BURRILLVILLE/GLOCESTER – A project to build a new, 20-site campground and winery on a property situated on the town line between Burrillville and Glocester got a green lot from the Burrillville Zoning Board this month.
Robert Lohr’s proposed Town Line Farm Winery & Campground is moving forward, with detailed plans expected back before the Planning Board in the coming months.
Lohr, who currently operates a farm on the lots, plans to build an “unplugged” campground, where campers will hike to sites surrounding an existing pond. Lohr told zoners that the campground will be open to visitors age 21 and over, operating seven days a week from May 1 through October 31.
Pets will be prohibited at the campground, which will eventually feature a four-unit bathhouse, with four of the sites located in Glocester.
The winery, meanwhile, would be placed in an existing barn north of the current driveway, with parking in a field on the lots. According to a summary of the project by Burrillville Town Planner Raymond Goff, vines would be planted in three fields, with wine tasting and sales offered inside the barn.
Both elements of the project will sit on two adjoining parcels totaling 42.61 acres, accessed via an 800-foot paved driveway off of South Main Street in Pascoag. The wooded acre sits just past Crystal Lake Rehabilitation & Care Center.
Lohr, who lives on site in third generation farmhouse, said he plans to build the campground in phases, starting with the first ten sites and a two unit bathhouse. A contractor who serves on both the Chepachet Fire Department and its Board of Commissioners, Lohr noted he has experience with fire safety, and said no campfires will be allowed during burn bans.
While the proposed winery is allowed by right on the lots, zoned Farming 2, sitting of the campground required a special use permit. The Planning Board gave a positive review of the project at their meeting Monday, March 6 and at a hearing Tuesday, May 9, one neighboring homeowner served as a character witness.
One abutter expressed concern for trespassing, smoke and fire safety.
Zoners ultimately granted the special use permit unanimously, with stipulations that Lohr install trail and boundary signage, store or remove any unused farming equipment on the lots, and enforce any and all fire bans.
The special use permit will expire in 12 months unless the applicant obtains a building permit and is actively engaged in the project’s construction.
