A farm or agricultural heritage site special event, 9 to 15 annual events, shall comply with the following requirements.
(1) The minimum lot size for a farm is 10 acres.
(2) The minimum lot size for an agricultural heritage site is five acres.
(3) Onsite circulation and parking areas shall be designed to minimize vehicular and pedestrian conflicts.
(4) Any outdoor assembly areas shall be located and designed to shield surrounding residential properties from the effects of noise, hazards, or other offensive conditions and shall be screened from adjacent residential properties.
(5) Maximum capacity for a special event on a farm, or for an agricultural heritage site with a lot size over 10 acres, may not exceed 200 attendees. Maximum capacity for a special event on an agricultural heritage site with a lot size between 5 and 10 acres may not exceed 50 attendees.
(6) No more than 15 farm or agricultural heritage site special events may be held on the same property within a 12-month period.
(7) Operation hours shall be restricted to between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; and between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday.
(8) Each farm or agricultural heritage site special event shall be no longer than one day.
(9) Special event activities shall occur outdoors, unless the use of any structures or tents is in accordance with the Building Code.
(10) A farm or agricultural heritage site special event shall be accessory and not the principal use on the farm or agricultural heritage site.
(11) The owner has owned the property for the immediately preceding two years and has been engaged in active farming for the immediately preceding two years.
(Bill No. 69-20; Bill No. 90-20; Bill No. 2-21; Bill No. 81-22; Bill No. 15-23; Bill No. 62-23; Bill No. 3-24)
Editor’s note – Section 3 of Bill No. 69-20 requires the Office of Planning and Zoning to provide a report to the County Council, on or before January 1 of each year through 2027, on farm or agricultural heritage site special events and farm or agricultural site stays.