Neighbor asks board to reopen Foxfire special permit, cites traffic and late-night noise

During public comment at the June 24 workshop, a neighbor identified later in the meeting as Molly Holmes described prolonged noise, truck traffic and safety concerns from the nearby Foxfire wedding venue and asked the board to consider reopening the venue’s special-use permit or pursuing other remedies.

Holmes said the owner made specific representations during the original public hearing — limits on event size and vehicle types — that neighbors relied on when the permit was granted. “The maximum size of the events we are looking to have is 75 people, mostly 40,” Holmes said when recounting the owner’s earlier statements. She told the board that shuttle buses and larger events have become more frequent, that trucks and supply vehicles travel the dead-end road and that the road itself is deteriorating and subject to flooding.

Board members and staff responded that the planning board’s enforcement power is limited to the written special-use permit and noted the town record does not clearly show written conditions for all oral promises made at the hearing. A planning member summarized the legal constraint bluntly: “If it’s not written down, it doesn’t exist.” The board agreed to watch the video of the original hearing, invite the venue owners to respond and revisit the matter at the next meeting in two weeks, while also suggesting the resident pursue county or legal counsel if she wants formal remedies.