Panel votes to end outdoor concerts
Order targets popular series at South Farms after complaints involving noise, lights, traffic
The Morris Planning and Zoning Commission has ordered a groundbreaking outdoor music series that emerged during the pandemic in Litchfield County to end after complaints about noise, lights and traffic.
The commission voted Wednesday to issue a cease-and-desist order dated Feb. 1, 2021 — the end date for an executive order allowing for expedited approval of certain zoning changes during the pandemic — to Twilight Concerts (and Comedy) on the Farm, which began staging shows in August at South Farms, a 150-acre family-run farm and event space in Morris. Concerts scheduled through the fall can still take place.
Reflecting the long-simmering tension between Yankee and yuppie present in Litchfield County, the dispute has some residents crying not-in-my-backyard. Others see the potential for a much-needed economic shot in the arm in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The venture was launched in August by Premier Concerts/ Manic Presents, the promoter behind College Street Music Hall and yet-unopened Westville Music Bowl in NewHavenandthe Space Ballroom in Hamden, and NHCPA
South Farms, LLC, a subsidiary of New Haven Center for Performing Arts Inc. The farm itself is owned by the Paletsky family.
Whenmusic venues were upended in the fallout of COVID-19, South Farms began staging concerts after receiving a temporary permit from Morris zoning enforcement officer Tony Adili, who issued it in response to Gov. NedLamont’s May12 executive order expanding outdoor dining.
In addition to comedians Bill Burr and Nikki Glaser, thousands of concertgoers have since attended performances by Warren Haynes, Grace Potter, Goose, Twiddle, Dinosaur Jr., Marcus King and others. Tickets are sold using a “grid” system, with
250 marked-out 8-foot squares available. Each square, which holds two people, is surrounded by an additional grid for social distancing and aisle spacing.
So far, the majority of shows have sold out, said owner Ben Paletsky. “Hanging around watching 500 crying, happy people, it’s a pretty powerful thing,” he said. “Sometimes that includes the musicians. Seeing what’s done in terms of economic growth is amazing.”
But the commission later determined that South Farms “does not qualify to be reconfigured based on Executive Order 7MM.”