I don't care what they say (or, I am too a farm!)

Earlier this summer, wanting to make sure what I wanted to do is allowed (before getting all excited), I decided pay a visit to the township zoning officer. She confirmed my property is indeed in an agricultural zone and that a greenhouse is a permitted use. But here's the kicker... no retail at my location. What? Why? The regulations state a permitted use is "display and sale of farm products from a structure on the farm by a person farming land in the Agricultural District." "Ah yes, but it does say farm, and you don't have 10 or more acres so you aren't classified as a farm." She also told me I could apply for a special exception but there's a $500 fee to apply and no guarantee of approval, and that an engineering firm would then have to do a storm water runoff survey (which can run into quite a bit of money). Oh good grief. Just to sell vegetable seedlings and perhaps bags of compost, organic fertilizer and other assorted gardening paraphernalia. I had already come up with a tag line, "The Gardener's Greenhouse". Catering to the serious gardener. Carrying things that might otherwise be hard to find. Specialty items. You know.

Well, I have to admit that I allowed myself to pout for about three days. The I started thinking about other ways to make this thing work...