The Ventura County District Attorney's Office has ordered the owners of a Camarillo-area property to address ongoing public nuisance issues.
Officials described the nearly 3.4-acre property at 85 Crestview Ave. as an unpermitted wedding and event venue, one that has prompted complaints and law enforcement calls. On Aug. 4, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors heard the property owners' appeal of code compliance violations at the site, called The Colony Estate. Using the property as a commercial event venue violated county regulations, officials said.
The owners said they hold beautiful weddings on what they described as a very special property. They said they believed the rules might soon be changed and thought those fixes could apply to their
estate.
"Our ask is a stay and a path, a path for us," Jeffrey Tinsley, owner of The Colony Estate, told supervisors at the August meeting.
Their appeal was first heard and denied by the county's Planning Commission in June. The property owner again appealed, sending the matter to the county supervisors. The board voted unanimously to deny it, after a hearing that included comments from residents, wedding attendees and others.
Supervisor Jeff Gorell said he thinks the county's ordinance for outdoor event venues does need fixes. But any changes wouldn't necessarily apply in this situation and for this property.
"I certainly would advocate against that," the supervisor said.
In another area, it might be the perfect outdoor event venue, Gorell said. The property is beautiful, but it is painfully out of place, in the middle of an established residential community and along a road that doesn't support such a use, he said.
Also, the county has a current ordinance, one he described as an objective standard. This is not an identified permitted use, he said, and he would uphold the code compliance determination as a result of that.
What violation did The Colony Estate face?
The county's code compliance program is complaint based, officials said. In this case, complaints alleged that commercial events held on the property had increased in frequency and intensity over the last two years, according to the county.
The events led to what was described as substantial impacts, from loud music to increased traffic congestion, officials said. The county provided documents, from marketing materials of The Colony Estate to footage from deputy's body-worn cameras who responded to calls.
County code compliance issued a notice of violation this spring, saying that the owners would have to stop using the property for commercial events. Not doing so, could result in civil penalties. During the appeals, however, enforcement of the notice was paused, and officials said the events continued.
Under the county's zoning ordinance, the property – surrounded by rural residential development – is designated as rural exclusive. That's intended for rural residential, agricultural and other specified uses on large lots. But commercial event venues are not allowed, officials said.
For that to change, it would require legislative zoning changes be approved, and the possibility that could happen would not excuse or retroactively make it legal for the unpermitted use, officials said.
The county's attorney told supervisors that the case wasn't complicated, calling it open and shut. A commercial event operation is not allowed in the property's land-use zone, said Jeff Barnes, chief assistant county counsel.
"We heard lots of testimony. We saw videos. This is obviously a large-scale commercial event operation," he said.
Tinsley told supervisors the events are held in a controlled manner, and he has sound studies that show no problem. They also recently applied for a conditional-use permit, he said, and would have done so sooner but waited because they thought changes were on the way.
"This is our residence," he told the board. "We live here every day, and we're proud to use the space from time to time for these very beautiful events in line with what we understand to be our rights."
Such a permit, however, still wouldn't solve the land-use zoning issue in holding commercial events on the property, according to the county, which said the permit application was submitted in late July.
In its Aug. 4 notice, the DA's Office listed alleged repeated problems such as loud and unreasonable noise, traffic congestion and blocked roadways caused by event and delivery vehicles, and unsafe pedestrian crossings on Crestview Avenue.
Prosecutors said they released the notice publicly so anyone planning, hosting or operating events at The Colony Estate would be aware of the property's current status and the requirement that all activities comply with the law. The DA's Office could pursue criminal charges and civil enforcement if a criminal public nuisance persists, according to the notice.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Camarillo-area wedding venue ordered to address nuisance issues
