WINERY ASKS ANTONOVICH TO BLOCK COUNTY CLOSURE ORDER SHUTDOWN WOULD SIDELINE VINTNER'S 30-PLUS WORKERS.Byline: Amy Raisin raisin, in botany and cooking raisin, dried fruit of certain varieties of grapevines bearing grapes with a high content of sugar and solid flesh. Although the fruit is sometimes artificially dehydrated, it is usually sun-dried. Staff Writer AGUA DULCE Agua Dulce is Spanish for "sweet water". It also refers to various locations: In Mexico:
n. pl. win·er·ies An establishment at which wine is made. Noun 1. winery - distillery where wine is made wine maker to cease operations, citing neighbors' complaints about noise and traffic. Granted a temporary operating permit called a ``clean-hands'' waiver while applying for a conditional use permit, Agua Dulce Vineyards was stripped of the waiver Monday for failing to address zoning violations, a county official said Wednesday. ``Complaints of operation and maintenance of the winery have escalated. We believe it's in the best interest of the public to revoke To annul or make void by recalling or taking back; to cancel, rescind, repeal, or reverse. revoke v. to annul or cancel an act, particularly a statement, document, or promise, as if it no longer existed. the clean-hands waiver,'' said John Calas, an administrator with the land use regulation division of the county Department of Regional Planning regional planning: see city planning. . The vineyard was built without a permit but was granted the waiver to operate until a public hearing, scheduled in July, Calas said. The vineyard opened in October 2001. Calas said neighbors' complaints have ranged from excessive noise from generators to traffic and dust. He said he does not know of another case in which the county revoked such a waiver. Marilyn Garner, the vineyard's director of member services and spokeswoman, said the Regional Planning Department's order to close is too severe and unnecessarily puts employees' livelihoods at stake. `The permits are coming. It's just a matter of time,'' Garner said. ``A petition signed by 30 neighbors says we're not in compliance, but we've got 1,500 signatures in support of the vineyard. We're begging them to let us remain open until we have this hearing.'' Garner said Antonovich, supervisor for the district that includes Agua Dulce, agreed to a meeting Tuesday at his downtown office to listen to both sides. Remaining closed until the July hearing would be disastrous for the 30 people who work for Agua Dulce Vineyards, Garner said. Calas said the vineyard was cited for posting illegal signs last October, but rectified the problems to the Regional Planning Department's satisfaction. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color in Verb 1. color in - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" color, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour SAC edition only; ran in Valley and SAC edition only) Don McAdam, seen here in his Agua Dulce vineyard in this 2001 photo, has come under fire from some neighbors over noise, dust and traffic issues. David R. Crane/Staff Photographer |
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