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Board approves variance letting long-running event venue operate below 10-acre requirement
Summary
The board granted a variance (B50507) to allow an existing limestone-area event venue to operate as an outdoor event space while remaining under the 10-acre lot-size threshold, citing buffers, a 20-year operating history and no opposing testimony; the applicant said the site meets a 50-foot buffer in practice.
Dorchester County's Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance allowing an existing event venue (B50507) to be treated as an outdoor event venue despite not meeting the ordinance's 10-acre minimum for such uses. Staff said the site meets the ordinance's other requirements — including 50-foot buffers and parking setbacks — but cannot meet the 10-acre lot-size requirement; granting a variance would protect current and future owners.
Applicant Albert Judy, speaking under oath, described the site's layout and the buffer from the retention pond: "With the 50 foot buffer, we got still got 46 feet." Resident Charlotte Shepherd of Somerville urged approval and questioned the rationale for the 10-acre threshold, calling it arbitrary: "It seems to me like the 10 acre amount for outdoor venue was like a random visit..." Board members cited the venue's 20-year history without complaints, the documentation provided by the applicant, and the absence of opposing testimony; a motion to approve the variance based on the facts and findings presented passed by voice vote.
