Agritourism and special event venue approved near Moxee

The continued allure of hosting weddings and other special events in an agricultural setting has prompted a proposal for a new agritourism venue about three miles east of Moxee.

Property owners Kelsey Coleman-Woodard and her father Kevin Coleman applied for the agritourism permit for their 39-acre parcel at 350 Hoff Road. Hearing Examiner Gary Cuillier approved the permit with conditions on April 25, two weeks after a public hearing on the request.

The proposal would allow use of a lavender farm, alfalfa fields, apple trees, Christmas trees, wildflowers and a 5,000 square-foot hay barn.

The barn, according to the Colemans’ written application, would also serve as an insulated indoor event facility for educational classes, weddings and other events. Also proposed is a 1,375 square-foot outdoor grass lawn and patio adjacent to the event facility.

These facilities, which would not occupy more than one acre of the property, also would feature a six-foot high east-west fence located north of the special events area; 38 parking spaces; and willow trees along part of the property’s perimeter, the application states.

Access to the site would be off the private portion of Hoff Road, with access to the property via Deeringhoff Road which is one-quarter mile north and runs east from State Route 24.

Opposition and conditions

During the April 11 public hearing, the Colemans and Gabrielle Bryant, a Yakima-area event planner, testified in favor of the proposal by noting the need and demand for such a facility. Coleman-Woodard is also an event planner.

The growing trend of weddings at agricultural sites is reflected by the Yakima Valley Tourism's website, yakimavalleyweddings.com. It lists 19 different wedding venues in the Yakima Valley, many of them at wineries and vineyards.

Three residents who live nearby on Hoff Road — Jeff Veitenheimer, Rita DeBord and Dennis Johnson — opposed the proposal due to concerns about noise, parking, traffic and the condition of Hoff Road. Similar concerns were submitted in writing from three other Hoff Road residents.

Cuillier and county officials said concerns about the condition of the public portion of Hoff Road should be addressed to the Yakima County road department.

The applicants will be required to finalize a road maintenance agreement for the private portion of Hoff Road with the county’s planning department, Cuillier wrote in his April 25 decision. This agreement must include maintenance and limitations regarding vehicles parking along the private portion of Hoff Road.

The approval would allow 35 events per year and 250 people per event, with events limited to Fridays through Sundays. Educational classes are allowed between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on those days of the week, with ancillary entertainment and special events allowed between 9 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. No amplified sound or noise will be allowed after 10 p.m.

Conditions of approval must be met within three years, Cuillier wrote. His decision does not require Yakima County Board of Commissioners approval, but it may be appealed to the Yakima County Superior Court.