Committee classifies proposed Lemons outdoor event venue as local concern, flags sewer and parking issues
March 04, 2026 | Washington County, New York
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The Washington County planning board on Monday reviewed a referral for an outdoor event and wedding venue proposed by Ashley and Laurie Lemons at 116 State Route 197 and classified the application as a matter of local concern, asking reviewers to scrutinize site-plan details.
Staff told the board the proposal would accommodate about 50 people, include roughly 20 parking spaces in an 80-by-80 foot area surfaced with stone dust, use portable toilets or restroom trailers, and require increased electrical capacity and a 50-by-50-foot tent or similar structure. The project sits within an agricultural district and is about 500 feet from New York State Route 197.
The classification matters because the board’s recommendation frames how the local town and reviewing agencies examine use and variance requests. A committee member who moved the classification said the project could fit within a modern definition of agritourism but that the town must determine whether a use variance or additional approvals are required. "I would make a motion that this is a matter of local concern with the comments related to agritourism and also just that the board review the requirements of a use variance," the committee member said.
Board members pressed staff on whether the site uses septic or public sewer and how vehicle access and visibility from the street would affect operations. One member said those operational questions — restroom capacity, parking layout and septic vs. sewer capacity — are primarily site-plan issues to be addressed later in permitting, while noting the board should call them out now so the town and reviewers do not overlook them.
The motion to classify the referral as a matter of local concern was seconded and carried by voice vote with no recorded opposition. The board did not make a determination on a variance or on-site improvements; it forwarded the referral with comments asking permit reviewers to verify sewer capacity, parking, noise controls and adherence to local ag-district rules.
What happens next: the town-level site-plan and permitting processes must confirm on-site utilities, parking layouts and whether a use variance is required before construction or regular events begin.
Staff told the board the proposal would accommodate about 50 people, include roughly 20 parking spaces in an 80-by-80 foot area surfaced with stone dust, use portable toilets or restroom trailers, and require increased electrical capacity and a 50-by-50-foot tent or similar structure. The project sits within an agricultural district and is about 500 feet from New York State Route 197.
The classification matters because the board’s recommendation frames how the local town and reviewing agencies examine use and variance requests. A committee member who moved the classification said the project could fit within a modern definition of agritourism but that the town must determine whether a use variance or additional approvals are required. "I would make a motion that this is a matter of local concern with the comments related to agritourism and also just that the board review the requirements of a use variance," the committee member said.
Board members pressed staff on whether the site uses septic or public sewer and how vehicle access and visibility from the street would affect operations. One member said those operational questions — restroom capacity, parking layout and septic vs. sewer capacity — are primarily site-plan issues to be addressed later in permitting, while noting the board should call them out now so the town and reviewers do not overlook them.
The motion to classify the referral as a matter of local concern was seconded and carried by voice vote with no recorded opposition. The board did not make a determination on a variance or on-site improvements; it forwarded the referral with comments asking permit reviewers to verify sewer capacity, parking, noise controls and adherence to local ag-district rules.
What happens next: the town-level site-plan and permitting processes must confirm on-site utilities, parking layouts and whether a use variance is required before construction or regular events begin.
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