Suzy Ageton George Karakehian KC Becker Tim ... - City of Boulder

Public Comment
Attachment G
The following written comments are from Jackie Thompson, owner of the Boulder Creek
Winery
Summary of Land Use Issues
Wineries
1. Zoning Designation: "Industrial Manufacturing" vs. "Agri-tourism"
The first issue thwarting the success of wineries in Boulder County is the "manufacturing"
zoning designation assigned to it for lack of anything more fitting under current Land Use Code.
(Keep in mind that Boulder's codes were written in the Post-Prohibition era during which the US
wine industry had not yet recovered, and wineries had not yet re-established anywhere in the
state of Colorado). This land use designation is ill-fitting for several reasons:
� Over the past twenty-five years the wine industry, nationwide, has evolved from a wineas-beverage
industry to a wine-as-activity industry ... Agri-tourism.
� Wine production, and more specifically, grape processing, is an agricultural activity that
is largely seasonal in nature and does not involve the intensity of activities often
associated with industrial manufacturing operations.
� Tasting room activities, a common component of winery operations, are not at all
"manufacturing" in nature, and often include educational components such as tours,
historical and scientific displays, and hands-on activities such as traditional grape stomps,
classes, and workshops.
� Winery tourism is a thriving national industry that is best located where tourists are likely
to find it.
� Wineries are highly sought-after venues for high-end events such as weddings, charity
fund-raisers, and private events of all sorts. Industrial parks are not proper settings for
such events.
2. "Colorado Wine Trail" Signage
Compounding the issue of our forced location in Industrial Manufacturing parks (where out-oftown
guests are least expecting to find us) is the repeated denial by Boulder County of our
requests for a "Colorado Wine Trail" sign, part of the Colorado TODS Program (Tourist
Oriented Directional Signs).
The "Colorado Wine Trail" signage program is a collaborative effort of the Colorado
Department of Agriculture and the Colorado Tourism Office designed to promote and facilitate
tourist visits to winery tasting rooms. It is fashioned after similar, highly successful, Wine Trail
programs in dozens of other states across the US.
For over a decade, Colorado wineries in all other areas of the state have been granted approval
for wine trail signs as part of the Colorado TODS Program. Boulder County, however, has twice
denied our formal request for a Wine Trail sign on Highway 119.
Agenda Item 5B Page 39