El Dorado County OKs new winery ordinance

An updated ordinance governing El Dorado County's wineries was adopted Tuesday by the county Board of Supervisors.

The new ordinance is more restrictive than its predecessor. It addresses concerns raised by neighboring property owners with regard to increased traffic and annoyances from special events, such as weddings and concerts.

It was endorsed, however, by the county's two winery associations, which hailed the ordinance as a "roadmap" for people seeking to establish wineries in the county.

"It is a very reasonable compromise of conflicting needs and desires," said John Smith of Oakstone Winery, speaking on behalf of the Fair Play Winery Association.

Roger Trout, development services director, said the county is home to 59 wineries, and new wineries are opening at a rate of about two per year.

The new ordinance limits the number of special events drawing between 50 and 250 people to a maximum of 48 per year. Wineries on larger acreages could seek a use permit to hold more or larger events.

It also includes provisions to deal with the effect of winery-related traffic, including construction equipment and commercial trucks, on privately maintained roads. The ordinance requires a use permit for wineries accessed by non-county-maintained roads, and states that they must contribute their fair share to road maintenance.

But some residents complained that the document failed to spell out precisely what wineries must do in terms of road maintenance.

The board approved the ordinance on a 4-1 vote. Board Chairman Ron Briggs voted against it and said he would seek an amendment to deal with the road impacts.