Hurricane council to rewrite farm‑stand rules after debate over lot size, packaging and enforcement

Hurricane City Council members agreed to send back proposed changes to the city's farm‑stand ordinance after a lengthy discussion about minimum lot size, what counts as a farm product and how to prevent convenience stores from being licensed as farm stands.

Unidentified staff told the council the draft of Ordinance 2025‑8 would allow commercially packaged food and other commercially processed items at farm stands only with a conditional use permit and a set of conditions. "We're proposing a conditional use permit for farm stands that go beyond the...that just sells produce grown on the property," the staff presenter said during the council briefing. Key proposed conditions include that at least half of a structure's total sales area be devoted to products grown or produced on the parcel where the stand sits, retail packaging and labeling for commercially processed items, a single structure no larger than 500 square feet, compliance with accessory‑structure height and setback rules, and a business license for non‑agricultural activity.

Several council members raised enforcement concerns with measuring "sales area" and the potential for abuse — for example, shelving nonfarm items while using display space or inventory tricks to meet the numeric threshold. One council member warned that without limits, the ordinance could permit a convenience‑store atmosphere in residential‑agriculture zones.

Local farmers who spoke in favor said the change would help make small farms financially viable year‑round. John Garner, who identified his farm as roughly three acres and said his family runs a farm store, told the council the ability to sell other locally produced packaged goods would "help us dramatically" through seasonal lulls and would support local food security. Neighbor and farmer Sherry Tate also urged approval, saying many packaged farm products are already regulated by USDA or the health department and that farm stands bring community value and tourism.

Council members debated compromise language: keep farm‑production as the dominant use, bar stands within recorded subdivisions, allow owners to sell produce grown on other parcels they own, and revisit the numeric percentage (some suggested 75–85% be farm products rather than 50%). Staff noted the Planning Commission had removed a minimum lot‑size requirement but had discussed a 5‑acre standard; several council members said a 1‑acre minimum and a prohibition in recorded subdivisions would better protect residential areas.

Rather than vote on final language, the council voted to continue the item for two weeks and asked staff to return with revised wording that clarifies the definition of "commercial" and "accessory" sales, the scope of allowable off‑parcel farm products, and enforcement mechanisms. The council also requested language to require a business license for stands that sell packaged goods and to make clear when a conditional use permit should be discontinued.

The council directed staff to present a revised ordinance that reflects those points and to return at the next meeting for further consideration.