The Kamas City Council has approved the annexation of approximately 129 acres on the south side of State Route 248 west of the municipal boundary, including a 14-acre parcel where the owners of Ballerina Farm want to build a dairy retail development.
Three council members voted Tuesday in favor of the annexation of six properties that make up the total acreage. Councilor Larry Gines abstained because a family member owns property in the annexation area.
Daniel and Hannah Neeleman are proposing to include livestock pastures, orchards, gardens, a farm store, a café, an event center, a barn and chicken coops on their Ballerina Farm parcel. No development is currently proposed for the other five properties within the annexation, which have different owners, according to a staff report.
The Ballerina land was zoned Agriculture (AG-10). Under the City Council vote, the zoning on the parcel was changed to Agricultural Tourism, a newly created designation.
The staff report says an agricultural tourism development will support and enhance the historic agricultural operations of the Kamas Valley.
“The various different uses will lend itself nicely to encourage visitors to visit and see a working dairy operation with retail components,” the report says.
The Neelemans bought the 328-acre Ballerina Farm in 2018 and live on that property with their eight children. The farm sells pork, beef, baked goods, salt, home goods, aprons, soap and candles.
The annexation is conditional on Kamas and the Neelemans reaching agreements on who pays for improvements, such as putting in water and sewer lines to the property.
The report says the couple has expressed a desire for a 12-year pioneering agreement. Under that arrangement, they would pay for the lines and other property owners who tie in to them would pay a portion of the cost.
A separate site plan for a creamery would have to be approved by the Kamas Planning Commission after annexation.
Hannah Neeleman, a Utah native, is a social media influencer who posts about her lifestyle to millions of followers on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. She is a graduate of The Julliard School, where she trained as a ballerina.