After Konzelmann Estates Winery became the centre of a lawsuit by a Niagara-on-the-Lake resident last fall over allegations of violating town rules for special events, the winery is responding to concerns by seeking permission to host outdoor weddings.
The Lakeshore Road winery has applied for a special exemption from the town to host outdoor wedding ceremonies on the northeast portion of its property.
In an online open house held last Monday to discuss the application, Zamima Khan, an intern urban planner at Quartek Group and representative for the winery, said the wedding area would cover 1,862 square feet of the winery’s land at 1096 Lakeshore Rd. — around 4.2 per cent of the total property.
The site for special events would be located along the edge of Lake Ontario.
Weddings would take place from May to September only, with no loud music, she said, and no new construction would occur in the area.
Although no decision was made during the open house, the plan drew interest from nearby residents, including some with prior involvement with the winery.
Ed Werner and St. Catharines-based lawyer Tom Richardson were among those in attendance.
Werner, represented by Richardson, sued the Town of NOTL and Konzelmann last September, alleging the town issued special event permits letting the winery host activities that broke agricultural zoning bylaws.
At the time, Richardson said the Konzelmann property is zoned as an estate winery and isn’t allowed to host special events, such as weddings, on its property.
He argued that the town is allowing wineries, such as Konzelmann, to bypass the zoning bylaw’s rules by issuing them a special event permit instead of upholding its municipal regulations.
The status of that litigation is not known at this time.
Werner said he filed complaints for years about disruptive events near his farm, which is close to the winery.
Despite this history, the discussion between the two parties during the question period remained civil.
Land use planner Adam Moote referenced the lawsuit during the meeting.
“We’ve understood your concerns of the past,” said Moote. “We’ve created this proposal taking these concerns into effect.”
In that context, Richardson asked Khan about what she referred to as “noise attenuation features” for the wedding venue.
Khan said the natural vegetation, the sound of waves from Lake Ontario, and the quiet nature of wedding ceremonies — particularly the absence of loud music — would serve to limit noise.
“(The noise) is actually going to be minimal anyway because of the nature of the events,” she said.
When Richardson asked whether Konzelmann planned to install any formal noise-reducing features or would rely solely on the environment, Khan said they believed none were necessary.
“The existing features would itself be sufficient,” said Khan.
Werner also inquired about an “existing laneway,” asking what material it was made of (gravel) and how guests would access the ceremony area from the parking lot. Moote said it would be accessible by foot or via golf cart.
Jim Reschke, who is handling matters related to mortgages, charges and other encumbrances, said events impacted by poor weather would be moved indoors.
He added that since the events are intended for approximately 50 people, the winery could accommodate them inside without space concerns.
The issue of wedding-related bylaw enforcement has surfaced in other parts of Niagara-on-the-Lake in the past.
In June, residents raised concerns after an outdoor wedding was held at 124 on Queen Hotel & Spa, prompting some outrage in the neighbourhood.
Despite that precedent, Konzelmann representatives insisted this proposal would be different.
“We’re not going to be having rave parties on the beach,” said Moote.
