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Village trustees deny Shepherd's Canyon special-use request for 270 Veronica Lane
Summary
After extensive public comment and a split Planning & Zoning recommendation, the Village of Four Seasons Board of Trustees voted to deny a special-use permit for Shepherd's Canyon, which proposed a parsonage and limited counseling retreats at 270 Veronica Lane. Trustees cited concerns about the comprehensive plan, home-occupation rules and neighborhood impacts.
Trustees for the Village of Four Seasons voted to deny Shepherd's Canyon's application for a special-use permit to operate a parsonage and limited retreat program at 270 Veronica Lane.
The hearing on the application drew a large turnout of residents who both supported and opposed the ministry's plan. Applicant representative Kevin recounted the group's timeline and said Shepherd's Canyon is a charitable ministry that purchased the house to serve as a parsonage and to host limited weeklong counseling retreats for pastors, missionaries and church leaders. Kevin said the organization sought the permit under subsection g of the zoning code for “rectories, convents or similar religious institutions.” He told trustees the home would remain a residence and that retreats would be small and infrequent.
Butch Miller, attorney for the applicant, urged trustees to treat the proposal as a rectory-like use rather than a home occupation, saying the operation is centered on a full-time pastoral residence and occasional, limited gatherings rather than an ongoing commercial enterprise: “This is not a home office,” Miller said, and he described the planned pattern of occupancy and guest events.
Opponents told trustees the proposal risked setting a precedent that could open the residential neighborhood to uses inconsistent with the village’s comprehensive plan. Speakers raised specific legal and regulatory questions, citing the village's home-occupation rules (section 32-113) and arguing that retreats and guest use could exceed the village's 20% home-occupation threshold or effectively operate as a commercial activity using private POA amenities.
The Planning & Zoning commission presented its findings from a Jan. 12 public hearing, noting 17 written correspondences, of which 11 favored the application and 6 opposed it, and reported that the P&Z vote to recommend approval failed 2–3. The commission had proposed revised conditions — including limiting retreats to six events per year and prohibiting the applicant from acquiring additional property — but the split vote left the board without a favorable recommendation.
During trustees' deliberations, several members said the application conflicted with long-standing residential patterns in the village and expressed concern about enforceability, public-safety effects and the scope of permitted special uses in R-1 zones. Trustees then voted on a motion to accept the P&Z recommendation and deny the special-use permit. The motion carried on a roll-call vote of 5–0, denying Shepherd's Canyon’s request.
Trustees told the applicant they appreciated the ministry’s intent and public support but encouraged the group to seek alternate sites or to propose a use and conditions more clearly aligned with the village’s zoning objectives. The board did not adopt any new ordinance language as part of the denial; the decision was recorded as a denial of the specific application under review.
The trustees moved on to other agenda items following the vote. The village clerk and staff confirmed that any further applications or appeals would be handled under the village’s existing zoning and special-use procedures.
