ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — Months after Albany leaders selected a brewery operator for the former Pretoria Fields property, those plans have fallen through.

Earlier this year, Albany city commissioners approved a multi-use concept for the former Pretoria Fields property and voted to move forward with Socius Beer Collective’s bid to operate the brewery portion of the downtown space. The plan also called for a multi-use setup that would allow other vendors to operate in the space.

“We learned via email about two or three weeks ago that Socius was pulling out,” Albany City Manager Terrell Jacobs said. “Obviously, it was going to be a very large undertaking because of the size of the brewery.”

Challenges with equipment and concept

One of the biggest challenges facing the building sits inside the space. The brewery comes equipped with a large-scale brewing system that city leaders said was designed more for production and distribution. That equipment, along with the size of the facility itself, can make it difficult to find the right concept for the space.

Socius Beer Collective COO Jon Reynolds said the equipment was not the only concern. Socius supported the idea of activating the entire property, but there was still uncertainty about what would occupy the remaining space and how the overall concept would come together. He said those unanswered questions created delays in a project that already faced a lengthy startup timeline.

“I think it’s a death by a million cuts,” Reynolds said. “I mean, I think there were solutions to everything, but everyone was working in different directions. I mean, for the brewery concept to work, it needs everyone on board and everyone rowing in the same direction with it.”

City plans new bid

City leaders are left deciding what comes next. Jacobs said the commission will vote to put another bid out for the space, and they are hoping they can get consulting help on how to shape that bid and the concept for the space.

“We want them to work through these proposals and really think, you know, how the market—and hopefully we’ll have some information from this consultant to help us with that—how the market is going to be for today and tomorrow so that we get the best proposal that will be the best, you know, long-term, beneficial, and impactful for our community,” Jacobs said.

Reynolds said there is no bad blood with the city. He said Socius is willing to help however they can, whether that is guiding the city or any future investor through the realities of the brewing business.

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