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Lenox board tables variance request for beehive manufacturing at 608 South Main Street
Summary
Property owner Mitch Farquhar asked the Lenox Board of Adjustments for a variance to manufacture and sell beehive boxes at 608 South Main Street; after neighborhood comment and questions about Main Street land-use policy and nonconforming uses, the board voted to table the request pending a broader Main Street study.
The Lenox Board of Adjustments on Monday tabled a variance request from property owner Mitch Farquhar that would have allowed him to manufacture and sell beehive boxes at 608 South Main Street.
Farquhar, who identified himself at the public hearing as the building owner, told the board he bought the former restaurant building and a CNC machine in 2020 and plans to produce beehive boxes as his primary source of retirement income. “I bought the building … My intent was to build beehives,” Farquhar said, describing slow progress after COVID and a lengthy recovery from a car accident.
Board members pressed Farquhar on site constraints and mitigation measures, including whether a garage door could be added to move fabrication indoors. Farquhar said he could likely install a modest 7-foot door but that he is on retirement pension and social security and has limited funds. He described a seasonal production schedule and said most sales would be pickups from palletized, finished boxes stored on-site and that painting would be done with latex by brush or roller, not spray.
A resident across the street, Chris Olens, spoke in support of Farquhar’s plan, saying the property had been vacant and “looked the best it’s looked in years” since the owner cleaned it up. Board members and staff discussed whether the proposed use would be retail, wholesale or light industrial, and how parking and landscaping requirements are determined by zoning in the central business district. Staff reminded the board that any variance approval requires written findings and that an approval requires a two-thirds vote of the board under the ordinance.
Citing concerns about precedent for Main Street land-use and asking for wider input from Main Street businesses, a board member moved to table the variance until the board completes its Main Street land-use study. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; the board recorded the item as tabled. The public hearing was closed at about 07:29.
Next steps: The variance will be reconsidered after the board's Main Street land-use discussion and any related outreach to nearby businesses and stakeholders. The board did not set a specific date for reconsideration at the meeting.
