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Minnetrista council grants farm‑winery permit but bars on‑site public tastings for now
Summary
After hours of public comment, the Minnetrista City Council voted 3‑2 to approve a conditional use permit for a farm winery at 3330 Highland Road that allows production and off‑site sales but does not authorize scheduled public tasting hours; staff will return a formal resolution with written conditions at the next meeting.
The Minnetrista City Council voted 3‑2 on June 3 to grant a conditional use permit (CUP) for a farm winery at 3330 Highland Road while declining to permit the scheduled public tasting weekends the applicants had requested. Council said it will return a written resolution with conditions at the next meeting.
The applicants, Sarah and Barry (Terry) Treble, asked the city to allow on‑site tastings on four weekends a year (the last weekend in August and the first three weekends in September), with limited hours (12 p.m.–6 p.m.), reservations, two‑hour slots and a maximum of 25 people at a time. “All we are asking for is the 48 hours a year,” applicant Sarah Treble told the council, saying the operation is intended to remain a small family farm and that there would be “no amplified music, no live music, no events.” She said the farm currently produces about 17,000 pounds of grapes in its best harvest and estimated roughly 6,000 bottles of wine could be produced annually.
Neighbors who opposed the permit focused on land‑use change, noise, traffic and enforcement. “The change of land use is paramount,” Judy Dorley told the council, urging them to protect the rural character of the neighborhood. Several residents questioned how the city could enforce limits such as the 25‑car/reservation cap and worried about driveway safety and increased traffic on County Road 110.
City staff and counsel reviewed the legal framework. Community Development Director David Abel explained the planning commission held two hearings and recommended approval with conditions by a 3‑2 vote; planning staff had drafted multiple possible conditions. City legal counsel cited Minnesota liquor law 348.315 on farm‑winery licensing and noted that selling wine to the public triggers both licensing and land‑use review. Council members debated issuing a CUP that permitted production and wholesale/retail shipment off‑site while withholding authority to host public tastings on a scheduled basis, or issuing a CUP with stricter, enforceable on‑site limits.
Mayor Lisa Whalen and several council members repeatedly raised enforcement concerns. “There is just no way for the city to be able to count the number of people that are there,” Whalen said, noting limits on the city’s ability to police on‑site attendance without documented violations.
After deliberation, Council Member Peter Vickery moved to approve the farm‑winery CUP limited to growth, production and sale under conditions that do not permit the proposed on‑site public tasting schedule; Anne MacGregor seconded. The motion passed 3‑2. The council instructed staff to draft a resolution enumerating the conditions and return it for formal adoption at the next meeting.
The planning commission record and written public comments will be part of the formal file when staff presents the resolution to council.
