A wedding venue in Plympton-Wyoming which has been operating since 2019 has been given the official go-ahead by municipal council.
Crescent Hill Acres hosted about 12 weddings in 2019 without having the proper zoning on the property on Douglas Line. An old barn was being used as a wedding venue and the house on the 25 acre property was being used as a short-term rental, mostly for the bride, according to the owners, Shannon and Dylan Soetemans, who spoke to council via video conferencing at an official plan and zoning hearing Monday.
In July 2019, staff met with the couple to explain they needed to have the property rezoned.
At the time, Fire Chief Steve Clemens also voiced concern about the bridge over Highland Creek leading to the wedding venue. He was concerned emergency vehicles would not be able to safely use it.
After months of meetings, Planner Sarah Baldwin, said Monday there is a demonstrated need for the facility and could be zoned specifically as a use under the Agricultural Area zoning.
Baldwin said the property had not been farmed for some time, so the wedding venue would not be taking up agricultural land.
Council agreed, but the couple are not ready to reopen the doors to guests yet. Aside from the restrictions surrounding COVID-19 which have cancelled many large events like weddings, the town is requiring a new bridge to be built on the property to the specifications of the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority.
Consultants for the owners said they were waiting for councils approval on the zoning before beginning the costly project on the property.