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Mendocino review board approves continued outdoor tent use, permits pergola plan at Trillium Cafe
Summary
The Mendocino review board approved a permit to keep a temporary outdoor dining tent for up to two years at Trillium Cafe & Inn and cleared plans for an eventual 20x20 wood pergola and enclosed deck, with conditions on lighting and noise and a 10-day appeal period.
The Mendocino Historical Review Board approved a permit to continue the temporary outdoor dining tent at Trillium Cafe & Inn and authorized plans that would allow construction of a 20-foot-by-20-foot wood pergola and enclosure of an existing deck to create additional interior dining space.
The board approved the Minor Historical Review (MHRV) permit with conditions including shielded, downward-directed exterior lighting and limits tying exterior noise to Mendocino County standards during business and non-business hours. The permit allows the temporary tent to remain for up to two years and requires its removal upon commencement of construction of the permanent pergola. An administrative 10-day appeal period applies before the permit becomes final.
The proposal covers a site the staff packet identifies at 10390 Caspin Street (previously 390 Caspin Street), described in the staff report as a Category 1 historic resource known as the Bank House. The applicants described a proposed wood trellis/pergola on the south wall of the structure, enclosing the existing deck area and reusing two existing windows; the plan includes a new south-facing door and a landing and stairs to the garden.
Staff recommended a set of standard conditions and four additional recommendations addressing exterior lighting, exterior noise monitoring, and the temporary tent timeline. The board discussed details of possible covers for the pergola — retractable canvas or wood slats — and allowed the applicant to provide final construction details during building-permit-stage review. The applicant told the board they could return to the review board, at no charge under the board's minor-alterations policy, to refine materials or provide slat details during construction.
Public commenters and board members asked about the pergola cover (retractable canvas versus wood slats), the mechanism for any retractable cover (manual or motorized), color and finish of materials, and how noise and lighting would be enforced. Planning staff clarified that the noise standards referenced are the county noise limits and that the town plan's visual-resources provisions require downcast, shielded lighting that does not extend beyond property lines.
The board moved and seconded the staff recommendation and held a roll-call vote. The motion passed; staff will issue the action letter and the permit after the 10-day appeal period.
The permit requires the applicant to comply with conditions on exterior lighting and exterior noise monitoring and limits, and to remove the temporary tent if the pergola is not constructed within the two-year permit period.
The board noted the minor-alterations policy that allows applicants to return with detailed material samples during construction without an additional fee.
