SOUTH DEERFIELD — New life may soon be coming to the vacant farmstand at the intersection of Routes 5 and 10 and North Hillside Road.

Maple Valley Creamery, the Hadley-based dairy farm that also operates Maple Valley’s Scoop at the Silos, is eyeing the property at 282 Greenfield Road with preliminary plans to renovate its kitchen and operate the site as a farmstand.

Bruce Jenks, who runs Maple Valley Creamery, appeared before Deerfield’s Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday evening to request a special permit, as well as clarification that the farm would be able to operate the long-vacant property as a farmstand and “serve food, if we so choose.” The 1.8-acre parcel is currently owned by Jonathan Welch, one of Jenks’ longtime customers.

Plans for the business, he noted, are not finalized but it would likely operate as a farmstand and ice cream shop.

“What we’re trying to do here is we’re trying to have a farmstand that has a kitchen,” Jenks said, adding that Deerfield’s bylaws for the Commercial District, CII, are a little unclear about what having a kitchen on site means.

While there are no plans for some sort of large-scale restaurant, Maple Valley Creamery wants to have the option to potentially make quick food items — hamburgers, for example — alongside other products. Limited seating would also be available.

Although the scale is small, Deerfield’s zoning bylaws state that a “restaurant, not including fast-food or drive-in restaurant,” must be approved by special permit in the CII, while a farmstand is allowed by right.

“We’re just trying to clarify what the table allows,” Jenks said, adding that their plans to open a farmstand with a kitchen are “kind of landing in the middle.”

Other than renovating the kitchen, which Jenks described as being in “dire condition,” there will be little, if any, additional work on the building, other than cleaning things up.

The farmstand, which is located across the street from Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory, has been vacant for more than three years. Manheim Farm previously operated the site as a farmstand in the summer of 2021, but closed it down in September of that year due to a lack of workers.

While they were receptive to the idea, ZBA members did wrestle with the idea of approving a special permit for a restaurant with only preliminary plans on hand. After further discussion with Jenks regarding parking spaces and signs, as well as determining that Maple Valley Creamery’s vision for a kitchen is something small, the board unanimously approved the permit.

“They want to make sure we’re permitting this as a ‘restaurant,’” said ZBA member David Sharp. “I don’t think the applicant is saying they’re going to try and squeeze in an actual restaurant.”

The ZBA applied the town’s seven standard conditions, as well as the requirement that there will be no substantial changes to the building’s footprint without further approval from the board.

“We certainly welcome some activity down there,” said ZBA Chair David Potter. “It seems like a nice spot.”

After the meeting, Jenks said a timeline is unclear on when Maple Valley Creamery will begin work on the site.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.