Planners will mull wedding barn already in business

FAYETTEVILLE — A wedding and event venue is going through the planning process retroactively.

“They probably went around what they were supposed to do,” said Joel Kelsey, as Washington County Planning Board member.

The board will decide as early as August if a 5,200-square-foot structure, called The Big Red Barn at 3287 N. Rupple Road, meets regulations and can open as a commercial venue, Planning Director Nathan Crouch said.

The structure doesn’t meet fire safety requirements, said County Fire Marshal Tyler McCartney during a meeting June 19. The barn doesn’t have enough water supply for fire equipment, and it lacks exits, he said.

“The last thing we want is someone to shut those doors and no one can get out,” McCartney said.

The permit and development requests were set to go before the board in July but were tabled as property owners gather more information and figure out ways to meet requirements, planners said.

The property is zoned

for agricultural and residential home use, so it requires permits for commercial use.

The Big Red Barn, owned by Donnie and Charlotte King, is listed as a “general barn” on property records, but was registered as a business with the Secretary of State as of Sept. 22.

The barn has a capacity of about 900 people, planning staff said. The family is planning to have events for 100 to 300 people. That decision will impact requirements.

For example, the septic system may need to be bigger, depending on the number of people allowed at events and whether food is cooked on site, according to the state Health Department.

County records show a 576-square-foot home, often called the “groom’s” cabin by planning staff, on the 17-acre property. The property is valued at $160,500, but that amount doesn’t include the completed barn, Assessor Russell Hill said.

If the barn were less than halfway finished by Jan. 1, then the value wouldn’t be added into market value calculations, Hill said. The building will be appraised this year for the 2018 property taxes, he said.

Crouch said he was told about two years ago the structure would be used as a barn for agricultural equipment. A neighbor notified a planning board member the family was building a place for family gatherings, not a barn. The board member notified the county, Crouch said.

Online Health Department records show Charlotte King notified the state about plumbing plans for the barn in November.

Mark King, Donnie King’s son, said during a staff planning meeting the family finished building the private gathering place last year, but now wants to make it public. No weddings have been scheduled, he said.

The Planning Department issued a temporary permit for events, Crouch said. At least one nonprofit event and one wedding have been held at the barn, before the permits were approved.

There have been no repercussions for the family for

The Big Red Barn, owned by Donnie and Charlotte King, is listed as a “general barn” on property records, but was registered as a business with the Secretary of State as of Sept. 22.

building without county permission, Crouch said.

If the permit is denied, the venue will remain private, Kelsey said. Crouch said the owners won’t be allowed to charge money for events.

People often decide to change how they are using a building, so the Kings are doing what they need to do, said Philip Humbard, another planning board member.

The building has electricity, sliding glass doors, a professional-grade kitchen and chandeliers, said Hill, who attended a fundraising event earlier this year. An older model pickup is used as decoration and holds refreshments.

“It was a very nice barn,” Hill said.