The Project is a request for a Minor Conditional Use Permit (MCUP) to allow for 12 temporary events per year, with a maximum of two per month. Each event will be limited to 150 guests. The events will consist of receptions, parties, weddings, and similar gatherings, and be conducted entirely outdoors utilizing the existing barn covered patio area, lawn area immediately south of the barn, and the residence pool deck and lawn area immediately adjacent to the residence. The interior of the barn and residence will not be used for temporary events. All facilities for the events will be portable and temporary in nature, including but not limited to: event tents, portable restrooms, portable catering amenities, a rental dance floor, rental dining tables, rental seating, temporary lighting, and temporary sound equipment. All temporary lighting will be fully shielded and directed downward. No cooking facilities are proposed, and all food and beverages will be provided by an event/catering company and brought to the site for each event. No permanent improvements are proposed as part of the project.
Special events may occur up to 12 days per year from 10:00 am 8:00 pm. Amplified music is proposed at the residence pool deck and background music is proposed at the barn patio. Noise levels will not exceed 65 dBA at the property lines. All amplified noise and temporary lighting will end by 8:00 pm. Set up for events will take place two days before the event, and clean-up will be completed within 48 hours of event completion. All noise generating activities related to equipment set-up and clean-up would be limited to the hours of 8:00 am 5:00 pm.
All proposed special events will be managed by a contracted event company which provides comprehensive event planning, preparation, event management, and post-event cleaning including temporary event structure and waste removal. A temporary catering tent will be located adjacent to the residence garage, with an adjacent bar and cocktail tent located south of the existing barn. Food preparation will be conducted entirely within the catering tent with light appetizers provided within the cocktail tent area and meal service to tables provided at the patio area south of the residence. The residential patio area will also accommodate a temporary dance floor and dining seating area, temporarily placed over the existing swimming pool. A live music (DJ/band) area will be located immediately south of the dining seating and dance floor area with the music directed north towards the residence. Temporary lighting provided by the event company will be provided in the patio area as needed. Temporary lighting will be powered using existing electrical receptacles at the patio without the need for a portable generator.
Access to the event site will be provided by an existing paved private driveway from Toro Canyon Park Road. The existing driveway is 16 feet in width, with two feet of clearance on each side. Parking for special events with up to 50 guests will be located entirely on the property. Parking for events with greater than 50 guests will be provided offsite with private transportation from local hotels or the St. Joseph Church parking lot located approximately seven miles from the property in the City of Carpinteria. The shuttle bus will be parked in the existing driveway adjacent to the residence during the event, and this location will serve as the pickup/drop-off location for guests. The shuttle service will include scheduled pickup and drop-off times, and will typically require fewer than four round trips for the largest events. A total of 41 parking spaces can be accommodated on site. These areas include a gravel parking area near the property entrance, a compacted earthen parking area along the existing paved driveway near the barn, a compacted gravel area at the northern portion of the property adjacent to the water tank (north of the vineyard), and an ADA accessible parking space located in the existing flat parking area immediately adjacent to the existing barn. The existing topography and landscaping will minimize views of all proposed parking areas. Directional and parking signs will be provided, including "No Parking" and "Fire Lane - No Stopping" signs as required by the Fire Department.
Each event will include approximately 27 employees (catering, DJ, personnel, etc.). Caterers and staff will leave the property by 9:00 pm on the evening of an event. 15 temporary parking spaces for employees and one ADA parking space will be available onsite. These parking spaces will be clearly marked and unavailable for guest parking. The property is served by the Ridgeland Mutual Water Company (RMWC), an existing private well which is used for agricultural irrigation, and a private onsite septic system. No water or wastewater treatment services will be required for the Project due to the temporary nature of facilities. The portable bathrooms will be located adjacent to the barn and will be delivered to the site for each event and removed at the end of the event (typically the next business day). No grading, no tree removal, and no landscaping is proposed with this permit. The Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District will continue to provide fire service, and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff will continue to provide police services. Access to the event site will be provided off Toro Canyon Park Road via an existing driveway. The property is a 56-acre parcel zoned AG-I-40 and MT-TORO-40, and shown as Assessors Parcel Number 155-170-035, located at 3580 Toro Canyon Park Road in the Toro Canyon Community Plan Area, First Supervisorial District.
