Zoning administrator denies Lakeview Ranch Minor Use Permit after neighbors’ complaints and code-enforcement history

Placer County Zoning Administrator Crystal Jacobson on March 20 denied a Minor Use Permit application from property owners Alan and Jessica Clark that would have authorized Lakeview Ranch Rides to operate as an equestrian facility with boarding and riding lessons at 3300 Hector Road in the Newcastle area (APN 037-053-019).

Planning staff described the 5.4-acre parcel as developed with a single-family residence, a 5,400-square-foot barn, two arenas, and 20 stables. The applicants originally requested authorization for up to 21 horses; staff reviewed site conditions and recommended a cap of 16 horses (plus two miniature horses the staff did not count toward the cap). The applicants proposed lessons Tuesdays–Fridays at roughly 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., with up to five students per lesson (15 lesson participants per day). Planning staff concluded that the operation exceeded the county’s “minor equestrian facility” standards (which typically limit animals to 2 horses per acre…