Contentious Plan To Combine Farm With Luxe Lavender Venue Is Approved

PETALUMA, CA — A contentious plan to turn a former dairy on the outskirts of Petaluma into an event center and lavender farm is poised to move forward after Sonoma County supervisors rejected efforts to stop the project— a decision that could change how agriculture is defined.

Supervisors voted 4-1 on Tuesday to deny an appeal that would have halted plans to use more than 56 acres for a "farm-retail" and event business run by Mario and Katherine Ghilotti.

The original plans ran afoul of conditions attached to the property at 4485 D Street in a rural part of unincorporated Sonoma County near the Petaluma city limits.

According to documents, the couple violated provisions of the California Land Conservation Act, better known as the Williamson Act.

The Williamson Act provides tax breaks to private owners who agree to use agricultural land for farming.

Instead, the couple built a luxe barn on their property, installed plumbing and electricity, and used it as a wedding venue, including their own.

Sonoma County's planning and code enforcement department cited them for construction and grading without permits, and unpermitted events on the land.

The couple changed course and applied for two zoning permits and a use permit to establish a new version of Villa Vanto Farms that would use the property —about 43 football fields in size — for lavender, olives, and sheep.

On Tuesday, Ghilotti downplayed the scope of the original plans and apologized for the "mistake" that led to the violations. He outlined the new plans to use land for sustainable lavender, sheep, and olive production.

The new permit would allow "small-scale agricultural processing" of 8.4 acres of lavender and 12 "agricultural promotional event days" per year for five years.

The 5-year term would start with the first "agricultural promotional event," which could not happen until the proposed lavender crops are ready to harvest, grazing has commenced, and the olive trees have been planted.

A maximum of three 200-person events, three 150-person events, three 100-person events, and three 50-person events, would be permitted in order to promote the lavender agricultural processing operation and other products cultivated and raised on site.

Lavender processing, farm retail sales, two restrooms, and storage would occupy the bottom floor of the barn. The second floor would be a private office for the owners with a bathroom.

The plans also call for constructing a 2,000-foot-long access road leading from D Street to the barn and 90 parking places.

Their operations would be reviewed before the permit is renewed.

Riley Hurd, a land use attorney representing the Ghilottis, told supervisors that the couple is willing to comply with the conditions, but that events are now necessary for the success of agriculture.

The county needs new ways to diversify revenue streams, Supervisor David Rabbit said.

He represents Petaluma and Cotati and a portion of Rohnert Park, as well as the unincorporated communities of Penngrove, Two Rock, Bloomfield, and a portion of the unincorporated community south of Sebastopol.

Although opposition included traffic and noise, opponents said they objected to events, and the barn in which they will take place because both violated the terms and intentions of the Williamson Act, which passed in 1965 as an "on-the-ground tool" for preserving farming and agricultural lands.

Opponents argued that allowing the business plan to go forward as is will permanently change the character of farming and agriculture in Sonoma County and open the door to developers, who would exploit the exception.

"Promoting agricultural events is vital," Evan Wiig, former Sonoma County planning commissioner and founder of the Farmer's Guild, said.

But wealthy investors who want to make money on land in Sonoma County are going to see the Villa Vanto Farms example as "a wonderful precedent," Wiig said.

Wendy Krupnick, president of the Sonoma County chapter of the California Alliance with Family Farmers, said allowing the plan to move forward would be using the act to subsidize a wealthy family.

She was referring to Mario Ghilotti, the great-grandson of James Ghilotti, founder of Ghilotti Bros. Construction.

Supervisor David Rabbit called the way the project began "egregious," but said he would vote to let it move forward because the viability of farming is a "huge issue in southern Sonoma County."

Rabbit represents Petaluma and Cotati and a portion of Rohnert Park, as well as the unincorporated communities of Penngrove, Two Rock, Bloomfield, and a portion of the unincorporated community south of Sebastopol.

He said he sees a lot of land in the county fallow with no animals on it.

Supervisor Chris Coursey said he agreed that the county needs new ways of thinking about farm businesses, even if they don't look like conventional ones.

But he said he worried about the precedent set by not adhering to the Williamson Act.

Passed in 1965, the act was intended to be an "on-the-ground tool" for preserving farm and agricultural lands. Private landowners contract with local governments to restrict land use in return for reduced property taxes of up to 75 percent. Property tax rates are based on generated income as opposed to the potential market value of the property. The property tax reductions support local farmers and ranchers, while maintaining agricultural and open space values. The act came at a time when converting California farmland for urban purposes was accelerating.

"This isn't a lavender farm looking to supplement the income with events," Coursey said. "It's an event center looking to become compliant by adding lavender."

If the couple had come to the supervisors five years ago with a plan to grow lavender and use events to supplement the business, there would be no need for the appeal, he said.

But someone has to stand for the process and the rules, and not encourage others to break them, and then beg for forgiveness, he said.