Greene County Board and Planning Commission debate agritourism rules, building size and event limits

The Greene County Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission spent the workshop portion of the July 21 meeting hashing out a proposed agritourism ordinance that would tighten how farms, wineries and similar businesses host events while seeking to preserve rural character.

Staff described the draft ordinance as the result of five work sessions with stakeholders and residents, and said the commission had tried to balance business viability and neighbor impacts. "The goal of this meeting is to get feedback from the board," staff told the board, noting the commission had drafted the ordinance after public input.

Why it matters: the proposal would change how the county treats farm-based venues as they move from supplemental farm income into larger event operations. The rules would affect event frequency, crowd size, building footprints and how the county enforces noise and traffic impacts.

Key provisions and debate

- Event threshold and caps: Staff explained the draft defines an "event" as starting at 50 attendees, allows up to 150 attendees by right, and would require a special-use permit for gatherings of 151 or more. The draft also proposes limiting certain larger events to 30 per year by right; the commission argued impacts start to be significant at about 50 people.

- Building footprint and scaling: The ordinance currently references a 4,000-square-foot by-right building standard (noted as modeled on another locality’s ordinance). Several Board members argued against a flat cap, favoring a matrix or formula that scales permitted building size to parcel acreage so large farms could house larger structures without a special-use permit. Staff said the Planning Commission will develop a scaled approach and return for further discussion.

- Occupancy and certification: Staff clarified current practice: by-right occupancy has historically been 200 people, rising to 400 with a zoning certification; the proposed ordinance would lower some by-right attendance numbers to 150 and change how zoning certification affects event counts and limits.

- Noise and amplified sound: Board members sought clearer language on noise enforcement and closing times (pointing out the draft’s ambiguous reference to "EST"). Staff said amplified outdoor sound would still be regulated under the county noise ordinance and that special-use permits can add conditions if site-specific screening or setbacks are insufficient.

- Bona fide agriculture: Members and staff discussed whether agritourism privileges should be tied to on-site agricultural production (farm-winery licensure tiers under state law) and recommended clearer criteria to preserve the agricultural purpose of the program.

Quotations

"If you allow more people, it's still gonna have the same impact on the highway regardless of the size of the property," staff said during the discussion, urging the board to consider traffic impacts alongside size limits.

"We want to preserve our rural character," a Planning Commission member said, arguing the ordinance should help farms survive without allowing uses that overwhelm neighbors.

Next steps and outcome

The Board directed the Planning Commission and staff to return with a scaling matrix or formula tying allowed building footprint and event counts to parcel acreage and to clarify definitions (including whether events are counted by day or by multi-day occurrences). No ordinance was adopted tonight; staff will bring revised language back for further review and a future workshop or public hearing.

Implementation notes: the Planning Commission indicated it will refine building-size scaling and the event definition, and staff will research whether state licensing tiers (farm-winery licensure) can be used to streamline eligibility or conditions.