We are writing to provide essential context regarding the recent article covering the Little Compton Planning Board’s decision to recommend a blanket ban on outdoor amplified music for farm-promotion uses. When recently asked for a statement, our family initially declined to comment simply because we had been given absolutely no awareness, notice, or information that the hearing was taking place.

At the planning board meeting on June 16, which our family attended, the board was tasked by the town council to review and make a recommendation on the specific proposal submitted by our family. While that initial meeting concluded on an optimistic note with the expectation of further collaborative discussion, the board unfortunately moved forward with its formal public hearing without directly notifying Young Family Farm. Under local rules, direct written notice is a standard procedural requirement for stakeholders whose land and livelihood are directly impacted by specific zoning changes.

Because we were not informed, our family was entirely excluded from the room. As a result, the board issued a definitive recommendation to the town council after hearing from only a small handful of neighbors. In fact, during that June 16 meeting, it became explicitly clear that the planning board did not even understand why the town council was requesting a recommendation on allowing farms to host weddings, events, and farm-to-table dinners. 

This confusion existed simply because they had not read the proposal we submitted to the town council back in the spring — a detailed document that, to our understanding, had been forwarded directly from the council to planning board chairman Michael Steers. We deeply appreciate and publicly thank Larry Anderson for actively referencing our proposal and bringing it up during the meeting to ensure it wasn't completely left out of the discussion.

To make matters worse, at the subsequent meeting where this consequential recommendation was officially decided and voted upon, Steers was not even present. Pushing through a major, restrictive policy recommendation in the absence of the board's leadership — and without the remaining board members ever having reviewed the spring proposal that had been routed to the chair — represents a significant breakdown in fair and thorough procedure.

We believe a fair and complete decision simply cannot be made when the primary party has not been heard, the leadership is absent, and the foundational documents haven't been reviewed.

We want our community to understand that we are here as neighbors, and as a multigenerational Little Compton family coming to the community to express our need to add additional sources of revenue to our farming operation. This is an economic necessity in order to keep this farm viable and in our family for the next generation.

To that end, our land is state-protected, and two years ago we went before state authorities to secure formal approval for hosting events within the specific designation next to our farm stand. The state granted its full approval, explicitly noting that the final ground rules come down to abiding by local town ordinances. We are not asking the town to bypass standard regulations; we are simply asking for the same fair rules that apply to everyone else.

The resulting recommendation creates a glaring double standard in Little Compton. Currently, the town’s general ordinances allow any resident or property owner to host an outdoor gathering with amplified music, provided they respect local decibel limits and abide by the standard 9 p.m. cutoff. Yet, this recommendation singles out working family farms, subjecting them to a total, absolute ban on outdoor amplified music — effectively blocking a diversified model the state has already vetted and deemed appropriate.

Our proposal is not a push for disruptive commercialization; it is a carefully restricted plan to protect our multi-generational family farm. Our roots here run incredibly deep, dating back to the very first Peckhams in Little Compton. To keep this land alive for our family's three young grandsons, we must be allowed to adapt by hosting limited, traditional community milestones. Over the last 10 years, our Apple Festival has grown into a true generational community event, bringing families together to dance to bluegrass in the driveway and watch their children play safely under the town's existing noise and time limits.

We completely respect our neighbors’ desire for peace and quiet. We want that, too. However, a fair process requires that all sides are at the table. That is why we are appealing this decision and requesting a new, properly noticed public hearing where a fair, balanced, and complete compromise can be discussed openly under the town's existing 9 p.m. standards.

If local community members have questions or want to help us protect the future of the farm, we will be hosting a petition for support at our farm stand. For those who are unable to sign in person, we will also be launching an online petition where you can share your support and sign digitally.

Tyler, Karla, Hattie and Sarah Young

Little Compton