Despite objections from some residents, Concord Township Council approved an expansion plan for Penns Woods Winery last week. The expansion would be for the barn and parking areas at 124 Beaver Valley Road.
As previously reported, the barn would be expanded from 1,400 square feet to 4,500 square feet with a deck.
Objections from neighbors, expressed both during the June 3 Council meeting and the April Planning Commission meeting, centered around concerns about noise and traffic.
During the public comment period, before the winery application came up for discussion, attorney Michael Di Fiorentino, representing seven of the winery’s neighbors, asked the council to vote down the resolution “because the expansion proposed is going to be very detrimental to the public interest. The roadways, traffic, the overflow issues, public safety issues with people walking on the roads, and, of course, with the quiet use and enjoyment of the property of my clients and other residents.”
He went on to say his clients have had no objection to the winery as a vineyard and a small tasting room, but only recently, when the winery began hosting larger events that they began having concerns because of noise and traffic.
While not a hearing or any formal judicial proceeding, Fiorentino called Charlene Emlet, one of his clients, to respond to his questioning.
Emlet had previously spoken against the potential increase in noise at the Planning Commission meeting and readdressed those concerns at the council meeting, sharing an audio recording of an event at the winery in November of 2023. She said she made the recording from her backyard, at 88 Reid Street, facing the winery.
Fiorentino also provided photos Emlet had taken showing traffic and excess overflow parking. Some of the images, Emlet said, came from a drone operated by her uncle.
“You can see the full extent across two photographs. One aerial image was not enough to capture all the cars on this property,” he said, though the photos were shared only with the council members.
Emlet said there were 316 vehicles parked on or adjacent to the winery on Mother’s Day of this year. She also said she checked the winery’s website and that there are 65 music events planned at the winery through October this year.
On his own, Fiorentino said that elements of the application — parking areas and seepage bed placement — do not conform to township code, and for that reason, the application should be denied. Additionally, he said, there was no traffic study done.
RuthAnn Purchase James, who referred to herself as a cottager at the Brandywine Camp Summit Meeting on Beaver Valley Road, said, “I have to say we are on Lenape land. This is the land of the ancient people, the Lenape.”
She then made a statement in the Lenape language, adding, “We have an obligation to honor the beauty of our region as they would have it honored because they are real people that still live among us,” she said.
James questioned whether the winery, after the expansion, could be a good neighbor.
“If you look at their website, it says every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, loud music blaring. We have over 150 years of silent retreat [at the summit meeting] to hear the glory of God, to hear the birds singing…This is where we go to restore ourselves, to heal from all the divisions in our world. And we do it without addictions. We try to create a space where people can come and not be plagued by addictive behavior.”
She said there are people who come to the meeting trying to heal from addiction, but that becomes difficult when people start coming up from the vineyard. James added that there will be music nights at the winery that will conflict with ceremonies at the camp meeting. And, she said, there is a question of safety, because people who live at the meeting may not feel safe with strangers showing up.
Resident Ken Hemphill, who is not a neighbor of the winery, said he is concerned about possible litigation from other businesses who are not allowed to have outdoor entertainment, even though they exist farther from residential areas, while the winery is in a residential district and would be allowed to have music more than 60 time through October.
Eventually, a motion to approve was made and seconded. More conversation followed after 32 conditions in the resolution were read. Most involved required compliance with all comments made by the various professionals and code requirements.
After a discussion with Don Petrosa, the attorney representing the winery, some modifications to the original conditions were made, specifically involving hours of operation.
Those hours of operation in the barn building became limited to 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Outdoor operations are limited to 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Additionally, outdoor music is limited to Fridays and Saturdays only, and the music shall end at 7 p.m.
There are also multiple conditions related to parking. In addition to no parking on Beaver Valley Road or any of the other streets, five paved handicapped parking spaces must be provided, and no parking shall be permitted between the expanded parking lots and Beaver Valley Road. The entire parking lot east of the entrance drive, referred to as the eastern lot, needs to be of crushed stone.
The western lot is required to be resized, limiting the eastern and western lots to 100 vehicles, while individually, neither lot can have more than 60 spaces. There may be overflow parking on grassy area in the southwest grassy area but even with overflow parking, no more than 240 vehicles are permitted.
Other conditions include spotlights on the east side shall be removed, and parking lots shall be screened from Beaver Valley Road.
The full list of conditions can be found in Resolution NO. 29-2025
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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