Village trustees deny special-use permit for Shepherds Canyon Retreat at 270 Veronica Lane

On Jan. 14 the Village of Four Seasons Board of Trustees voted to deny a special-use permit requested by Shepherds Canyon Retreat to use 270 Veronica Lane as a full-time parsonage and to host up to four couples for intensive counseling sessions up to six times per year.

Representatives for Shepherds Canyon described the proposed use as housing a local pastor on the property and providing six periodic, short-term counseling residencies for up to four couples. At the Planning & Zoning hearing, the commission recommended denial; Mr. Barber, chair of the Planning & Zoning Commission, read the commission’s statement into the record.

Several Village residents spoke both in opposition and in support during the meeting’s public-comment period. Opponents raised zoning and precedent concerns, saying allowing counseling stays in R-1 residential zoning could open a pathway for future business-like uses in single-family neighborhoods and questioned whether paying clients would be permitted to use POA amenities. Supporters argued the proposal would resemble an ordinary resident hosting guests for brief periods and that the request fits within the village’s special-use permit parameters and staff-recommended restrictions.

Trustee Luanne Ruck moved to accept the Planning & Zoning Commission recommendation to deny the application; Trustee Ron Weihs seconded. The roll-call vote was unanimous and the application was denied.

The denial leaves in place the existing R-1 zoning restrictions for the property and does not authorize Shepherds Canyon Retreat to operate the proposed parsonage-and-residency program. The commission’s recommendation, resident concerns about zoning precedent, and the trustees’ unanimous vote were the decisive elements in the outcome. The board did not adopt alternative conditions or a revised proposal at the meeting.