County vows to examine rural wedding chapels

By Leslie Moriarty

Herald Writer

SNOHOMISH — A wedding at a small 1900s church chapel in the country… .

Or, maybe, a wedding in a picturesque barn at a rural Snohomish County farm… .

They sound like good ideas. But new county regulations designed to protect user’s safety and adhere to current zoning has owners of at least two rural wedding sites wondering if they’ll be allowed to continue to unite souls in love.

Owners of Lord Hill Farms and Swan’s Trail Chapel are facing battles with the county’s planning and development services over whether they need conditional-use permits to operate.

Pam Miller, fire marshal for Snohomish County, said the county’s focus is on making sure businesses in agricultural zones have proper permits.

"Those aren’t commercial zones," Miller said, adding a conditional-use permit is needed to operate a business in an agricultural zone.

The issue surfaced when she began to get reports about the number of people who were using barn accommodations at Lord Hill Farm, 12525 Old Snohomish-Monroe Road.

Owner David Remlinger offers catered events, including weddings, picnics and an annual pumpkin patch. About six weeks ago, the county told him he couldn’t host indoor events because his barns were not up to fire safety codes, and he did not have an occupancy permit or a conditional-use permit.

Remlinger is in the process of getting building permits to make the corrections to his barns and then get a conditional-use permit. But he said it may be months before he reopens completely.

Recently, a second wedding chapel, Swan’s Trail Chapel, 5427 64th St. SE, Snohomish, was told by the county’s hearing examiner that it also needs a conditional-use permit.

The owners of that 1916 church building, John and Theresa McCullough, have asked the hearing examiner to reconsider his decision, stating the chapel has been in use prior to recent zoning changes and a newer regulation calling for conditional-use permits.

"We’ve always operated with the proper things we needed," McCullough said. "We’ve had our occupancy permit, and we’ve followed the rules. We even lease a lot for parking across the street from the (county) parks department to meet the parking regulations."

McCullough, who bought the property in 1994, said he thinks the county is out of line to ask him to get a conditional-use permit.

"The permit, itself, isn’t the problem," he said. "That’s only about $5,000. But in order to get the permit approved, we will have to do a traffic analysis that could cost $15,000 to complete."

Miller said safety is not the issue at the chapel, and, because of that, they are being allowed to operate while the hearing examiner looks at it again.

"It’s more a situation of neighborhood compatibility," Miller said, citing that neighboring property owners, including a church, have complained about the chapel operating as a business in a rural zone.

Miller said because of situations such as these, the county planning department is taking a look at whether there is a compromise to be found.

"We’re taking an overall look at uses of farms and rural buildings for things other than agricultural, to see where conditional-use permits are needed or if CU permits even adequately address the concerns we have.

"We are sympathetic that these are businesses, but in some cases, these are life-safety issues, and we can’t take chances with that."

There is no time frame for when the county may produce an ordinance that will have new language to address these uses, Miller said. "Hopefully, sooner rather than later," she said.

Remlinger said he’s tired of having to jump through hoops for the county. He still isn’t scheduling events for his indoor buildings.

"It’s been very frustrating," he said. "It’s an emotional thing and a financial hardship."

Miller said some of the concerns that remain on the Lord Hill Farms are installation of a proper septic system, adding sprinklers and fire safety exits to the barns, and structural issues such as the stability of a second floor in one barn.

"He has a lot of issues he needs to deal with," she said. "We have placed a stop-work order on the business until he gets the building permits he needs to do the work he’s doing.

You can call Herald Writer Leslie Moriarty at 425-339-3436

or send e-mail to moriarty@heraldnet.com.

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