More than 50 Springfield residents filled the fire hall Monday to oppose a proposed entertainment venue in a neighborhood that is zoned agricultural.
Applicant Brian Pieri, owner of the Pieri Hospitality Group, is requesting a special exception to allow up to 24 private and public events per year on his 26-acre farm on the 2100 block of Route 212.
The township’s zoning ordinance does permit farms to have accessory uses, such as the sale of products, horse rides and seasonal festivals, but residents who border the property claim the noise from the events, particularly weddings, will disrupt their quality of life. They point to a “window shaking” wedding held in October 2021 at the property as a foretaste of what is to come.
Pieri informed the zoning board at the hearing that he worked with a firm to replicate an extreme amount of noise and build parameters that would comply with the township’s ordinance limit of 70 decibels. The applicant subsequently played recordings of him at various points around the property showing differing decibel ranges from a Michael Jackson song.
However, Michael Carr, a lawyer for a couple who live next to the property, dismissed Pieri’s outdoor venture, saying the expertise required to monitor noise was beyond that of a layman.
Pieri also defended the need for 10 employees per event, which would require a variance. His lawyer, Mark Danek, said the vast property would require such a number to maintain service and prevent a safety issue, and he denied there would be an adverse impact on the neighborhood from the additional cars.
Township Solicitor Scott MacNair said he was skeptical Pieri could control the noise level. Pieri replied that would be stipulated in the service agreement with a DJ or other party.
Roslyn Bruno, who lives 850 feet from the farm, questioned how many weddings Pieri had personally managed and expressed concern about drunken guests straying from the property.
During testimony, Dr. Gerrianne Burke, who lives behind the property, said she found it difficult to see how Pieri could control the noise level. She called Conshy Cooper a business enterprise and cited the zoning ordinance, which states that an increased financial return is not a reason for a variance. She implored the zoning board members not to approve the application, saying it would affect property values, create parking problems, expose pedestrians to dangerous traffic on Route 212, and set an unwelcome precedent going forward.
Her husband, Michael Cline, noted a similar venue on Pleasant View Road was rejected in 2010. “Nobody wanted it for all the reasons we don’t want it.”
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