St. Marys County August 25, 2020 Briefing on Temporary Events on - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Commissioners of

• St. Mary’s County

August 25, 2020 Briefing on Temporary Events on Farms

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Origin of the Briefing Commercial Weddings on Farms as Temporary Events

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Commercial Wedding is a Temporary Use

• Temporary use is incidental to the

principal use

• Temporary uses are limited to 20 days

per year

• Zoning permit required if the site is

less than 50 acres

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Two categories of temporary event in Zoning Ordinance : Indoor (Use 127)

• Animal shows – domestic / farm

animals

• Art fairs and hand crafts shows

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Indoor (Use 127)

• Equipment and trade fairs
• Concerts, carnivals, fairs and similar
• Games, live entertainment, eating and

drinking

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Two categories of temporary event in Zoning Ordinance : Outdoor (Use 128)

• Same uses as indoor, plus
• Rodeo, circus, livestock sales or

auctions

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Outdoor (Use 128)

• Outdoor live entertainment may be for

6 consecutive days

• Other outdoor events may be for 14

consecutive days

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Potential disturbances to a residence in a farming area Right to Farm Residences cannot complain about normal agricultural activities and good husbandry practices

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Agricultural tourism / agritourism

• Allowed on working farms or vineyards

as accessory uses incidental to the primary farm operation

• Uses that provide recreation, education,
• r involvement in farm operations

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• Incudes farm tours, hay rides, corn

mazes, classes, picnic and party facilities

• Agritourism is a commercial, farm

related activity

• Supplements customary farm income
• No complaints to Land Use and Growth

Management on agritourism operations

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Uses permitted in the RPD by right “P”

• r through conditional use “C”

Commercial use types

• Conference facility – Use 46 C
• Construction materials and equipment

storage – Use 47 P

• Fairgrounds and flea markets – Use 50 P

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Commercial use types

• Maintenance and repair service – Use 58 P
• Outdoor recreational facility, includes

motor sports – Use 68 P

• Minor indoor recreational facility – Use 69

C

• Minor outdoor recreation facility, includes
• target shooting – Use 70 C

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Industrial use types

• Mining: gravel mines up to 5 acres – Use

82 P

• Production industry custom, includes

carpentry, machine shops, small-scale sawmills – Use 83 P

• Production industry general, includes

large-scale sawmills – Use 85 P

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Transportation, Communication, Utility Type uses

• Private airport, landing strip, heliport

– Use 88 C

• Solid waste facility – Use 96 C

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Transportation, Communication, Utility

• Major utility, including public

wastewater treatment plant – Use 97 C

• Minor utility, including recycling center

– Use 98 P

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Residents wanting to live in a rural area – RPD – should be aware of the possible uses that can come after them

• Non-residential uses require a public

hearing – concept site plan or conditional use

• Residents on property within 200 feet

are notified and can testify

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Weddings on farms

• Supplemental income to a farm
• Do not have a direct connection with

farming

• Commercial, non-farm activity that takes

place on a farm

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Commercial weddings are temporary events

• There is no notification to nearby

residents and no public hearing

• Maximum 20 days per year

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For an unlimited number of weddings

• Can apply for a Conference Facility

Conditional Use in RPD

• One of the standards: must not have

an adverse impact on adjoining uses

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Tourism and Regulatory Task Force

• Recommendation: Increase the

number to 30

• Supports tourism and increases the

income to the farm

• Events should end by 10:00 pm
• Acknowledges the problem of noise

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Visit St. Mary’s Event Guidance Booklet

• How to run successful events
• Keep negative externalities to a

minimum

• Voluntary implementation

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Visit St. Mary’s Event Guidance Booklet

• Has a section on soundproofing
• Recommends an Operational Plan:

inform nearby residences who will be impacted by noise

• Provide cell phone number for

neighbors to call

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Summary and Recommendations The Challenge How to keep weekend farm weddings from disturbing nearby homeowners while Not being so limiting that farm wedding businesses cannot operate

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Summary and Recommendations

• Non-farm, non-residential uses are

allowed in RPD

• No complaints reported on these

uses from the areas where farm wedding venues are located

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Summary and Recommendations

• Noise from farm weddings is

disruptive

• Occur on weekends
• Last into the night

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Summary and Recommendations

• Farm weddings provide income to farm
• wners
• Increase tourism

But …

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Summary and Recommendations

• Farm weddings will make noise
• They will be on Saturdays and

Saturday nights

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Summary and Recommendations Best balancing mechanism Conditional use, after public hearing, with Board of Appeals

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Summary and Recommendations

• Add new use in the Zoning Ordinance
• New “Farm weddings and celebratory

events” would be classified in the new use

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Summary and Recommendations

• Existing farm weddings wanting more

than 20 days of events would change from temporary event to conditional use