third — so have their beers.

“That gave our brewery team the legs to stand on to start making some really fun sours,” said Crystal Paolelli, Meier’s director of marketing. “It’s just snowballed.”

The company has branched out into other beverages as well, including a Shirley Temple that was developed in collaboration with Syracuse Football’s head coach Fran Brown, as a nonalcoholic option. On the restaurant side, the menu for the Lake Placid location is yet to be revealed, but Paolelli said they tend to cater their food to the culture and needs of each community.

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A return to Lake Placid

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Clark’s family has a long history in Lake Placid, so it was the clear choice for a third location. His uncle was a bobsled athlete and his grandfather was the chief of surgery at the hospital in Lake Placid. His aunt went to Paul Smith’s College and his uncle moved to the area recently, after retiring. Between these and other connections to the area, Clark and his family have spent a good amount of time here.

“It’s always really held a special place in our heart,” Clark said. “We want to be part of a community like that.”

Clark said the “Adirondack vibe” is a good fit for the brewing company’s identity and mission. He said they want to listen to what the community wants and be a good neighbor.

“The tagline is ‘nourish what’s next,'” Clark said. “We felt it would fit perfect up there.”

According to Phinney, the goal is to have the tap room open and operating in time for February of 2026. The second building, containing the residential units, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026. With the sketch plan informally accepted by the board, the project can continue to move forward. The board did not see any major concerns with the project, and will be reviewing preliminary plan documents in the future.