Township approves temporary use permit for Oxbow/Fiddler's Elbow to host Mansion in May 2027 with escrow and coordination conditions

Ken Donovan, representing the family that acquired the former Lana Lobel property, told the Bedminster Township Committee that the owners plan to host Mansion in May 2027 and to lease the manor to the Women's Association of Morristown Memorial Hospital for $1 beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Donovan said Mansion in May is the hospital women's association's largest fundraiser and typically draws tens of thousands of visitors over the month; the event will rely on buses from Raritan Valley College and will not provide on-site parking.

Donovan asked for a temporary special-use permit to allow event operations and to construct a temporary barn/event structure for concessions and boxed lunches. He said the property will be used as a commercial site following land-use approvals and described limited construction required to make the manor and an event barn usable for the event—electricity initially, but no plumbing for the temporary barn.

Committee members questioned whether the permit superseded planning or building-board jurisdiction; municipal staff and the mayor clarified that the temporary use permit allows short-term event operations for large-scale events while land-use and building approvals for structural work remain subject to the planning and zoning boards.

To address town concerns about safety, staging and the Jan. 1 turnover, the mayor proposed two conditions for approval: establishment of an escrow to cover township professional fees and twice-monthly coordination meetings between the applicant's team and township staff (engineer and construction official). The applicant agreed to the conditions. The committee approved the temporary special-use permit subject to those conditions by motion and voice vote.

The committee also discussed longer-term plans the owners intend to pursue with the land-use board, including renovation of the manor into an eight-room bed-and-breakfast and the eventual replacement of a deteriorating 22,000-square-foot horse barn with a new event space, both of which will require separate building and planning approvals.

The permit decision allows Mansion in May organizers to begin staging and logistical planning with township staff; the applicant said the women's association and the owners will continue regular coordination and that a formal press release about the event is expected to go out the following day.