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Board approves Niceland Farm event venue but greenlights AFD withdrawal amid neighbor concerns
Summary
After extensive public comment on noise, traffic and prime farmland, the Board of Supervisors approved both an early withdrawal from the Agricultural and Forestal District and a special-use permit for Niceland Farm’s event venue with amended conditions, including a reduced attendee cap and noise-orientation requirements.
The James City County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a special-use permit for Niceland Farm’s renovated barn to operate as an event venue and tourist home, and separately approved an early withdrawal from the county’s Agricultural and Forestal District (AFD).
The board’s decision followed hours of testimony from neighbors, farm supporters and county staff about traffic safety on Fire Tower Road, nighttime noise from a recent wedding, and the project’s siting on prime agricultural soils. Staff had presented an amended application that reduced the maximum attendees from 360 to 250, added a vegetative buffer and required amplified music to be oriented toward the interior of the property.
"We restored a derelict…
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