Branson visitors and residents will get another chance in the near future to see how a winery works. The Branson Board of Aldermen gave initial approval to the Branson Ridge Winery and Marketplace planned development on Thursday, September 13.
Don Stephens, the city’s planning director, described the nearly 18-acre development as having “a wine country bed and breakfast atmosphere.”
“It is a mixed use development, it has some commercial uses, agricultural uses, office, residential and recreation uses,” Stephens said of the development that will include a vineyard, event lawn and outdoor market.
One of the owners of the project, Jacob Fleig, said an area will be available for people to reserve for various events.
“We’re looking at things like wedding receptions,” Fleig said of the uses of the event lawn. “I couldn’t imagine anything that would be more than 300 (people).”
He said a market area will also allow for a location to have a farmers-market-type of an event.
“It’s really not more space than probably space for 15 or 20 10-by-10 open-air little canopy-type booths,” Fleig said.
He said the winery would also be growing its own grapes. The grapes will be used to make wine on the property, which will be located off of Sunrise Drive, just north of Cannonball Loop and to the west of U.S. 65.
“We have soil to be tested right now. We had done that previously and it looks adequate for what we would need,” Fleig said of growing grapes native to the state.
Branson Alderman Dick Gass voiced his approval of the project and the benefit it will be to the tourist community.
“It’s a nice project. I like it,” Gass said. “It’s going to be nice for our tourists.”
Aldermen will vote on the final approval of the project at their meeting on Sept. 24.
Information courtesy of Branson Daily News