The Summit County Council created a new category in the Snyderville Basin development code to allow farm stands two months ago.
June 10, Copper Moose got its first permanent permit. Not much is changing with how the farm stand operates except that it doesn’t need to apply for a temporary permit annually.
Owner Kristi Cumming, whose husband John is the CEO of Powdr Corp, said they’ve been farming at their Old Ranch Road estate for 20 years.
“What we learned through the process is that it's very expensive to grow at 7000 feet. It takes a lot of hard work. We have amazing staff who, some of which live on our property, and it's been a real labor of love,” she told the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission June 10. “We're very proud of what we've created at Copper Moose farm.”
According to Michael Foster, the farm manager, the stand is usually open May 22 through October, depending on the weather. The farm goes online-only in the off season.
“Our greenhouses are year-round production facilities. So in the winter, we grow a variety of salad greens,” Foster told KPCW’s “Mountain Money” in April. “In summer, our greenhouses, they have the crops that do not thrive well in this climate.”
Public comment about Copper Moose's permitting has been positive overall. Old Ranch Road resident Debbie Scoggan weighed in at the planning commission and the Summit County Council meeting the day after.
“There’s no cap on the number of special event permits that someone can ask for, so that is a concern. I didn't bring it up last night because that's not part of that [permit],” she told the county council. “But I think we need to think about having a cap on how many special events an entity can have every season.”
She said that goes for all businesses, not just for Copper Moose, which she supports. Otherwise, she said businesses might become de facto events centers, which officials worry about popping up in other neighborhoods around the Basin and which some neighbors consider nuisances.
