The Town of Pompey Planning Board met at the Pompey Town Hall at 6:30pm on March 20, 2023. On the agenda was a public hearing and site plan review for the Mapstone property located at 3191 Pompey Center Road.
The Mapstones distributed printed site plans to the Board and gave a brief description of their plans for an event venue offering weddings, lodging, and farm tours. There is an active dairy farm on the property.
The Mapstones purchased the property three years ago and, during the public hearing, Pompey residents and fellow farm operators Dan Palladino and James Loomis both offered support of the project and remarked on the extensive work the Mapstones have done to improve the property.
The Mapstones stated that they both work, and the venue would operate primarily on the weekends, with the house potentially being rented during the week as well. They assured the Board that one of them would always be present at the property on the days when events were occuring. No food would be prepared on the premises — outside catering only — and the rental contract would require clients to provide portable restrooms, liquor licenses, and event insurance. Music would end by 11pm and all non-overnight guests would be required to vacate the premises by midnight.
During the public hearing, Mapstone neighbor and Planning Board Chairwoman Sue Smith, who recused herself from the Board meeting due to a conflct of interest, asked questions about fireworks and noise during events. The Mapstones stated they do not expect fireworks to be a regular occurrence and that they would be subject to current Town code, which requires a permit and allows for 15 minutes of fireworks between the hours of 9-11pm. Pete Mapstone assured the Town and the public that they wish to be good neighbors.
No one spoke against the project during the public hearing.
The Board completed the standard round of SEQR questions and answers, and a negative SEQR was awarded. The Planning Board then voted to unanimously approve the wedding venue based on the site plan dated March 15, 2023, granting the Mapstones permission to operate the proposed venue with certain contingencies and conditions, such as utilizing a licensed caterer, adherence to a 70-decibel sound limit at the property lines, and noise ending at 11pm.
It is important to note that, because the property is a working farm, the proposed wedding/farm tour venue constitutes an appropriate use for an agritourism property, which affords it certain extended permissible uses, (such as short-term lodging) which are not necessarily permitted on a residential property. Further investigation will be made into whether or not the property will need to adhere to potentially stricter codes, such as ADA compliance.
