A wedding venue near Gilford is hoping the Town of Innisfil will want to say “I do” to its zoning bylaw amendment request.
The venue at 1176 2nd Line is requesting a change for a portion of its property from agricultural general to agricultural general exception, which would allow the wedding and event venue to be permitted as an on-farm diversified use.
The lack of proper zoning didn’t stop the venue from operating during 2023.
“This property was used during the 2023 season for weddings and special events which is in contravention of the existing zoning bylaw,” planning supervisor Steven Montgomery told councillors during the public meeting on the matter. “Also, no building permits were obtained for the use of the barn for events and therefore there are issues that would need to be resolved respecting compliance with the Ontario Building Code and fire code.”
He added orders were issued by the town regarding the zoning and building contraventions, as well as a noise order.
The owners were told to cease operations until the necessary approvals were obtained, if approved by council. Those orders were ignored, council was told, and 23 events were held on-site during 2023.
Those around the council table were also mostly concerned with safety issues, including water testing, fire suppression, accessibility and other factors. The questions posed by councillors Robert Saunders, Fred Drodge and Alex Waters remained largely unanswered, however, and the report on the zoning bylaw was purposely vague in some areas.
Director of planning and growth Andria Leigh explained the answers will come in due time, just not at this stage of the process.
“There are a number of building code and fire code areas that would have to be addressed,” she said. “Those items would be specifically addressed through the site plan control process. So, there is more detail that is still required from both building and fire staff to address the contraventions that are currently in place.”
Councillor Kevin Eisses was less concerned with the roadblocks in front of the project and more with how a secondary income source could be created through agricultural lands in the municipality. Ultimately, he said, spaces like the Rustic Silo Barn could be a boon to the community.
“A week or so ago we had our economic development department come out with their report and I know one of the bullet points is agri-tourism – we need to support agri-tourism,” Eisses said. “My concern is we’ve got a seasonal-use facility and we’re treating it like it’s a regular wedding hall in town.”
If a fire suppression pond or new septic system is required of the applicants to bring the venue up to code, it could easily make the business plan unfeasible and eliminate the business altogether, he argued.
This isn’t the first time Innisfil council has been tasked with wedding venues popping up in the community on farms and other rural properties. Mayor Lynn Dollin recalled two examples in particular, where one venue was able to comply with bringing the property up to code and continues to run a successful business to this day, and another where the requirements were too “onerous” to continue.
“This is not uncommon and something where I feel we have to encourage these uses, but we want to make sure that everybody is safe,” Dollin said.
Two residents spoke about the issue, and neither seemed to be on board with the continued operation of a wedding venue on part of the farm.
“It sounds like it’s going to be an Airbnb pop-up situation, with portable this and portable that, which we don’t need in the area,” said Mike Hayes, who lives nearby. “You have to be very, very sensitive to the people who live there as to what we are going to deal with. We're going to have to deal with late in the evening Friday night, Saturday night, whatever the situation may be.”
Hayes was equally concerned that the owners flaunted the bylaws in place, showing they would be keen to “manoeuvre their way through and around loopholes and just do what they want.”
Comments concerning noise were echoed by Jesse Fox who indicated music from the venue “is very audible through the walls of my residence,” and that he is often struggling to get his children back to sleep due to the disturbance.
The proposal calls for one existing large barn that has been converted for the main event venue, one existing small barn to be used for storage, a temporary outdoor pop-up kitchen preparation station, ceremony area, temporary washroom trailer, and delineated parking area with a total of 39 parking spaces and two additional barrier free spaces on the subject lands.
There is no development or site alteration proposed in the environmental protection zone, nor any changes proposed to the existing zone boundary.
The total property is about 40.45 hectares; the application covers .7 hectares. Two other barns exist on the subject lands, as well as a two-unit dwelling, first built in 1924. Their uses would remain as part of the existing farming operations.
Staff will consider the comments as they judge the merits of the application before providing a recommendation to council. Montgomery directed council to a staff note showing a potentially complicating factor to the process.
“Staff also note that the subject lands have a federal ecological gift, Oak Ridges Marine Land Trust Conservation easement agreement on the title,” Montgomery said. “Staff are reviewing the implications of this easement agreement with the applicant. Staff also understand that the application has been in contact with the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust to discuss their proposal further in the context of the regulations that are put on the property.”
Council’s decision on the issue will likely be made in 2024.
