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Richland County committee forwards rezoning requests after neighbor objections to winery plan
Summary
The county zoning committee voted to forward multiple rezoning requests — including a proposal to rezone land for Wild Hills winery to commercial so a new cabin can be rented — after public objections about noise, boundaries and the scope of commercial uses. Committee members said future development would require conditional-use review.
The Richland County Zoning and Conservation Committee on Thursday heard several rezoning requests and agreed to forward them to the county board for final action, including a request by Wild Hills winery to rezone parcels to commercial so a recently built cabin can be legally rented.
Aaron Halverson, the applicant for Wild Hills, told the committee that "we have 1 cabin we've recently built. It's just about ready for rental," and said commercial zoning would make the property's winery, tasting-room activity and any rental use consistent with county rules.
A nearby resident objected, saying the winery "has been running, selling wine out there for many years already" and asserting the operation was being conducted "illegally." The resident also opposed plans for additional buildings and said the activity had created noise concerns near their property.
Zoning staff explained the county zoning ordinance allows many ag-related businesses and that some winery activities may be permitted under ag classifications, but that rezoning to commercial would clarify permitted uses. Committee members pressed for detail on sanitation and septic arrangements for potential guest houses; staff said sanitation and septic systems are regulated and that further development likely would require conditional-use permits and building permits tied to state sanitation rules.
On other petitions, the committee approved forwarding a separate 21.08-acre rezoning from ag/forestry to residential and a technical rezoning for a two-acre parcel to accommodate a cell tower, with members noting acreage thresholds and conditional-use reviews would govern future development.
The chair said the committee "took your comment and we'll take that into consideration" and emphasized that if additional development occurs the county would re-evaluate whether proposals comply with the ordinance at those later permitting steps.
The petitions were forwarded to the county board for final decisions.
The committee also discussed a larger effort to review and clarify the zoning ordinance and said staff would send physical copies to committee members to mark up ahead of a future meeting.
