Salem — The Herbfarm's revitalization as a wedding venue probably won't come to full fruition until 2020, but the new venture of the beloved farm on Route 85 has the town's support.

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted Tuesday night to approve the application for the property at 320 Hartford Road to be designated a Special Agricultural Zone. The SAZ is a floating zone designation established by the town to promote agricultural uses of Salem properties and preserve the town's rural character.

To do this, the application also requested that the zoning regulations be revised to include special event facilities. Other permitted uses of the zone include tack shops, greenhouses, farm stands and wineries.

The Herbfarm, which closed in June 2015, was operated by Anne and Joseph Duncan for 17 years as a retail plant nursery. The property, which includes a refurbished 19th-century barn, has been in Anne Duncan's family for more than 100 years.

As chairman of the commission, Joseph Duncan recused himself from all discussions on the application, but he said in a phone interview Wednesday he was looking forward to the new business.

"We were sure happy about the support we got from the town," he said.

They've started some of the landscaping work needed to reopen the property in 2018, but Joseph Duncan said it may take a few years after that for business to pick up.

At the public hearing Sept. 27, residents and town officials voiced widespread support for the Herbfarm's new endeavor. The application also received approval from the Inland Wetlands and Conservation Commission at its Oct. 11 meeting. Additional support came at Tuesday night's meeting from Fox Farm Brewery owner Zack Adams.

In his email to Town Planner Richard Serra, Adams said he and his wife, Laura, had looked to the Herbfarm's operations for inspiration while writing the SAZ application for the brewery last year. The commission approved the designation for the brewery property on Music Vale Road in January.

Mark Frausini, Adams' father-in-law, also came Tuesday to support the application for the Herbfarm. He said the new business will be good for the town, and he would love for others in the area to be able to enjoy such a beautiful property.

Before discussing the application itself, the commission voted unanimously to add the special event facility to the list of permitted uses. Requests in the application to waive the engineered site plan, traffic impact study and paved parking lot requirements in the zoning regulations also were approved unanimously.

The only change made to the application before it, too, received unanimous approval was to the Herbfarm's expected hours of operation. Vice Chairman Vernon Smith, who acted as chairman in Duncan's recusal, echoed support by neighbors and suggested that the application allow the business to stay open year round. From there, the Duncans could decide to close for the winter, rather than having to close from December to March because the application requires it.

The Herbfarm is slated to reopen as a wedding venue in the spring of 2018.

a.hutchinson@theday.com