Walworth County panel approves farm-stand expansion allowing on-site alcohol sales with limits and local-product restriction

Robert Pierce Farms won committee approval Thursday for a conditional-use expansion that adds agritainment space and permits on-site sales of beer and wine, subject to conditions intended to keep the operation family-focused and locally oriented.

Deputy Director Mandy Bonneville presented the application, saying the proposal would add a 24-by-200-foot expansion to one building and a 24-by-60-foot expansion to another to support agriculturally related events and activities. She told the committee that condition language would be amended to require that on-site alcohol be sold from a concession-style area and that any carryout packaged alcohol sales be limited to beers and wines produced in Walworth County.

Applicant Robert Pierce described the operation as a family farm with orchards and on-site baking and said the agritainment additions were intended to support activities such as 4-H and FFA meetings, birthday parties and family outings. “We’re looking for an expansion on the backside of our vegetable stand…we try to keep everything really clean, nice, upkept,” Pierce told the committee, adding that he had partnered with local brewers in the past and wanted to feature local products.

Committee members pressed on safeguards to keep the farm from operating like a bar. One committee member (S6) said limiting consumption would help ‘‘differentiate it from a bar,’’ while another asked how the concession area would be organized. Pierce said alcohol would be served from concession points near picnic seating and that he was not applying for a liquor license; he said beer and wine sales would be offered in a family-friendly setting, not as a sit-down bar.

After discussion, the committee added two conditions: on-site consumption would be limited to three drinks per person, and carryout packaged beer and wine would be limited to products produced in Walworth County. Staff confirmed that condition number 23 would be amended to reflect the county-product requirement and that on-site consumption limits would be clarified in conditions 22 and 23.

A motion to approve the conditional use, with the amended conditions, passed; the clerk recorded the motion as carrying with one dissenting vote. The committee noted that the town had approved the application and that the county would monitor enforcement of the conditions.

The committee also discussed the broader zoning implications of allowing agritainment and alcohol sales in agricultural districts, with members urging clarity in conditions so similar proposals would be handled consistently in the future. The committee adjourned after completing its remaining votes.