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Planning commission approves Barn Fitness Collective permit with extended hours
Summary
The Sebastopol City Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for The Barn Fitness Collective at 6731 Beda Avenue, modifying operating hours to 6:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. daily and adding a Good Neighbor/noise mitigation expectation; the 4–0 vote is subject to a seven‑day appeal period.
The Sebastopol City Planning Commission on Nov. 12 approved a conditional use permit for The Barn Fitness Collective to operate at 6731 Beda Avenue, voting 4–0 with one commissioner absent. The permit approval, finalized after deliberations, includes a modification to the recommended hours: the commission adopted hours of operation of 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., seven days a week, and directed that two extraneous sentences be removed from the draft findings.
Planning staff introduced the application as a request to operate primarily morning and early-evening group fitness and personal-training sessions, with weekend morning classes. Staff said group classes average about 10 participants and the site provides 14 parking stalls. The staff report recommended conditions including a Good Neighbor policy to address noise and other impacts and noted sound‑dampening materials proposed by the applicant.
Applicants Zoe and Urban Wilder described their program as a functional, community-focused fitness studio offering group strength and conditioning, yoga, body work and specialized programs for women's hormonal and postpartum wellness. They told the commission they expect to take possession of the space by Dec. 1 and open in January and confirmed plans to provide bike parking.
Commissioners discussed permitting flexible hours that would avoid requiring applicants to return for adjustments and debated whether to impose a strict cap on class size; several commissioners said they preferred to rely on the Good Neighbor policy and neighborhood feedback rather than a strict numeric limit. The commission ultimately set the operating hours to 6:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. daily and left other conditions as drafted, with the adjusted language in condition six reflecting the new hours.
The motion passed with recorded affirmative votes from four commissioners; Commissioner Burns was absent. Planning staff notified the applicants that the decision is subject to a seven‑day appeal period that closes at 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 19. If no appeal is filed, the permit will be effective and the applicants may proceed with move‑in and permitting steps.
Details from the staff report that will govern operations unless appealed include a Good Neighbor policy to address noise and impacts on adjacent residential uses, the applicant’s commitment to sound‑dampening materials, and on-site parking for 14 vehicles. The staff report and commission record did not show a change to the parking condition or a final numeric cap on class size; commissioners indicated they would revisit capacity only if neighbors raised concerns after opening.
The commission also corrected a drafting error in the findings (a sentence referencing the southern gateway plan) and struck the two erroneous sentences before voting to approve.
The decision concludes the public hearing for this item; applicants were thanked and staff reminded the applicants and the public that the appeal deadline is Nov. 19 at 5:00 p.m.
