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Planning Commission renews town’s West Wind Barn permit for 10 years, raises horse and show limits
Summary
The Planning Commission approved a town‑sponsored renewal and amendment to the West Wind Barn conditional use permit, extending the review cycle to 10 years, increasing the permitted number of horses from 54 to 65, and allowing up to eight horse shows annually; the vote was unanimous among present commissioners.
The Planning Commission voted June 8 to recommend approval of a town‑sponsored conditional use permit (CUP) renewal and amendments for West Wind Barn, the town‑operated equestrian facility at 27210 Altamont Road.
Under the adopted resolution, the commission recommended forwarding a draft resolution to the City Council to (a) renew the CUP for a 10‑year term rather than annual renewal; (b) increase the permitted number of horses on site from 54 to 65 to match existing conditions; (c) remove the condition requiring 24‑hour on‑site supervision by a competent attendant; and (d) increase the maximum number of sanctioned horse shows from five to eight per year. Staff said no physical changes to the site or structures are proposed.
Staff reported the application was routed to the town’s Environmental Design & Protection Committee and noted there were three written public comments included in the record. Neighbors and former local officials spoke during public comment, raising both practical questions (noise, scheduling of early‑morning work, fencing placed inadvertently in open space) and support for the facility’s community benefits. Former Mayor Dean Warshawski and other residents described Burn Preserve and West Wind Barn as local assets and urged care in any permit conditions.
Commission discussion focused on administrative details: aligning CUP review cadence with concessionaire contract terms, how enforcement and code compliance would be handled if complaints arise, and whether longer renewal intervals would reduce staff workload while preserving the town’s ability to address future nuisance issues. Staff said the 10‑year term aligns with other town CUP practices and that the concessionaire agreement (recently renewed for three years) provides additional oversight.
The motion to adopt the staff resolution (finding the project categorically exempt under CEQA and forwarding the recommendation to council) passed by roll call vote; commissioners present voted yes. The recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for final action.
