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Board approves reduced agricultural setback with fencing condition for Dodd Lunar site
Summary
The Board approved a request to reduce a 200‑foot agricultural buffer to 6 feet for a proposed storage/boat/RV facility, contingent on the applicant installing slatted fencing to minimize cattle curiosity and visual impacts. The Ag Commission had recommended keeping the 200‑foot buffer; staff and the applicant argued a smaller setback plus mitigation would meet planning goals.
Tuolumne County supervisors on May 12 approved a local planning request to reduce an agricultural setback from 200 feet to 6 feet for a property proposed for enclosed storage and ancillary outdoor parking, with a condition requiring slatted screening along the adjoining agricultural parcel.
Planning staff recommended the reduced setback with mitigation (screening/fencing) after site review and public outreach. The application was opposed at the Agricultural Advisory Commission, which expressed concern for preserving agricultural buffers. The applicant and several members of the public described the parcel as marginal for farming (rough topography, limited productive acreage) and said structures would have concrete floors and be designed to avoid typical farm contaminants.
A neighboring landowner said their primary concern was livestock contact if grazing resumed on the adjacent parcel and asked that the board require a larger separation between buildings and the fence line. The applicant offered to place fencing and to agree to conditions limiting outdoor uses adjacent to the property.
After discussion, the board voted in favor of the reduced setback and added a condition that slatted chain‑link fencing be installed to limit visual contact between stored vehicles and livestock and to reduce the risk of curious cattle approaching structures.
What’s next: staff will include the fence requirement in the conditional use permit and finalize permit conditions and findings.
