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They're no longer unusual as far as I can tell, and I think it's incumbent on a Special Permit
<br />applicant to demonstrate why existing State law being, I don't want to say circumvented, but
<br />being made exception to by a Special Permit, should benefit the community, especially the local
<br />community, to be given the privilege of doing something that would not normally be allowed.
<br />And, it's a privilege, not a right. There's no obligation for anyone to allow a lodge in an
<br />agricultural area. And, so far, I don't see any benefit to the local community except, and I see a
<br />lot of drawbacks. If I were a property owner there, having bought in a very isolated, rural
<br />location, I would personally be very upset to find a ten -employee, 21 -occupancy lodge being
<br />established next to my farmstead. And, so that's just my comment.
<br />HENKEL: Any other discussion?
<br />MIYASATO: Chair, I have—you know, I just have a, I also have a concern. If this, if a motion
<br />does go through for approval, I forgot to ask the Applicant on this issue, but there is a request to
<br />phase the project timetable even, I guess it reads sort of, reads even without completing the
<br />conditions, and so I have a problem with that also.
<br />KAY: Mr. Chair, if I may address that as well? The way that we wrote the conditions is all of
<br />the conditions would need to be complete prior to operation of the requested use. Currently, the
<br />Applicants are operating a four-bedroom transient vacation rental which currently is not illegal.
<br />It's not a, it's not a bed or breakfast or anything like that. They're just renting out rooms in their
<br />home, so that's what some of the current impact that the testifiers talked about. But, for purposes
<br />of this Special Permit, we were clear that all of these conditions would need to be met prior to
<br />operation of their lodge use.
<br />MIYASATO: Okay, yeah, I understand that. It just, it seems like there's a request in here to
<br />start this retreat operation prior to compliance with the conditions.
<br />KAY: Yes, thank you. We saw that as part of the application. We felt it prudent to disagree
<br />with that and require that all the improvements be done prior to operation of the lodge and
<br />wellness retreat. Again, in terms of the overnight vacation rental that's going on right now,
<br />there's nothing illegal going on there. So, they could continue to operate up to that, what they're
<br />doing now, but for the extended use that they're proposing, they'd need to complete all the
<br />conditions first.
<br />MIYASATO: Okay, thank you.
<br />HENKEL: Excuse me, I, in the presentation, I understood that the retreats are going to be five
<br />days to a week long. Is that correct?
<br />KAY: That's correct. The Applicant is proposing up to 13 of those retreats a year. So, during
<br />the times of those retreats, there will be no other non -retreat guest allowed. In the times between
<br />those retreats, the remainder of the year, the Applicant is requesting the ability to host up to 21
<br />guests overnight at any time.
<br />EXHIBIT A
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