Planning Commission approves MUP for Fallbrook Hacienda Winery

The county's Planning Commission approved a Major Use Permit for Fallbrook Hacienda Winery.

The Planning Commission's 7-0 vote July 9 also made a finding that the previous environmental Mitigated Negative Declaration with an addendum adequately addresses California Environmental Quality Act requirements. The permit approves an existing event venue which is currently not permitted and also approves the construction of ancillary event facilities and a small winery and vineyard.

Fallbrook Hacienda Winery is in the 4100 block of East Mission Road. It is on three parcels which total 11.75 acres of a 44.17-acre subdivision. An avocado grove currently exists on that site along with single-family residential structures which were built in the 1950s. In addition to the primary residence, some residential structures are used for farm employee housing.

In 2007, Roberto Frulla applied to subdivide the 44.17 acres with A70 (Limited Agriculture) zoning into 11 residential lots ranging from two to four acres with approximately four acres preserved as permanent biological open space and another four acres preserved within steep slope open space easements. The open space provides for a habitat corridor for California gnatcatchers and also covers a drainage which runs along the northwest corner of the site. The Planning Commission approved the tentative map and site plan in March 2010, and the final map was recorded in July 2017.

Wedding events were held at the existing single-family residence, and the county's Code Compliance division received a complaint. Code Compliance allowed operation of the venue if a Major Use Permit to authorize the use was being processed, and the March 2018 application for the Major Use Permit also sought the additional event buildings and a small winery. In April 2018, the Fallbrook Community Planning Group voted 12-0 to recommend the Major Use Permit.

Only the courtyard of the private residence will be used for events, as the house itself is a private residence. That house along with an attached guest house will be retained. Some improvements have been made to the 3,149 square foot private residence which were not permitted, and the Major Use Permit is conditioned to have all existing structures reviewed for compliance with current building code standards.

The outdoor courtyard is 593 square feet and will be used primarily as an event facility. The permit will also bring into compliance venue restrooms totaling 500 square feet, a 680 square foot dressing room and games shed, a 1,320 square foot garage and storage area, and wood stairs. A septic system will be constructed on the west side of the house to accommodate the existing guest bathrooms for the wedding venue.

Bringing the existing facilities into compliance is Phase 1 for the Fallbrook Hacienda Winery project. Phase 2 will add 4,980 square feet of event structures including a banquet hall, new dressing rooms, a commercial kitchen, and an underground storage area. Phase 3 will plant 2.3 acres of grape vineyards, construct a 3,000 square foot wine production building, and build a 9,725 square foot winemaker's villa on the lot adjacent to the east of the single-family residence. The winemaker's villa will be a two-story building with the first floor including a wine tasting room, a commercial kitchen, restrooms, and a recreation room and the second floor having six bedrooms, a theater room, and a game room.

Phase 4 will construct a 2,652 square foot ancillary venue building on the lot adjacent to the north of the single-family residence. The ancillary venue building will be designed as a single-family residence with five bedrooms and the Major Use Permit allows single-family residential use if the lot is sold, but if the structure is used for the event venue it will provide additional space and changing areas. An 1,840 square foot garage is also part of Phase 4.

The requirement for the Phase 1 use is 103 parking spaces, and currently a gravel lot allows for the parking of 104 vehicles while four paved spaces meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. The complete buildout will require 137 parking spaces, and 144 parking spaces are in the plans which also include four electric vehicle charging stations.

The Major Use Permit conditions limit the venue to 43 events per year. No more than 250 guests and no more than 20 on-site service personnel will be allowed for any event. The events must take place on Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays between mid-March and late November. The winery operation hours are limited to between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. while the events must occur between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. Outdoor sound for weddings will be restricted to ceremony music and wedding officials, and events with amplified music must place speakers within the concrete masonry unit walls which surround the courtyard venue area.

The threshold for a significant cumulative traffic impact is 110 average daily trips, and the winery and venue center will generate an estimated 108 average daily trips. Frulla, Inc. will make a Traffic Impact Fee payment to address the potential cumulative impacts.

Any wastewater resulting from wine production will be captured and treated in compliance with Regional Water Quality Control Board, county Department of Environmental Health Quality, and San Diego County Sanitation District requirements. Groundwater will be used only for irrigation purposes.

Because six acres of avocado trees will be replaced with 2.3 acres of vineyards, the annual estimated on-site groundwater use will actually be reduced from 20.7 to 6.9 acre-feet. The Rainbow Municipal Water District will supply water for the remaining avocado trees as well as to the venue.