The Grape Divide: Yorktown Divided Over the Winery at St. George

The exquisite, century old Normandy-style church that sits along Route 6 in Mohegan Lake seems an uncommon site for turmoil and debate. But when entrepreneur Tom DeChiaro's concept for a posh yet inviting winery was added to the mix, discord began to brew. 

Mohegan Lake's Winery at St. George has aged for three long years while DeChiaro has worked unsuccessfully to obtain the proper town permits that would allow him to permanently operate his business. The result: disharmony between four distinct groups within Yorktown's community.  

The Foodies Versus the Historic Preservationists

Simply put, wine lovers and foodies adore the Winery at St. George. 

One such local, Judi Schoen offered a glimpse at why the Winery enjoys a rapidly growing and vocal fan base. She and her husband enjoy meeting friends and family at St. George for the wine tastings, where they always find a knowledgeable and welcoming staff, and a terrific selection of wines, she said.

"The building is absolutely gorgeous, right down to the bathrooms!" Schoen said. 

The Winery is also a hit among foodies because it offers a unique pre-dinner venue.

"They have some absolutely delicious wine, and it's a nice place to have a drink before dinner," Rachel Fragiacomo said.

In fact, the winery's growing customer base goes well beyond the greater Yorktown area. The Winery at St. George was a recent destination for the Mt. Kisco based Mom2Mom of Northern Westchester County. The group of mothers, with membership of more than 200, recently scheduled a "Mom's Night Out" at the Winery, as an opportunity to socialize free of children, which is rare and  a treasure occurrence, one member said.

Just as local foodies are passionate about saving the Winery, Yorktown's preservationists are equally dedicated to saving the historic stone church building. Although small in numbers, a handful of local preservationists have been front and center in the argument against allowing the Winery to be cleared for business. Instead, they want the old church building to be converted into a museum or visitor center. 

According to Yorktown's Director of Planning, John Tegeder, preservationists are the only group of residents who have expressed significant concern with the Winery's current location.

Fear of increased traffic, increased noise or even the potential moral dilemma of turning a former religious sanctuary into a winery has not been a main concern among Yorktown residents. Tegeder said that "preserving the value of the building as a historic artifact" has been an issue of contention for certain Yorktown residents.

Business Community Versus Bureaucrats

Chamber of Commerce President Joseph Visconti did not want to comment on the alleged tension between the business community and government.

"We [the Chamber] have no comment on the Winery, or on the current state of the relationship between the Chamber and town officials," he said in a statement. 

However, a prominent member of Yorktown's business community - who requested to remain anonymous - painted a very different story in which Yorktown's business owners are frustrated by how onerous the process has become to establish and operate a business in Yorktown. 

Disgruntled by the town's slow and burdensome requirements, the business community has staunchly rallied behind the Winery at St. George and, according to this business leader, the Chamber of Commerce and its members continue to be very supportive of the Winery. 

"The Winery is a boon for Mohegan Lake, drawing business into the town, and providing a beautiful new venue for locals to hold events," the woman said.

The St. George situation has heightened concerns among business owners that Yorktown makes it too hard to do business and that new businesses are starting to become hesitant to open their doors here.

On the other side of the issue, Yorktown's public officials have received the brunt of the business community's frustration over St. George. At the height of the controversy, a former county legislator along with six town officials (including planner John Tegeder and building inspector Bill Gregory) even faced down a federal civil lawsuit which was brought against them by the Winery. 

The longer the Winery hangs in limbo, the more the tension heightens between the business community and Yorktown's bureaucrats.  

"No one is opposed to the Winery," Tegeder said when asked about the delay in permitting the Winery. "There are varying opinions on how to get the Winery opened legally and within the framework of the existing town zoning laws". 

Working through these varying options is the challenge at hand.

Repairing the Rift

Business owners and town officials are beginning a dialogue about the ways in which the business permitting processes can be streamlined from both sides. 

"Yorktown is no better or worse than any other municipalities in the state, but the town has been working with the businesses community to be as efficient and effective as possible," Yorktown's building inspector Bill Gregory said.

To highlight this point, Gregory referenced recent collaboration between the planning department and business owners to form new recommendations on improving the processes. The report was approved this past spring.

As for the fate of the Winery at St. George, the Zoning Board of Appeals adjourned the issue until the next meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 23.