Winery has big plans for expansion
Folino Estate hopes to build a luxury inn and more on its winery property
The Greenwich Township Zoning Hearing Board postponed a decision on granting Folino Estate Winery zoning variances that would allow building a luxury inn with a retail area and a spa area, as well as various additions to existing facilities.
Plans for the 53-acre property at 340 Old Route 222 include the construction of a 40-unit hotel village, with 16 rooms in a larger, centralized structure and the remaining suites spread across several villastyle buildings.
Marco Folino, owner of Folino Estates, said the inn area would resemble an oldworld Tuscan town, with several two-story buildings clustered around a village square piazza and spa area.
The piazza would feature small retail sites including a bakery, ice cream shop and flower store, as well as a restaurant/cafe and event venue, said project engineer Robert Hain, Berks Surveying & Engineering Inc., Fleetwood.
Suites would also be situated around the pool and spa, which would be separated from the piazza by a central breezeway.
Hain said the hotel would be located on the west side of the lot, between Old Route 222 and Route 78.
Plans also include several expansions and additions to the existing winery on the property’s east side.
Those include extending the site’s restaurant and dining facilities, building a 4,040-square foot allweather pavilion, and adding a 12,170-square-foot expansion to the site’s banquet hall.
Other plan points include expanding the bottling barn and building a twostory, 10,000-square foot office building near the western edge of the property.
Hain said that in total, the plans propose 79,000 square feet of new construction.
‘Glamping ground’ ditched
Folino said the inn would offer lodging to those who book weddings and other large-scale events at the winery, since Folino Estates currently doesn’t offer accommodations.
He said local hotel space is limited and often inadequate for hosting the number of guests at typical events, which costs the establishment business.
The cost of staying at the inn would run between $500 and $1,000 per night, Folino said.
He said the hotel would only book reservations in advance and guests would not be permitted to stay long-term.
The original site design also included plans for a “glamping” — or high-end camping — ground, but that was cut after discussions with Greenwich Township supervisors and the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce, officials said.
Folino said that Jim Gerlach, CEO of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance, offered support for the project based on the extensive tax revenue it would generate for the township.
Besides the glamping grounds — which Folino said he cut as a compromise — he said supervisors’ only concern was that the site offered enough parking to keep cars from overflowing onto Old Route 222.
The plans account for that by providing a large, unpaved space within the facility for overflow parking, Hain said.
Folino noted that the village square and stores would be open to the public — not just hotel guests — and no fee would be required to enter.
He said those not staying at the hotel would also be able to buy day passes for use of the pool and spa.
“We’re building something that the community itself can enjoy,” Folino said. “You can spend a night in the piazza and get an ice cream with the family.”
Residents speak up
Roughly 20 residents attended the meeting, most of whom said they lived next to or near Folino Estates.
Many spoke in opposition to the inn, voicing concerns over its potential impact on noise, light levels, traffic and the safety of the area.
Some said they were unsure of the effect the new facilities would have on the local environment and water supply.
Suzanne Gradwell said she supported the expansion to the existing facilities
and appreciated Folino being a good neighbor in the past but didn’t want to see the inn built.
“I’m not convinced that I’m not going to be impacted by the noise,” Gradwell said. “You know that people aren’t going to be staying inside, they’re going to be roaming around, enjoying the courtyard.”
Gradwell went on to contest Folino’s claim that the proposed inn fit the character of the area.
“It’s a very quiet area,” Gradwell said. “For those
of us who like to be outside and enjoy the peace and quiet and hear the church bells ringing down the road, I just think it’s a little more than we hoped for.”
Several residents noted that Folino has been receptive to their concerns in the past, but said they were nonetheless opposed to the proposal.
Hugh Smith — a member of the Glendale Farms Homeowners’ Association, which encompasses about 20 nearby properties — worried the density of the proposed development could affect the water supply of homeowners who rely on personal wells.
Smith said the township stopped him from subdividing his property and constructing houses on smaller plots in the past, even though what he proposed was far less dense than Folino Estates’ plans.
“This area has been very restrictive in the past,” Smith said. “To go to this high of a density seems to
be an exception to what this community represents.”
Folino noted that the land development process will involve sewage and water use impact studies to ensure facilities comply with local and state laws.
One resident, Andrew Buczewski, said he’s had issues with Folino Estates patrons speeding down Old Route 22 past his property, and that he found broken Folino wine bottles on his front lawn.
Buczewski also took issue with the level of noise generated by Folino Estates events.
Folino hotly contested Buczewski’s claims, and said his establishment is committed to safety.
“We run a very highquality operation, we take (safety) extremely seriously,” Folino said.
Board mum; decision May 9
Other concerns also dealt with a potential increase
in noise — with residents claiming Folino events involve launching fireworks on weekend nights — as well as the impact of the inn on stormwater runoff and the local environment.
Zoning hearing board members offered no opinion on the plans.
Folino is seeking variances that would allow building a higher density of hotel units than permitted in the area, allow the construction of multiple buildings with various uses on a single site, and exempt the plans from requirements that each building use have a dedicated parking and loading area.
The board will reconvene on May 9 at 7 p.m. to announce a decision.
If the variances are granted, Folino’s plans will still need to undergo a conditional use hearing and a lengthy review process before receiving final approval from supervisors.