Escondido zoning administrator approves modification to conditional use permit for downtown wedding venue

Escondido Zoning Administrator Chris McKinney approved a modification to Conditional Use Permit PL23-0338 to allow amplified entertainment and on-site alcohol service at a wedding venue at 209 East Fourth Avenue in downtown Escondido.

Staff said the request would permit amplified sound and alcohol service during weddings, receptions and rehearsals subject to design features and operational conditions intended to keep noise within municipal limits and to meet state alcohol licensing rules. Melissa DeMarzo, assistant planner with the city of Escondido, presented the application and staff recommendation for approval.

The subject property is 0.47 acres and contains a 2,875-square-foot historic structure identified in the record as the Wolford Ting House. The garden at the rear of the property has hosted weddings and social events historically. In 2019 the applicant sought a specific plan amendment and concurrent conditional use permit under prior filings (PHG19-00001; PHG19-00002); after a July 15, 2020 planning commission recommendation the city council allowed weddings and receptions in the Southern Gateway District under a conditional use permit with conditions that prohibited alcohol sales and on-site amplification.

City records show a noise complaint was received in March 2023 and a notice of violation was issued on May 3, 2023 for alleged on-site amplification. The applicant filed the current modification request on Aug. 30, 2023. The applicant retained ILR Associates to prepare a supplemental acoustical report attached to the staff report. The consultant measured on- and off-site noise and found a maximum projected increase of 3 dBA above existing ambient levels, below the 5 dBA threshold the consultant treated as significant in its analysis.

Conditions included in the approval incorporate the consultant's recommended design features: a solid 6-foot-high sound attenuation barrier wall or sound curtains with a minimum Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating of 26 along the southern and eastern property lines; pre-event and event noise monitoring; limits on speaker location and speaker type; and a prohibition on amplification of live vocals and live musical performances. The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Escondido Police Department reviewed the proposed alcohol service; conditions tied to alcohol service include bartender licensing, limits on hours, and on-site service and consumption only.

Applicant representatives told the zoning administrator they have already taken several steps to reduce noise: retaining an in-house DJ rather than outside contractors, removing three large speakers used previously, buying an event sound meter to log levels, and widening and picking up the south property fence. They said they have not yet purchased the full sound barrier (estimated at $7,000—$10,000) and are awaiting permit approval before installing it.

A nearby resident who spoke during the public comment period described living about 100 feet from the venue and said the events are generally quiet from inside the house and that the gatherings are a "celebration of life." Staff noted one late letter from a resident (Dirk Rachling, CPA) was added to the record and two other written comments were already in the administrative record.

McKinney closed by reminding the applicant that continued noncompliance with the permit conditions would lead to code compliance enforcement. "Please adhere to the conditions of your permit," he said before announcing approval.

The zoning administrator's action approves the conditional use permit modification as described in staff's recommendation and resolution 2025-04; the approval is subject to the design features and operational conditions included in the staff report and attachments.