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Hurricane council weighs code change after request for farm store at residential property
Summary
Council members discussed whether to allow small farm stores to sell off‑site agricultural products through a conditional‑use or ordinance change after repeated requests from a property operator and concerns about septic, zoning and property‑owner compliance.
Hurricane council members on the pre‑meeting discussed whether to change city code to allow a small “farm store” to sell farm products that are not solely produced on‑site and whether a conditional‑use pathway could be created for such activity.
The discussion followed a request by a resident who wants to operate a small storefront that would sell items including eggs from the operator’s flock as well as prepackaged beef, cheese and other farm goods sourced from other farms. “They really want to be able to sell our farm stuff,” a council member said, describing the operator’s request to be allowed to sell products not exclusively produced on the parcel.
City staff said the code currently allows only a limited farm stand and does not provide an avenue for broader farm‑store retail sales or off‑site products. A staff member said that expanding uses in agricultural zones or creating a defined “small farm store” category that would permit limited retail and prepackaged goods could be an option.
Members raised concerns about the specific property where the operator currently sells. A council member said the parcel has existing zoning and code issues: multifamily units that were conditioned on septic upgrades have not been relocated, unapproved or inadequate septic systems remain, and additional commercial activity has been added without approvals. “My concern is this particular property and the ongoing zoning violations,” the council member said, noting the property is partly zoned RA‑1 and partly multifamily, and that prior conditions tied to septic work had not been satisfied.
Council members also discussed public‑health and public‑safety controls for retail food sales. One council member said the proposed operation is automated with no on‑site employees and uses coolers, and asked whether that changes food‑safety or permitting requirements. Staff and council agreed that rules about bathrooms, food handling and packaging would need to be clarified, and that a conditional‑use permit could include limits on hours and products.
Council direction and next steps included an agreement for staff to return with options. The mayor asked staff members Gary and Dayton to meet and bring recommendations back to council on mechanisms to allow limited farm retail while addressing septic, property‑owner compliance and public‑health safeguards. Staff said they would research ordinance changes and conditional‑use approaches and return with ideas in the coming weeks.
Council members emphasized they did not want to penalize small agricultural businesses, but they also said code compliance and public‑health protections must be addressed before allowing the operation to continue or expand.
Clarifying details from the discussion — including whether the property must be brought into compliance, what operational limits would be required, and whether portable toilets or other sanitation measures would be sufficient — were left for staff to specify in the forthcoming recommendations.
