Wedding venue gets nod from county staff

 "It's a nice day for a white wedding," sang Billy Idol.

To Shauna Altes, it's an even better day for a white barn wedding — though she's repeatedly heard from customers of her Daytona Beach bridal florist business that it's hard to find a venue nearby with that commodity.

That will change if the Volusia County Council follows a staff recommendation Tuesday and approves her plans to build a wedding venue, complete with a white barn, on 10 acres of property off SR 40, about six miles west of I-95 in Ormond Beach.

"I would love for this to be a landmark," Altes, 35, said. "Brides love white barns because it's the perfect backdrop for any wedding and makes beautiful photos. A lot of the community is so excited."

The Ormond Beach resident said roughly 80 soon-to-be-brides have expressed interest in booking the venue once it opens. But there are dozens of others living in the nearby Rima Ridge community who are pushing back against Altes' vision. The agenda materials ahead of Tuesday's meeting come with 18 identical emails that were sent to council members requesting that they either reject the wedding venue or postpone the vote to a later date.

Concerns over alcohol consumption, traffic, noise and the need for the venue — they cite two others in the vicinity — are all expressed in the emails.

"We, the community of Rima Ridge, as well as other nearby neighborhoods, are concerned that our quiet, agricultural area will be disrupted if this business is allowed to come to fruition," the emails read. "We purchased our land and moved here to get away from this kind of commercial business. Allowing this to be built in the middle of our peaceful area would be not only a disruption of our quiet lives, but it would also be a slap in the face by the county to the tax paying and voting citizens of this area."

The county's Planning and Land Development Regulation Commission signed off on the wedding venue at a hearing in June where they heard arguments from both sides. County staff is recommending council approval during today's meeting, which starts at 10 a.m. at the county administration complex.

The council will also vote on an ordinance that would allow restaurants in unincorporated Volusia to have dog-friendly dining areas outside. [Read about that here]

The wedding venue plan calls for 68 parking spaces, an entry driveway, a storm water treament center and a main barn, three smaller ones and a gazebo totaling 10,978 square feet. The county won't allow events to be held between the hours of 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. It also must meet criteria regarding noise: no loudspeakers or call systems should be audible from adjoining property.

"The nearest residence is approximately 300 feet to the east. The second closest residence is across West State Road 40 approximately 580 feet to the south," county documents read. "The applicant will be required to meet the audibility requirements of the special exception as well as the noise restrictions provided in the Volusia County Noise Ordinance. Any neighborhood complaints or disruptions that result from the rural event center special exception are subject to review and could be cause for revocation of the special exception approval."

Standing on the wooded property Monday where she hopes wedding vows are one day exchanged, Altes said she doesn't understand why there's so much opposition in the community.

"When it's finally built, I feel they are going to see how wonderful it is," she said. This is such a good spot for this. This is so close to I-95, yet it's far enough outside the city. This is perfect."