Michigan Wineries Win $50 Million in Fight Against Local Zoning Rules
Amid the bucolic vineyards and winding hills of Old Mission Peninsula in northern Michigan, a group of wineries has fought a brutal multiyear legal battle against a restrictive zoning ordinance enacted by the local township. This month, a federal judge definitively sided with the wineries, but the township officials show no signs of admitting fault.
Peninsula Township enacted a zoning ordinance in 1972, with the purpose of maintaining the rural and viticultural nature of the Old Mission Peninsula. Among other restrictions, the ordinance limited the types of events that wineries could host on-site, limited the volume of amplified music played by wineries, and mandated that all wine produced be made with at least 85 percent grapes from the peninsula itself.
As the craft beverage boom gained momentum in recent decades, wineries on the Old Mission Peninsula inevitably ran up against these limitations as they sought to expand their businesses. But Peninsula Township officials remained steadfast in their efforts to enforce the rules.
Shocking stories were told during the trial. Edward O’Keefe Jr., chairman and CEO of Chateau Grand Traverse—the first winery on the Old Mission Peninsula—recalled hosting an on-site fundraiser to benefit a local elementary school teacher with cancer. O’Keefe claimed that the township clerk called on the day of the event, notifying him that the township was aware of the event and that the winery did not have a permit. After i
Article from Reason.com
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