PAGE – The Page City Council Wednesday night approved a property lease to Peasley Holdings LLC.

The Williams-based company plans to open a third Grand Canyon Brewing Company in Page. Currently, they have locations in Williams and in Flagstaff.

The building is located on 714 North Navajo Dr., across the street from Strombolli’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria. The steel structure is the old fire station, and until this year, a maintenance garage for city vehicles.

City Manager Darren Coldwell told the council the city plans to have the building vacated and ready to move in the first week of March. They are working on a getting another building but have two mobile units available for maintenance work.

Company founder John Peasley will renovate the building to include indoor and outdoor dining areas, a full-service bar, a taproom, and a retail shop for packaged beer and spirits. There will be a brewhouse for creating “location specific brews.” Design plans also include over 20 TVs, pool tables and shuffleboards.

Peasley said the new business will potentially employ 40 to 60 employees.

Peasley said he started in the business when he got out of the Navy. He said, “With $2,500 in my pocket, I got lucky and found a restaurant for sale in Williams, Cruisers Café, and started Grand Canyon Brewery in 2007 by reading a book.”

Peasley’s lease with the City of Page is $2,500 a month for the first six months, then $5,000 a month for the next six months, then $8,000 a month after the first year.

Peasley also has the option to buy the 0.86-acre property and a 9,846-square-foot building at its appraised market value of $550,000.

No opening date is set for Grand Canyon Brewing Company, though indications point to a fast buildout. Coldwell said, “John Peasley is chomping at the bit. He is ready to get in there and start making beer. He said today that he’s got his trailer hooked up, and we’ll see him in the morning.” Coldwell clarified the enthusiasm, “But I think that was a bit of a joke.”