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The volume is going to have to be lowered on live music being presented this summer at an outdoor pavilion at Ecco Adesso Vineyards in northern Rockbridge County.
The Board of Supervisors on Monday approved an outdoors music events application for a series of Saturday afternoon concerts at the vineyards, provided the music is not amplified.
Ecco Adesso, located off of Borden Grant Trail, was granted a special exception permit in November of 2021 to operate a special events venue. That permit restricted amplified music to indoor settings.
The first of a series of Saturday afternoon (3 to 6 p.m.) concerts at the outdoor pavilion scheduled for this year occurred on June 10 and drew the complaint of a neighbor about the amplified music. County staff notified the vineyards owners that amplified outdoor music was in violation of the special exception permit.
In an effort to bring the concerts into compliance, the owners submitted an application to hold outdoor music events. The application was on the agenda for the supervisors’ meeting on Monday.
Supervisor Leslie Ayers said the prohibition against amplified outdoors music was made a condition of the special exception permit because of concerns expressed by neighbors prior to the permit being approved. “We did this in consideration of the neighbors,” she said. “Now we’re asking the neighbors to [essentially] attend the concerts [because of their close proximity to the amplified music].”
“The intent of the Board was to limit the music to inside,” agreed Supervisor Dan Lyons.
“People need to be able to trust us when we agree to something,” remarked Ayers.
The consensus of the supervisors was to grant an outdoor music permit for the summer concerts but to explicitly prohibit amplification of the music. The motion that was adopted left the door open to lifting the prohibition, in the future, if a way could be found to mitigate amplified outdoor music to the satisfaction of the neighbors.
