Brookfield planning board approves expanded permitted uses for Moose Mountain with limits on camping, parking and music

The Brookfield Town Planning Board voted 4-0 to approve a package of permitted uses for the Moose Mountain property, allowing food service, outdoor weddings, food trucks and a list of outdoor recreational activities subject to conditions including a 92-space parking limit, hours of operation from 6 a.m. to midnight and restrictions on outdoor music.

The approval, made at the planning board meeting on Oct. 12, 2025, follows months of debate over whether previously observed uses (including a restaurant and functions) amount to a change of use that triggers site-plan review. The board also moved earlier in the meeting to deny site approval for a separate set of activities including RV camping and some types of large events; that denial was announced as carried 4-0.

The boards action matters because the property has a long, contested operating history and neighbors raised concerns about traffic, noise and parking. Planning board members said the conditions are intended to allow operations while preserving the boards ability to require building permits, parking plans and special-event permits where appropriate.

In the motion that passed, the planning board approved the following uses as permitted on the site, subject to the conditions below: food service/activity-driven uses; full-service restaurant operations; outdoor weddings; food trucks; and a range of recreational and low-impact commercial activities such as astronomy, bird watching, cross-country skiing, miniature…