In a blow to one farming family that will have ramifications for other farms in town, Little Compton Planning Board members declined last Tuesday to recommend zoning changes that would have allowed farmers to hold weddings on their properties.

The decision was a blow to Tyler and Karla Young of Young Family Farm, who in March asked town council members to allow farms to hold for-profit events including weddings, farm to table dinners, wedding showers and birthday parties, among others. Though zoning ordinances allow farms to hold events that tie directly tie to the farms’ agricultural use, weddings, birthday parties and showers do not.

The Youngs, of 260 West Main Road, wrote to the town council in March inquiring about the possibility of holding such events in the future, capped at 150 guests. They wrote that given the increasing financial pressures on small farms, such revenue generating events are crucial to help them and other farmers remain viable. The current times have led to the need to adapt, they wrote:

“We deeply believe that offering events will provide a vital stream of revenue that will profoundly impact the longevity of our farm,” they wrote.

Town council members first broached the issue in mid-March and in the end, town solicitor Anthony DeSisto instructed councilors to seek planning board recommendation on broadening the list of allowed practices on farmland. Tyler Young was one of several who spoke, saying the number of farmers continues to dwindle.

“We should be cherished,” Young said. “To continue to do what we do, we (must) diversify.”

Town moderator Larry Anderson also spoke, saying the Youngs’ request “identified an issue that we haven't addressed for 10 years — I hope that they’ve opened the door for a more comprehensive discussion.”

Following that March meeting, planning board members spoke on the matter several times culminating in last Tuesday’s vote.

Jack Selvaggio, who lives next door to the farm, said last week that town officials have been too secretive about the proposal, and said neighbors need to be better informed and more involved in the discussion.

“I think what we really need to do is put the brakes on,” he said. “Speak to all the neighbors and then see how it’s going to work.”

Another abutter, Allen Dreshler, also spoke out with concerns that events at the farm would impact his and other neighbors' quality of life.

“You’re rushing too fast. I went around my neighborhood and I asked, ‘What is happening here?’” Dreshler said. “I come here for quiet enjoyment.”

Others supported the Youngs’ efforts. Robert and William Russell of Westport, who run Westport Vineyard and Buzzards Bay Brewing in Westport, spoke more favorably of the potential changes and added that making ends meet on a modern farm requires more than just farming.

“It’s really easy to amass a $20-30,000 bill in flowers at a wedding and that's what they do,” Robert Russell said of the Youngs, who grow flowers along with food crops. “If anybody was to deserve an exemption to hold weddings on their farm, I’d think it would be them.”

Planning board members, as well as DeSisto and assistant Solicitor Mark Hartmann, came to the conclusion that all events, outside of baby showers, birthday parties and wedding events, are already allowed under the town charter and will draft a memo to send to the council that specifically mentions weddngs, without addressing baby showers and birthday parties.

Reached Friday, Karla Young said she/he was not aware of last week’s planning board vote, and declined to comment.