SANTA PAULA : Bed and Breakfast Denied by Council

After two hours of debate, the Santa Paula City Council on Monday night denied a homeowner’s request to operate a bed and breakfast inn.

The council vote reversed an earlier Planning Commission decision to allow Gilbert and Cheryl Eigenhuis to operate a bed and breakfast inn out of their home at Ojai Road and Fern Oak Drive, a residential neighborhood on the outskirts of Santa Paula.

Opponents, who earlier presented the Planning Commission with a 65-signature petition, again objected and presented an additional 71 signatures. They said it would bring in crowds and traffic.

“This is a residential area and they do need to consider the people in the area,” Vera Laan said. “We want to keep it a strictly family residential area.”

Owners of the proposed bed and breakfast accused these residents of using scare tactics to collect signatures.

The council voted 3 to 2 to deny the proposal, saying that although the eight-guest house would not have a serious impact on the area, too many residents objected to let it go ahead.

“If there is that much objection, I just don’t think it is proper,” said Carl Barringer, a City Council member. He and other members raised concerns that the proposed inn might violate city zoning ordinances.

Santa Paula has no bed and breakfast inns. The Lemon Tree Inn closed more than two years ago.