The landmark Budweiser brewery in Fairfield’s is up for sale following plans by parent company Anheuser-Busch to shut down the 170-acre facility on Sunday.
The beer giant tapped Cushman & Wakefield to market the 170-acre brewery at 3103 Busch Dr., according to the San Francisco Business Times. Opened in 1976, the Fairfield plant has operated for nearly 50 years as a major brewing, packaging and distribution hub, occupying a prominent site visible from Interstate 80.
The shutdown follows a wave of industrial pullbacks across the region from other manufacturers including USS-Posco Industries in Pittsburg, Valero’s refinery in Benicia and the Mare Island dry dock.
Anheuser-Busch announced the Fairfield closure in December as part of a broader restructuring of its U.S. manufacturing footprint, which also includes shuttering a plant in Merrimack, New Hampshire, and selling its Newark, New Jersey, facility.
Company officials said production from the three sites has been shifted to other U.S. breweries following nearly $2 billion in nationwide manufacturing investments.
City Manager David Gassaway said officials are already exploring potential reuse options for the highly specialized site, though redevelopment could prove challenging.
“To be clear, I don’t think it will be an easy task given the large and highly specialized nature of the facility,” Gassaway said. “I hope I’m wrong though.”
The complex spans more than 1 million square feet across 10 parcels and includes solar and gas power infrastructure as well as two wind turbines. Nearby, California Forever is planning a large-scale development east of the brewery along Highway 12.
State filings show 238 Fairfield employees received layoff notices, per the Business Times, though the company said workers were offered transfers to other facilities. Fairfield Mayor Catherine Moy warned the impacts extend further, estimating that more than 500 workers at auxiliary companies could also be displaced, with millions in lost tax revenue for the city and state.— Lauren Elkies Schram
Read more
Commercial
San Francisco
Tech firm takes former Anheuser-Busch warehouse in Oakland
Los Angeles
Investors flip beer warehouse to double their money in six months