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Written by John McCreadie
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Area wine makers – including the Viña Castellano Winery on Bell Road – are expected to begin applying for permits that will allow them to provide wine tasting at their vineyard locations. Photo by John McCreadie.
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Supes unanimously approve on-site wine tastings
County supervisors received cheers from winery owners and their supporters Tuesday after delivering a 5-0 vote in favor of a new winery ordinance that will allow Placer County vintners to open wine-tasting facilities on their farms during regular business hours.
The vote follows two years of county planning, more than 13 public hearings and a surprise delay last month as the proposed ordinance pitted winery neighbors against winery owners.
The new ordinance immediately impacts the 10 approved wineries in the county by providing specific laws governing winery operations and by simplifying the permit process, especially for smaller wine producers.
“I don’t know if we have something that is perfect,” said District 2 Supervisor Robert Weygandt. “But a lot of work has gone into it.”
The board unanimously passed the new ordinance – which also includes permitting requirements and standards for access, parking, waste disposal and promotional events at county wineries – after hearing 80 minutes of public comments both for and against the proposal.
The board tried to address concerns regarding private road access – where several opponents cited increased liability and traffic concerns created by wineries offering wine tasting – by adding a no-cost appeal process for residents with “standing,” who may want to appeal permit approvals granted by the planning commission.
“I’m for giving people their day in court,” said District 4 Supervisor Kirk Uhler, who suggested the ordinance be amended to streamline such planning commission-level appeals.
The board also required changes in notification during the permit process to be expanded to alert all residents on a private road, instead of the customary notification that goes to residents within 300 feet of a permitted facility.
Opponents charged that opening wineries to wine tasting would make rural roadways less safe with additional traffic and potential drunk drivers. Newcastle resident Mike Giles also suggested open-meeting transparency rules were “circumvented,” which limited public input into the creation of the ordinance.
Supervisors believed the new ordinance was properly vetted throughout its creation process, which included separate planning commission and agriculture commission workshops, along with numerous other meetings and hearings.
Additionally, supervisors voted to delay a vote on the new winery ordinance at a meeting in July while potential legal issues and other public concerns were further reviewed.
Development of the ordinance began two years ago. It came at the request of winery owners frustrated by inconsistent rules at the Planning Department regarding farm-based wine tasting facilities.
Still, many county wineries have provided wine tasting on their farms by appointment and during promotional events under an existing law that provides farms the right to operate “farm stands.” The purpose of the new ordinance is to provide specific guidelines for wine producers under the Placer County Zoning Ordinance.
Winery owners insisted on the development of the ordinance as a means of guaranteeing their rights to conduct business on their properties, which are typically located outside city limits.
“We couldn’t make investments in our business not knowing what the county would do next,” said Teena Wilkins, co-owner of Viña Castellano Winery. “We needed their support to help us create a wine region similar to what other counties in the state have done.”
Two wineries opened in-town wine tasting rooms earlier this year. Fawnridge Winery opened a tasting room in Downtown Auburn and Viña Castellano Winery opened a shop in the Bowman area, east of Auburn along the Highway 80 corridor.
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