Planning commission approves 4 Horse Ranch conditional use permit with manure, parking and trip limits

The Calaveras County Planning Commission voted March 27 to approve a conditional use permit (CUP 2024-013) for Jeremy and Lynette Covey Smith to operate a private equestrian facility (4 Horse Ranch) at 2911 Patriot Way in Burson. Staff recommended adoption of a mitigated negative declaration, a mitigation monitoring and reporting program, and the CUP with amended conditions. The commission approved the resolution as amended and adopted the mitigation measures.

The application would allow up to 30 equines on the rural residential parcel; commissioners and staff said the number was chosen to keep operations enforceable and to limit impacts to neighbors. The commission and applicant discussed the site’s manure and waste management plan in detail. Staff presented a draft final waste management plan as a mitigation measure and clarified that technical reference documents from UC Davis and other publications were included by reference; environmental management staff advised the plan was adequate once clarified.

Key waste-management clarifications and conditions adopted by the commission include: - Stalls and confined paddocks: manure and soiled bedding must be removed from confined areas (stalls, paddocks and turnout areas) regularly; stalls should be kept clean and dry and paddocks kept clean and well drained to avoid prolonged standing water. - Compost and land application: composted material (not un-composted raw manure) may be spread on pasture areas at limited depth (staff recommended using compost terminology and capped application depths); the commission adopted language limiting land application to processed/composted material and suggested a maximum of about 1 inch where used to amend soils. - Storage and runoff: manure storage/composting areas must be sited and managed to prevent runoff onto adjacent properties and to retain or dissipate water on-site; storage setbacks of roughly 100 feet from neighbors and sensitive features were discussed and included as conditions where site-specific layout required it. - Off-site movement: finished compost may be delivered off-site or given away, subject to conditions limiting traffic impacts and ensuring proper handling and transport to prevent nuisance or runoff issues.

Commissioners also required the applicant’s final waste-management plan to provide practical operating details (how manure is handled daily, composting procedure, containment for rainy periods and runoff controls) and for planning to enforce the plan as part of the mitigation monitoring program. Staff and the applicant agreed the draft plan would be finalized and recorded as a condition of approval.

The commission discussed vehicle trips and parking: staff pointed to the project description and conditions that limit patrons, employees and volunteers to levels equivalent to a single-family residence (intended to avoid triggering a traffic study). Commissioners asked staff to add an explicit monitoring condition tying allowable average daily trips to the project description; the adopted resolution conditions limit on-site employees and patrons and thereby restrict vehicle trips, and the commission asked staff to clarify the parking area in the site plan for enforcement.

Applicants Jeremy and Lynette Covey Smith testified about onsite operations and their intent to follow best practices. The applicants discussed how published guidance about housing capacity can be read two ways (housing vs. pasture carrying capacity); the commission settled on a 30-equine cap in the CUP, with an explicit path for the applicant to return later if they seek an amendment.

Staff recommended and the commission approved Planning Commission Resolution 2025-4 (as amended) adopting the mitigated negative declaration and the mitigation monitoring and reporting program and approving the CUP with the listed conditions. The motion carried on a roll call recorded as 4–0 with one commissioner absent. The commission’s decision is final unless appealed to the Board of Supervisors within 15 calendar days.