Hamilton Farms Makes Outdoor Tent Permanent

To avoid having to take it down in the future, the Hamilton Farms Golf & Equestrian Center requested to have its temporary tent be made a permanent one—and the Land Use Board unanimously approved the request Thursday.

According to Christopher Quinn, attorney for the golf center, the 8,000-square-foot tent is already existing on the property

“We have been asked by the township to make this permanent, so we are asking for site plan approval for it,” he said. “It is used 15 to 20 times a year for large banquets, parties and fundraisers, and it is up for such a long time.”

With the approval to make it a permanent structure, according to applicant engineer Robert Moschello, the tent itself will not change. The only change, he said, will be to some of the flooring and structure it make it more permanent.

The tent, Moschello said is about 7,900 square feet in size. It can hold up to 300 people, and there is valet service for all vehicles.

“The tent meets all bulk standards for lot coverage and zoning setbacks,” he said. “We are asking for approval to take it from a temporary structure to a permanent one to be used on a year-round basis.”

According to Bedminster Township Mayor Robert Holtaway, the tent was put up about seven years ago for one of the PGA tournaments.

“It was a recurring annual thing, and they started using the tent every year,” he said. “It was permitted for temporary use, but that only allows for 180 days of use.”

The code, Holtaway said, maintained that the tent had to be taken down every year after 180 days of use.

“They needed to avoid that because it's not an [easy-to-take-down] tent,” he said. “The floor is like the one in the municipal building, and if it is exposed to weather, it could be ruined.”

But the fire departments, Holtaway said, were after the club to take the tent down after the 180 days of use.

“Last year, we entered into discussions on how we could solve this, and the best solution was to get the site plan approval,” he said. “Then they can leave it up all year.”

“That’s why we’re here seven years later,” he added. “We do seek conformance.”

Moschello said there will be some upgrades needed for the flooring to be compliant with standards, but otherwise there will be no changes made to the tent.

The only question from township planner Frank Banisch concerned what will happen with the maintenance of the canvas itself. He said his only concern is about the durability and the appearance of it.

“They factor with this type of approval in that it will be maintained into the future,” he said. “But given the fact that the appeal of this building relates to the success of the club, it strikes me that having this conversation is kind of silly.”

“To grant approval without safeguards would ordinarily not make sense, but in this case it does,” he added.

Holtaway said he agrees that the requirement is not necessary.

“We don’t require that for other buildings, I don’t think we should pick on this building,” he said.

The township unanimously approved the application to make the structure permanent.