Submitted Photo Tom and Melanie Carlson are planning on building a wedding barn in Marshall.

MARSHALL — It was an idea that had been a long time in planning, Tom Carlson said. But a proposal to build a new wedding venue in the Marshall area is moving forward.

Earlier this week, the Lyon County Board approved a permit that would allow construction of a wedding barn on land south of Marshall. The 7,500 square-foot building would offer a banquet hall and other facilities for weddings and events.

Groundwork for the wedding venue is planned to begin next week, Carlson said. Carlson is one of the members of 5 Family Ranch, the company building the barn. “5 Family Ranch” will also be the name of the wedding venue, he said.

“It’s exciting to bring something new to the area,” Carlson said Friday. Having a place for events like weddings that draw people to the Marshall area would also be positive for the local economy, he said.

The wedding barn proposal went before Lyon County commissioners on Tuesday. Commissioners approved a conditional use permit for 5 Family Ranch to build the venue on land near the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and Lyon County Road 6, south of Marshall. The permit came with conditions including that the business control potential nuisances like waste and noise, and that parking at the property follows county ordinances.

Lyon County planning and zoning administrator John Biren said the wedding venue was a land use the county planning commission hadn’t seen before.

“I believe it’s a good project. We’re definitely going to try and work with them,” Biren said at Tuesday’s meeting.

“We had started thinking about it a year ago,” Carlson said of the wedding venue business.

Tom and his wife Melanie both grew up in the Wabasso area, and they still live and work in southwest Minnesota.

Carlson said the idea for a wedding barn came after he and Melanie noticed how popular barns and similar venues had become for weddings. At the same time, there weren’t many climate-controlled venues in that style in the Marshall area, he said.

Together with four of Melanie’s siblings, the Carlsons formed 5 Family Ranch, LLC. In addition to planning out a business, they bought land located next to Greenwood Nursery, near Highway 59 and County Road 6.

“It will be a year-round structure,” Carlson said of 5 Family Ranch.

He said the venue would have a modern rustic style, and be able to host up to 450 guests. Part of the building would have a 2,500 square-foot loft that could be used for small indoor ceremonies, and the main floor would have a large banquet area with a two-story vaulted ceiling.

In addition, the venue is planned to have bride and groom’s suites, a bar and a prep kitchen for caterers. Carlson said they also plan to do landscaping and build an outdoor patio for the venue.

The wedding barn has received a positive response from county staff and local residents, Carlson said. He said the business is also working with Minnwest Bank for financing.

The goal is to have construction of 5 Family Ranch completed in time for an August opening date, Carlson said.