Winery

[Glomer]

Has anyone dealt with a winery????

I have a few gung ho individuals that would like to start a winery in the ag district of my community. We haven't considered such a use before, so I don't really know what to look for.

What type of issues should I be concerned about?

 

[Repo Man]

I guess I would pay close attention to all of the uses that are going on there. Will there be tours and sampling? Will they rent out the winery for private parties? Will there be a retail element such as a wine store or a gift shop? I would also look at the usual hours of operation, number of employees, etc.

 

[donk]

I've never delt with it personally, but I'd suggest that if the grapes and other items are grown on site then the winery might be considered accessory to the use, the same way a small feed mill is accessory to fields of wheat or barley. Scale becomes important though. They recently changed a bunch of laws here to permit on site sales and brewing at farms.

From experience in visiting a local one, parking/access/sales tax /liquor laws / health standards are all concerns.

 

[Queen B]

Wouldn't it be an Ag Use? I think it would be.
Just have to consider the health issues about processing and direct them toward the appropriate offices for such things.
What restrictions does your state have?
Are there other winery's in your state? I would check with them to see what they needed to do to get started.
Perhaps you could have a Conditional Use Permit on the Commercial Business portion or zone that portion of the property to business if they intend to do tours and weddings and such.

 

[Richmond Jake]

Get a complete project description from the applicant. Too often some wineries develop into operations that are not appropriate in agricultural zone districts. I'm referring to music concerts, wine makers dinners, and retail outlets that seem to want to sell more t-shirts than wine (in fact, most ag zones don't permit any retail sales unless it's products grown on-site). So on-site parking and circulation are important issues.

Other things to be alert for are vector control methods during harvest and crushing seasons and odor reduction techniques. Periodically, wineries also use lots of water so they need a good source (usually a well) and adequate disposal systems.

If I think of more, I'll post. Hope that helps.

 

[el Guapo]

Get a complete project description from the applicant. Too often some wineries develop into operations that are not appropriate in agricultural zone districts. I'm referring to music concerts, wine makers dinners, and retail outlets that seem to want to sell more t-shirts than wine (in fact, most ag zones don't permit any retail sales unless it's products grown on-site). So on-site parking and circulation are important issues.

Other things to be alert for are vector control methods during harvest and crushing seasons and odor reduction techniques. Periodically, wineries also use lots of water so they need a good source (usually a well) and adequate disposal systems.

If I think of more, I'll post. Hope that helps.

He's right, but I also think "you should be so lucky."

I'd also want to make sure that there was no mixing of industrial and normal farm or human waste in the septic, lagoon or whatever method they select. I have seen county vet clincs and other psudo-Ag uses pollute the local groundwater by disposing of some nasty stuff in the septic system.

 

[Jeff]

Surprisingly there are quite a few of them in the Philly area, and they are all in AG districts with no special regs attached to them. Our AG Districts usually allow a small store to sell the goods onsite which is where the wine is sold. Alot of it is sold in bulk to local restaurants too.

Check most townships in SE PA and South Jersey and they should be a help.

 

[Wulf9]

Have a professional (your professional, not theirs) look at impacts if they will use your sewage treatment plant. They have high levels of BOD and can overload a plant. Often they require a pre-treatment facility on site.

 

[Duke Of Dystopia]

Contact the ATF. Find out which ATF worker has been assigned to thier project so you can coordinate with them. This will happen one way or the other, but smoothing it out could helpe everyone. The ATF will have a lot of requirements for the vintner!

 

[Richmond Jake]

I'd also want to make sure that there was no mixing of industrial and normal farm or human waste in the septic, lagoon or whatever method they select. I have seen county vet clincs and other psudo-Ag uses pollute the local groundwater by disposing of some nasty stuff in the septic system.

Agreed; make sure your environmental health officer is involved early in the process.