Owners of the 360 Wine Cellars and Bed and Breakfast atop Thompson Hill can have no more than 50 guests per day, the Kennewick Board of Adjustment ruled Wednesday.
The decision upholds an earlier planning commission ruling to deny the conditional use permit. It is far less than what Kevin Heinen, the winery owner, had asked in making the appeal.
He hoped to be approved for conducting up to 130 events a year on the hilltop property at 2711 Sherman St., southeast of the Panoramic Heights subdivision.
The board of adjustment voted 4-1 to deny the appeal and to adopt the findings of the planning commission, but to approve the 50-people-per-day exception.
The city council on Dec. 1 approved a change of zoning for three acres of open space to allow low-density residential.
That was a first step in what Heinen hoped would lead to allowing the 360 Cellars to have more weddings and parties on the property.
But Wednesday's appeal on the conditional use permit didn't work out.
Joe Kadinger, board chairman, voted no because he wanted the exception be for up to 25 events per year.
"I am very disappointed. So many people have been waiting. Now no one can get married outdoors in Kennewick," said Danette Brophy, general operations manager at the winery.
"It's a beautiful place. I wish we could move it and keep it in the Tri-Cities," said Connie Gillispie, a board member. She said the neighboring property owners' rights need to be considered.
"I would be very upset if someone came in and set up a wine-tasting facility next to my property," she said.
Board member Jim Bertsch said it looked like Heinen was trying to make the house on the hill with an expansive view a commercial enterprise.
"The way it is zoned and the way the use permit was made ... to be fair to surrounding property owners ..." he said, explaining why he voted to deny the appeal.
Heinen acquired the 360 Cellars by buying out his former partners who had established the business without getting proper approvals from the city.
He had hoped to go back and step through Kennewick's permitting processes to make the commercial enterprise legitimate.
Wednesday's vote leaves Heinen the option of taking the appeal to Benton County Superior Court. He must make that decision within 21 days, said John Ziobro, an attorney representing 360 Cellars.
Similar stories:
Connell leans toward property tax increase
Connell leans toward property tax increase
CONNELL -- Voters were approving a property tax increase Tuesday to pay for parks and recreation in Connell.
On Tuesday night, the measure had received 149 yes votes, or nearly 60 percent, with 101 opposed, or about 40 percent. The measure needs a simple majority to pass.
Ballots will continue to be counted Wednesday and Thursday, with updated results released at the end of each day. The election will be certified Nov. 29.
AP Enterprise: CA mine dispute recalls wild past
AP Enterprise: CA mine dispute recalls wild past
California's Gold Rush was more than a century-and-a-half ago, but its Wild West spirit lives on in a dispute between government agencies and a landowner in the Sierra Nevada foothills that some officials describe as one of the most egregious cases of illegal mining they have ever encountered.
3 vie for 3-year spot as KID board member
3 vie for 3-year spot as KID board member
Three candidates are vying for a three-year term on the Kennewick Irrigation District board of directors in a Dec. 13 election.
David McKenzie, current board president, has two challengers for the Position 3 seat. The Finley farmer was elected to the board in 2008, defeating incumbent William Kinsel.
Jim Wade, who is retired and also ran in 2008, often attends KID meetings as an observer and critic. This is his fourth attempt to get on the five-member KID board.
Kennewick property owners to vote on irrigation district boards
Kennewick property owners to vote on irrigation district boards
KENNEWICK — Property owners in the Kennewick and Columbia irrigation districts will elect board directors next week.
The two water districts, both headquartered in Kennewick, are the only two among eight in the Mid-Columbia with vacancies going to voters.
Election notices had to be posted this week, as required by state law.
Lamb Weston's proposal sounds good for Richland
Lamb Weston's proposal sounds good for Richland
ConAgra Lamb Weston had plans to build its corporate headquarters on a prime piece of property purchased from the city of Richland in 2010.
It took about three years of negotiations for the $1.43 million deal to be made. But times -- and the economy -- have changed, and the frozen potato producer has decided to keep its officers where they're at off Gage Boulevard in Kennewick.
But rather than put the
8.6 acres of land on the market to the highest bidder, Lamb Weston has a more creative idea.
Print
Email Story
