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No wedding parties allowed at this farm's barn, Board of Adjustment decides

A party barn located in Orange County is currently under construction. It was built to host weddings but the Orange County Board of Adjustments has prevented weddings from being held there due to zoning purposes.

A party barn located in Orange County is currently under construction. It was built to host weddings but the Orange County Board of Adjustments has prevented weddings from being held there due to zoning purposes.

The decision was made March 13 at an appeal hearing held by the board. County Planning Supervisor Michael Harvey was brought into the process to determine whether the property could be classified as a farm.

Barn of Chapel Hill owner Kara Brewer was granted a building permit in June 2016, but that decision was reviewed by the Board of Adjustment in October 2016. A previous special use application was rejected in November 2015.

“The Board of Adjustment determined that the proposed use of the property as a wedding venue constituted a principal land use operation and as such needed the appropriate permit to commence operation,” Harvey said.

Laura Streitfeld, executive director of Preserve Rural Orange, said the nonprofit supports the board’s decision. Preserve Rural Orange provides rural communities with information about the land so residents can give their input on situations regarding rural land and the environment.

“In this case a real estate investor is claiming an exemption from zoning that is intended to benefit farmers with the potential for negative impact on farms and rural communities,” Streitfeld said.

Barn of Chapel Hill owner Kara Brewer still plans to attempt to authorize the barn to host weddings. The board’s decision can be challenged by an appeal to Orange County Superior Court.

“Right now we’re just waiting on the written decision to come back from the Board of Adjustment to figure out exactly what they decided, why they decided it, and then once we get that decision we can certainly appeal,” she said.

Brewer said the Barn was given permission by the board to continue with other activities such as regular farming operations, educational programs and field trips.

Brewer said she believes hosting weddings in the Barn makes sense because they grow flowers and can create floral design for the weddings. She said that prospective brides who have visited the property were excited about using the flowers for their special events.

“There’s many different forms of agritourism,” Brewer said. “For some people having a corn maze is an appropriate form of agritourism. For us, we don’t grow corn, it doesn’t really make sense for us. But weddings do make sense because it directly relates to our farm activities.”

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