David D’Angelo, seen last year at Sidereal Farm Brewery in Vassalboro, plans to expand his business offerings and increase his hours of operation. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file

VASSALBORO — A firepit, bocce ball court and outdoor seating area are among the improvements that are soon expected to be underway at Sidereal Farm Brewery after a challenge to the plan was rejected Tuesday by the Vassalboro Board of Appeals.

Sidereal Farm Brewery, opened in 2022 by Justin Amaral and David D’Angelo, is an eclectic operation with a craft brewery, a coffee roastery and a pop-up restaurant situated on a farm at 772 Cross Hill Road.

Amaral and D’Angelo aim to ramp up business at Sidereal during the busier summer months with an array of additions and upgrades to the site ranging from longer opening hours to expanded vehicle access to the farm.

“It’s the summertime. Between now and October, that’s when we make the most,” D’Angelo previously told the Planning Board.

The plan calls for the creation of a beer garden beside the brewery with a firepit, bocce ball court and fruit trees. Sidereal Farm Brewery also plans to be open two hours later, staying open until 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and apply for a state license to operate a full-service restaurant.

Vassalboro’s Planning Board initially approved the project last month, but Vassalboro residents Peter and Mary Beth Soule appealed the decision, citing potential impacts on Sidereal’s neighbors.

The Board of Appeals ultimately found at its meeting Tuesday that it does not have the authority to reverse the Planning Board’s decision after consulting with Cameron Ferrante, the town’s attorney.

“The board does not have jurisdiction to hear the Soule’s appeal,” Ferrante said in a letter to appeals board members. “If an ordinance does not explicitly provide the right to appeal to the board of appeals, then the board is not authorized to hear the appeal.”

In addition to updating and expanding the brewery itself, Sidereal’s owners also plan to increase vehicle traffic to the brewery.

Sidereal’s owners want to extend the farm’s access drive, which leads from Cross Hill Road to the brewery building. D’Angelo and Amaral plan to build a cul-de-sac at the end of it and rename it Sidereal Way with the intent of keeping customers from mistakenly driving up neighbors’ driveways. LED streetlights are to be installed above Sidereal Way and the outdoor seating area.

The proposal drew criticism from the Soules and several of Sidereal’s other neighbors, who raised concerns at last month’s meeting about potential noise and light pollution the brewery could create, prompting the Planning Board to attach several stipulations to their approval of the project.

Several residents said at last month’s Planning Board meeting that longer hours might mean noisier customers in the evenings and light from Sidereal Way’s proposed streetlights and drivers’ headlights may be sent right into neighbors’ windows.

“There is absolutely no way to mitigate noise and especially headlights with a complete, 360-degree turnaround,” Peter Soule said, referring to the cul-de-sac. “It’s totally unacceptable.”

To address concerns about noise and light pollution, the Planning Board will require Amaral and D’Angelo to build a 6-foot-high fence with trees lining the inside on the property.

A special traffic pattern will be adopted at the base of Sidereal Way to minimize light from vehicle headlights, and cars will not be allowed to park along the road. The LED streetlights are to be turned off by 11 p.m. every night.

While there is no exact timeline for construction, D’Angelo previously told the Planning Board his goal is to complete the work before summer’s end.