Proposed wedding venue in Adams Township draws complaints
ADAMS TWP — An event venue could be opening soon in the middle of the township, and a group of neighbors said they aren’t thrilled about the idea.
Dozens of township residents packed the municipal building on Monday night, April 28, to air their concerns about a proposal by the Santa’s Heritage Farm on Hespenheide Road, owned by the Santa family, to open a public event venue on their property.
Multiple residents, many of whom live in adjacent neighborhoods, raised concerns about how events held at the venue would bring more noise, traffic and unwanted guests to a primarily residential part of the township.
“The barn in question sits on residential-zoned land. A commercial event center does not align with the intent of residential zoning and sets a concerning precedent,” said Gabby Macioce. “Large crowds would introduce noise, lighting and activity that would impact the quiet rural nature of our neighborhood.”
Residents also raised questions about how events at the venue would impact Hespenheide Road, which also serves as an access road for the Kaufmann Run neighborhood.
“Hespenheide Road is our only access road, and is already busy. It has no sidewalks and is used by children and families daily,” Macioce said. “An event venue would bring in unfamiliar drivers, increased traffic and pose a real safety concern, especially if alcohol is served. This is something that would impact not just Kaufmann Run, but the entire Adams Ridge community.”
Nikki Velky said she, along with most of those who attended Monday’s supervisors meeting, found out about the proposed venue through Kaufmann Run’s homeowners association.
“We were given no information about what kind of events are going to be held there, how many people were going to be attending, how often they could occur or what time they'll be occurring,” Velky said. “We haven’t even seen a proposal or anything yet. I think we’re blind to a lot of the details right now. All we know is that it's an event barn on their property.”
The Santa family also operates Twelve Oaks Mansion, a wedding venue located on Scharberry Lane in Mars.
No one showed up at Monday night’s meeting to represent the new event venue.
While Adams Township supervisors and other officials said they were willing to listen to concerns from residents, they said their hands were largely tied from a legal perspective. According to solicitor Michael Gallagher, the owners of the Santa farm are most likely protected by Pennsylvania’s Right to Farm Act.
“It prohibits township intrusion into direct commercial sales of agricultural commodities, where 50% of the sales are from agricultural products grown on the Santa Farm or otherwise locally produced,” Gallagher said. “When somebody is engaged in the sale of agricultural commodities, then we, as a township, have no right to interfere with their farming operation. If we do, we can actually be subject to prosecution.”
Gallagher added that the Santas have agreed to not let any events at the venue run past 10 p.m.
Township Supervisor Russell Ford recommended that concerned residents of Kaufman Run and other neighborhoods set up a meeting with the Santa family and hash out their differences.
“You could lay out what your potential concerns are and they could potentially answer them,” Ford said. “I would be very surprised if they were not willing to do that. They’ll want to be good neighbors. The Santas have been a very, very good neighbor to a lot of people for a long, long period of time and have been very, very open to conversations.”
