A rural Waverly couple can build a barn to hold wedding events on their 17-acre property north of Interstate 80 despite concerns from neighbors after receiving the Lancaster County Board's approval.Â
Carol and Jed Hartweg hope to host weddings each weekend at their acreage at 17185 Bluff Road.Â
Initially, they wanted to use an existing barn built in 1912 to host events after several people expressed interest.
But that barn was next to their home and too small to meet fire codes for such events.
So the couple sought a special zoning designation for their agriculturally zoned land and permits to allow them to build a new barn there.Â
The City-County Planning Commission approved the Hartwegs' requests, but neighbors opposed their plans.Â
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During two public hearings, a handful of property owners and residents in the area expressed concerns about traffic, noisy events, drunk driving and parking.Â
"We're not trying to be bad neighbors," Carol Hartweg told the County Board at a hearing in July.
Waverly doesn't have an event center that has the aesthetics desired for modern weddings, and Hartweg said she hopes they can fill that need with a clean, white, classic-style barn.
"We're just trying to help our community. We see this as a win-win."Â
But neighbors thought the change would bring problems such as traffic to that stretch of Bluff Road, which is busy during the annual Camp Creek Threshers show, which has a campground across the road from the Hartwegs' property.Â
Tuesday, Nancy Mocroft told the County Board she couldn't understand how this contested proposal could be approved.Â
She doesn't believe the event barn is a fit for the agricultural area. And she noted how she and her husband had no qualms about the expansion of a nearby chicken farm earlier this year, one that didn't have opposition.
"All things being equal, we'd prefer chickens," Mocroft said Tuesday. "Chickens don't drink and drive."Â
The County Board approved the permits but with some conditions, including one barring the Hartwegs from hosting events on the weekend of the Camp Creek Threshers show.Â
The Hartwegs hope to begin construction of the barn before winter, with an eye on opening by next summer, Carol Hartweg said in an interview after Tuesday's hearing.
"We're excited for the opportunity, and we look forward to providing a good place for people to celebrate in our area," she said.