Mariposa County planning commission approves Happy Goat special-event permit, adopts mitigated negative declaration

The Mariposa County Planning Commission voted to adopt a mitigated negative declaration and approve conditional use permit application 2023078 for Happy Goat Inc., clearing the nonprofit’s proposal to run a special-event venue and educational farm on a 29-acre portion of a larger ranch at 5030 CYA Road.

Staff presented the project and the environmental review, describing an existing operation with barns, greenhouses and a so-called “goatnasium” and a proposed special-event footprint of roughly 29 acres within a 250-acre parcel. The permit would allow routine agriculture education visits (about 50 guests per group), up to 175 daily visitors for routine programming, workshops and up to 300 guests for a once‑monthly special event, with operating hours capped at 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Steve Eng, planning director, told the commission that staff recommended approval with findings, conditions and mitigation measures and noted additional agency and public comments were received after the packet publication but were available for the record.

Applicant Jesse Fouch, a Happy Goat cofounder, described…