Running Hare Vineyard commented the following after the statement from the Board of Commissioners below.
“We have been working closely with county staff for the past 2.5 years to resolve our current issues with Calvert County regulations. While we fully acknowledge that there are issues that need to be resolved, some of which are admittedly self created, the actual work to resolve these issues in terms of repairs and permit submissions has taken a few months time, while the process to resolve this at the county level has taken years. This is no fault of the county staff, who have been fantastic to work with, but it’s the fault of a process that is unnecessarily lengthy in nature. While it has been alleged that we have not done what has been asked of us, as of today, we have submitted everything that has been asked of us. Both sides are working diligently to resolve the issues at hand.”
The Calvert County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is committed to transparency and providing accurate information to the public regarding recent events at Running Hare Vineyard (Running Hare) in Prince Frederick. The BOCC have not voted to cancel any events at Running Hare.
Running Hare is not compliant with zoning requirements and several structures and electrical work have been installed on the property without permits or inspections. The county has been working with Running Hare for several years in attempt to bring the establishment into compliance and continues to make every effort to work with Running Hare to meet safety standards and allow for events to be held that comply with all applicable laws, regulations and agricultural preservation covenants. Despite the efforts made by the county, required permits and inspections have not been fully executed.
Running Hare is located on property that was voluntarily submitted to be permanently preserved as an agricultural preservation district in 1983. Agricultural Preservation Districts (APDs) earn money upon the sale of Transferrable Development Rights (TDRs) and receive tax benefits; TDRs are important to help maintain the county’s agricultural character and heritage.
In exchange, allowed uses and public events must keep within the county’s agricultural heritage. APDs may be approved by the Agricultural Preservation Advisory Board to hold up to two public events per year. Since there are open violations on the property, no public events of any kind are permitted; currently only private events can be held in the property’s event building. There is no limit to the number of private events allowed.
Land use regulations help to protect the environment and Calvert County’s cultural heritage by ensuring projects and activities are carried out in a manner that preserves natural resources and promotes the agricultural legacy of our county.
Although the regulatory process can be perceived as burdensome, permitting and inspections are important to protect public safety by ensuring that buildings, structures and activities comply with laws, codes and regulations in order to prevent accidents, fires and other hazards. Permitting and inspections ensure that construction projects are structurally sound to prevent collapse that could endanger patrons and staff.
It is deeply unfortunate that this situation has impacted the Hospice of the Chesapeake fundraiser. We are doing all we can to help ensure that Hospice will hold a successful event at the Huntingtown Fire Department and support their mission to provide crucial care to patients and families throughout our community.
County staff and the Agricultural Preservation Advisory Board have made extensive efforts since June 2020 to work with the property owners of Running Hare to bring them into compliance and allow for events to be held that comply with all applicable laws, regulations and agricultural preservation covenants.
