North Peak nears opening of Bay City mixed-use brewery and taproom

New signage went up Jan. 12 on Water Street, signaling that North Peak Brewing's long‑planned Bay City brewery and taproom is moving toward completion and a likely public debut before St. Patrick's Day. The Traverse City–based brewer and developer 3Mission Design & Development have said they are aiming for a certificate of occupancy by the end of January, with hiring to begin in February and a public opening targeted for mid‑March.

The Water Street project is a mixed‑use development that will combine North Peak Brewery operations, a Kilkenny Irish Pub concept, and residential units in a building with historic ties to downtown Bay City. The combination of food-and-beverage space and housing is intended to boost foot traffic on the riverfront corridor and add active storefronts to an area that Bay City leaders have long prioritized for revitalization.

Project leaders acknowledge the timeline follows years of delay. Construction and opening windows were pushed back by pandemic disruptions and by required site contamination remediation, a common hurdle on urban redevelopment sites that can extend schedules and raise costs. The recent installation of exterior signs and developer comments provide the clearest signal yet that those complications are being resolved and that the site is transitioning from construction to operations.

For local residents the coming brewery and taproom have several immediate implications. Hiring that begins in February will create entry-level and hospitality positions just ahead of spring tourism season. The new pub and brewery should also strengthen Bay City's evening economy and provide another anchor for downtown events, especially around St. Patrick's Day when an Irish pub concept could attract both local patrons and visitors. Adding housing units in the same building will modestly increase downtown residential density, supporting walkable demand for restaurants and retail.

Economically, the project illustrates a broader trend of regional craft brewers expanding beyond their home markets to capture more tourism and local demand. For Bay City, the North Peak investment represents private-sector confidence in downtown reinvestment even after pandemic-era slowdowns. It also highlights the practical effects of environmental cleanup requirements on project timing and budgets—a reminder for policymakers balancing redevelopment incentives with remediation standards.

If the schedule holds, Bay City residents can expect to see hiring notices in February and a new brewery-taproom option on Water Street by mid‑March. The opening will be a visible marker of downtown momentum and of how adaptive reuse and mixed‑use projects can reanimate historic urban corridors.