Salem — Zack Adams received national attention in 2012 for his Magnificent Seven beer, which was one of three winners that year in the Samuel Adams LongShot American Homebrew Competition. Now, he is petitioning to change the zoning designation of his property on Music Vale Road so that he and his wife, Laura, can open Fox Farm Brewery.

“We had it in the back of our minds when we purchased the property (in 2012) that it could be a destination brewery,” he said.

He’s requested a change from Rural A to a special agricultural zone. Under the town’s zoning regulations, Rural A-designated properties can host agricultural activities such as a farm, nursery or roadside farm stand. However, products sold have to come exclusively from that property or other land owned by the same person within the town. Enclosed or sheltered facilities designed for the consumption of the farm’s products are prohibited.

The special agricultural zone designation was created to recognize the value of agricultural endeavors in preserving Salem’s rural feel. Permitted uses of the zone include wineries, and the application submitted to the Planning and Zoning Commission argues that the use of a farm brewery “is consistent in form and function to a ‘winery.’”

The state does not have a special designation for farm breweries. In New York, a 2012 law created a special farm brewery license that allows craft brewers using New York State crops to open restaurants and host tastings on their properties. Adams said the legislation there has done “amazing things” to support local farms and breweries.

The crux of the zoning application is the 5,300-square-foot dairy barn on the property, which would house the production facility and the tasting room. Part of the hayloft would be removed to fit the tanks used for brewing, and the concrete slab that the barn sits on would be renovated to fix the dairy-style layout and drainage.

“What’s really unique about our situation ... is our location and our barn,” Adams said.

He also plans to use the rest of the property to support the brewery by building a half-acre hopyard and planting more fruit trees. He said he wants to bring a sense of place to the beer by growing ingredients on site.

The Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing for the proposal at its meeting Tuesday night. While residents joked that the meeting was not as fiery as a hearing Monday night in Lyme over Sunset Hill Winery’s proposal for wine tastings, response to the proposal was mixed.

Teresa Natoli, who lives across from the property on Music Vale Road, said she and her husband want to support local businesses but question the impact that a brewery would have on their road, a common concern for neighbors.

“Music Vale is widely used as a cut-through between Route 82 and Route 85, and traffic can be quick and steady, especially during rush hour,” she said. “But with weekends the time for optimum beer drinking, I’m sure that our traffic will increase considerably on our usually quiet weekends.”

Support for the measure came from Frank Sroka, chairman of the Economic Development Commission, as well as friends and family of the Adamses. Laura’s father Mark Frausini, who also lives on Music Vale Road, told residents at the hearing that he was the one to blame for the brewery because he bought the first homebrewing kit after Adams graduated from college.

Doug Cummins said he was amazed by the engineering and structural work they have done to get the barn prepared.

“I don’t see any reason that this project should not be done,” he said. “Granted, I don’t live on this road, but I do think it’s a good thing for the town.

As the meeting approached 10 p.m., the commission voted unanimously to continue the public hearing at its Nov. 24 meeting to allow for more public comment.

While the Inland Wetlands and Conservation Commission voted unanimously at its Nov. 9 meeting that the farm brewery was not a “significant impact activity,” state law prevents the commission from making a final decision until the next meeting, scheduled for Dec. 14. The Planning and Zoning Commission therefore cannot make a final decision until its next meeting, Dec. 15. If approved, the brewery is slated to open in the second half of 2016.

a.hutchinson@theday.com

Twitter: @ahutch411