Agency sending out letters to townships to gauge interest in allowing farm-families to rent out barns for family events
By Kellen Olshefski
Editor
The Walworth County Zoning Agency is reviewing the possibility of allowing farm-families in the agricultural 1 and 2 zoning districts the ability to rent out their barns for family-style events.
The topic was last brought before the zoning agency at its Dec. 17 meeting as a request from the Town of Lyons to allow “wedding barns” in the agricultural 4 districts – a manufacturing, housing and marketing district – for conditional use.
At that meeting, Debora Grube of the Walworth County Land Use and Resource Management Department said using barns for a wedding venue, dance hall or other public gathering use might not be appropriate. However, she said in the A-1 district where a barn is already existing as part of a family business, it might be viable under a conditional use permit with “very limited conditions.”
With response from polled towns in the county split on the possibility of allowing this, the zoning agency opted in favor of directing staff to come up with some suggested conditions, and then returning it to the towns for further review and response.
At the zoning agency’s Jan. 21 meeting, Grube presented the committee with a list of 27 possible conditions for a Farm Family Business Event Barn. Some of the possible conditions include:
- Events within the barn would be limited to five per year, with increases of two more each year up to 12 after an annual review;
- The barn must have been in existence on site as an agricultural structure for at least five years prior to the request to use the barn for family events;
- Event hours would be limited to Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to midnight, and from 9 a.m. to noon on Sundays during the months of June through October;
- Parking must be available on site and not parking on public or private streets would be allowed; and
- Liquor licenses could not be applied for or issued for use of the barn for family events as a farm family business.
Grube said the intention is that the farm family would be renting the barn and the idea would be to allow family events, such as weddings, baby showers and reunions.
Walworth County Land Use and Resource Management Director Michael Cotter said the reason it’s focused so heavily on family events is because the county has previously dealt with rave parties and turning barns into night clubs, specifically, outside of Whitewater.
“(That’s) what happened outside of Whitewater, kind of repeatedly, with the college kids coming down having raves and dances, a full blown night club in a barn,” he said. “So, that’s what we’re trying to address too while balancing the wedding barns.”
Supervisor David Weber questioned the stipulation about not issuing liquor licenses, noting at most of the events, like weddings, it’s fairly common practice to have some kind of liquor.
Grube said under the proposed stipulations, liquor could be brought in, however it would not be allowed to be brought in and sold, something also covered under a stipulation that prohibits retail sales on site.
Citizen Member Jim Van Dresser made a motion to send a second letter to the townships with the proposed conditions, with responses to come back by the zoning agency’s March meeting. The motion was passed unanimously.
