Richmond Board Approves Balderdash Barn Events, Defers Full Permit to December 16

RICHMOND -- December 2, 2020, Richmond Select Board unanimously cleared the way for Balderdash Farm Winery to hold events inside its historic barn while deferring a contested noise-mitigation permit to December 16. The board voted 3-0 Wednesday to grant in-principle inclusion of the barn at 81 State Road within owner Christian Hanson's existing farm function special permit, allowing him to begin the building permit process immediately, while keeping a public hearing open on a proposed four-page revised permit that would cap outdoor events at 100 attendees, limit exterior amplified music to 89 decibels measured three feet from speakers, require a 180-degree acoustical curtain system when music is played outdoors, bar exterior amplified music after 7 p.m., and prohibit electric guitars and horns on the property. Public comment ran roughly 10-to-2 in favor of Balderdash, though nearby residents including Allison Cole of 28 Spruce Road and Allen Rosenblanc of 311 Shore Road said the music penetrates their homes and has changed how they use their properties. In a separate unanimous vote, the board declined the town's right of first refusal on a 10-acre recreational parcel at 552 East Road, valued at $95,993, after the Richmond land trust indicated it had no interest in acquiring the land.