Red Lion Inn's outdoor weddings are out, Cohasset board rules`

Brides and grooms hoping to exchange vows outdoors at a Cohasset inn will have to find another venue.
The town’s zoning board of appeals voted this week to uphold a cease-and-desist order that applies to outdoor weddings at the Red Lion Inn on South Main Street.
Town Building Inspector Robert Egan issued the order in November. It states that “outdoor ceremonies are not authorized” under the inn’s special permit,” which was issued in February 2000.
“The conducting of outdoor wedding ceremonies at the RLI constitutes an extension or alteration of the nonconforming use of the land on which the RLI is located,” the order states. “Outdoor wedding ceremonies constitute an increase in the intensity of use of the property with the potential for increased noise, increased light emissions, increased traffic, and increased need for parking, all of which are zoning concerns.”
The inn appealed Egan’s decision. It was also seeking a special permit to allow outdoor ceremonies to take place.
The matter came before the appeals board last month. The board suggested to the inn’s counsel, Charles Humphreys, that it belonged before the planning board. The appeal and special permit application hearing remained open until appeals board’s meeting Monday night. After hearing from both Humphreys and attorney Mark Bourbeau, representing neighbors Michael and Rowena Karp, the board unanimously voted to close the hearing and deliberate later in the meeting.

After deliberating, the board decided to uphold Egan’s decision. The inn’s owner, Gerd Ordelheide, has 20 days from Wednesday to appeal.