SEYMOUR – Members of the town’s planning and zoning commission said Thursday (May 14) they’ll revise zoning rules to add “agritourism” to Seymour’s zoning code.
The move comes after the town’s zoning enforcement officer, acting on a complaint from a neighbor, issued a cease and desist to Red Clover Farms at 174 South Benham Road.
The neighbor was Al and Kristen Bruno, who said the farm was violating land use regulations by featuring events like open mic nights and live music. Al Bruno is a member of the town’s Board of Selectpersons and Kristen Bruno is a member of the school board.
Red Clover Farms owner Kim Dulka Warner, said modern farms have to do more than grow tomatoes and corn to stay alive in 2026. She said the farm, in town for 110 years, would go out of business if it could not diversify.
Click here for a previous Valley Indy story on the issue.
Seymour Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Brian Sirowich said his commission would update the zoning language to reflect modern farming.
“We will work together and if anyone else wants to volunteer and help with this, we can get the process going and we’ll keep your farm working because it is important to our community,” Sirowich said.
Any zoning language changes would affect all farms in Seymour, not just Red Clover Farms.
The commission held a meeting at the Seymour Community Center that drew about 125 people. Many were there to support Red Clover Farms. The ZBA’s public hearing has been continued to 5:30 p.m. June 11 at the Seymour Community Center.
The new zoning language could be written by the time of the commission’s next meeting, scheduled for June 11. The zone text amendment would have to be approved by the commission after a public hearing and it would have to be circulated for public review.
Seymour First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis addressed the commission during Thursday’s meeting to say the new farm language is needed.
“The reality is, farming today is not what it was when most of us were growing up,” Drugonis said. “It’s no longer just planting tomatoes, picking corn and getting aggravated because the deer got into your garden. But joking aside, agriculture has changed dramatically, and our regulations need to catch up with that reality.”
Drugonis suggested the commission incorporate agritourism into its regulations as well as Connecticut’s Right to Farm Act, which she said recognizes that “agriculture is essential to our communities and economy, and that farms operating normally are not nuisances simply because they create noise, odors, dust, traffic, or seasonal activity.”
Drugonis said she’d like language included to allow farms to host farm-to-table dinners, weddings, corporate events, craft markets, open mic nights, food trucks, small music festivals, hay rides and other events, while following town fire and building codes.
“We need to stop regulating agriculture based on what farming looked like decades ago and start preparing for what farming looks like today — and tomorrow,” Drugonis said. “So tonight, I expect this commission to make this text change a priority and begin this process as quickly as possible.”
The Public Speaks
About 20 people at the meeting spoke in support of Red Clover Farms, saying farms need help to survive.
“Please get us into the 21st century so we don’t lose the farms we still have,” said resident David Brzezon.
Peter Rzasa, a Seymour resident for more than 50 years, said farms are disappearing.
“I’m very much in favor of agri-farming, and other farms all over the Valley and Connecticut do it,” Rzasa said. “Jones Farm in Shelton has a winery and pumpkin picking and Christmas trees, Wells Hollow Farms in Shelton and Rich Farms in Oxford have ice cream.”The Red Clover Farms cease and desist is still pending, but the farm is able to operate as-is for at least the next 35 days, members of the ZBA said.