Minutes 1-3-07 - Pierce County Home Page

commercial endeavor that would include meal service in a pavilion, kitchen facilities, a gift shop,
a farm market, sanitary facilities (rest rooms) and a vineyard. The establishment of a vineyard is
considered an agricultural use and would not require the issuance of any special permits. The
Town was initially asked to react to a proposal to rezone this parcel from General Rural to
Commercial. Subsequently, they recommended approval of a rezone to Light Industrial due to the
fact that commercial uses are conditionally permitted in the Light Industrial District.
Noncompliance with established conditions would be grounds for termination of the conditional
use permit by the LMC. Additionally, any request for expansion or intensification of the
approved use would be subject to either modification of the CUP or the issuance of a new CUP,
depending upon conditions established at the time of approval. The Town of El Paso
recommended approval subject to a number of conditions. One of the recommended conditions is
a “sunset clause” for the zone should the use be discontinued. Although attaching a “sunset
clause” is problematic, County Code allows the Land Management Committee and the County
Board to limit allowable uses to one or more of the specific uses allowed permitted in that
district. Pichotta noted that the Town of El Paso had recently finalized a “Vision Statement” for
the town. A vision statement would give the town guidance by providing a measure with which to
gauge the appropriateness of a proposed land use. It should also be noted that the Town of El
Paso will, in all likelihood, begin development of a comprehensive plan in the near future.
Statutorily, all land use decisions made by a municipality after 2010 must be consistent with their
comprehensive plan. A copy of Town of El Paso Vision Statement, Resolution 2007-1 adopted
on February 5, 2007, was handed out and read. Chairperson Barkla asks if Mr. Pichotta knows if
proper notice of the meeting was given. Lester Heise, Chair Town of El Paso, stated that the
meeting notice was posted in three different places for 96 hours prior to the meeting. Pichotta
noted that although the proposed use could potentially be permitted as a Farm and Home Based
Business (through the issuance of a conditional use permit), the applicant recognizes that a rezone
would afford the project a more permanent and formal status. If permitted as a Farm and Home
Based Business the project would be considered accessory to the residential use of the property
and would be subject to periodic permit review and renewal and limitations on numbers of
employees and allowable square footage. Pichotta noted that the Light Industrial District is,
according to county code, established primarily for production, processing and assembly plants
that are operated so that noise, odor, dust and glare from such operations are completely confined
within an enclosed building. Traffic generated by these industries should not produce the volume
of traffic generated by heavy industrial uses. The district is also designed to accommodate
warehouse and limited commercial uses. (Commercial uses are permitted through issuance of a
Conditional Use Permit)
Pichotta reported that the Town of El Paso recommended approval of this request on December
11, 2006 with the following conditions attached (Conditional Use Permit)
1. Maximum open days of 45 per year.
2. Open no more than two (2) days per week.
3. Business open no later than 10:00pm with lights off no later than 11:00pm.