Letter to the Editor: Vote Yes for White Barn Farm on Agricultural Accessory Uses

The following was submitted by Christy and Chris Kantlehner

Wrentham residents/registered voters please support us at town meeting June 10th

Vote yes on adding an accessory use to agricultural zoning (this is completely separate from the re-zoning on Madison St. that you see all the lawn signs about).

"The mission of White Barn Farm is to preserve open space and this historic family property by growing food in a beautiful living landscape that will inspire feasting in celebration of natural beauty and our local economy. White Barn Farm aims to make Wrentham a funner and tastier place to live."

We dream of hosting a film series projected on the barn, musical performances, farm tours and dinners, and weddings in alignment with our mission of making Wrentham a funner and tastier place to live. When we approached the town to get the proper permits and whatnot to make these dreams happen, we found there was not really a definition for these sort of activities on a farm in a residential area (we are not zoned commercial - which is good for our mission of preserving open space).

Here is what the Draft Looks Like:

DRAFT Agricultural Accessory Uses BYLAW (4/10/13)

   Amend Article 4.2 as follows:

R-30¹

R-43¹

R-87¹

B-1

B-2³

C-1²

C-2

CRSP

H.        ACCESSORY USES

9.         Agricultural Accessory Uses

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

Y

Add the following new definition in alphabetical order to Article 2 Definitions:

Agricultural Accessory Uses

Food service, programs and revenue-generating events, such as tours, dinners, weddings, and musical performances, which are appropriate in scale to the premises and any surrounding residential area, including the preparation and serving of food and beverages for such events. These accessory uses are to supplement the income from the agricultural use of land as exempted from regulations or restrictions in zoning bylaws as defined in Section 3, Chapter 40A of Massachusetts General Laws. Adequate off-street parking must be provided.

The listed accessory uses are only allowed on land whose primary use is agriculture, which is already defined by the state (rather than defining it redundantly within this accessory use amendment). That means your neighbor cannot open a movie theater in their back yard just by planting a row of radishes in their garden. The agricultural use must be the primary use and primary source of income. Our town zoning bylaw defines agricultural uses to include farms, nurseries, orchards, and the subsequent sales from those uses. (farmstands) The farms in town right now (as far as I know) include White Barn Farm, Cook's Valley Farm, The Big Apple, and a new operation in West Wrentham called New Heritage Farm.

The farmer must scale his accessory uses to be appropriate to the premises and the surrounding residential area and provide off-street parking for his patrons. He would need to obtain appropriate Board of Health permits and coordinate with the public safety officials to determine if a police detail is needed.

We would be so so grateful if you could talk about this upcoming vote with your friends and neighbors, distinguishing it from the Madison St. Re-Zoning vote. We would appreciate any sort of social media sharing you can offer, as well. This amendment is not just to make our crazy dreams a reality - it is to contribute to the financial viability of our farm, which we hope allows our farm to continue operating and, most importantly, will preserve this place as open space and a working farm. There is the added bonus that these activities will bring some cultural enrichment to the town.

Thank you for taking your valuable time to read about this. Please, please go to town meeting on Monday, June 10th and stand up for your farms! The meeting is scheduled to run from 7:30pm to 11pm at the King Philip High School.

----------

White Barn Farm is responsible for the content of this email.
Christy and Chris Kantlehner, P.O. Box 207 458 South St., Wrentham, MA 02093