PLACENTIA : Council Denies Permit for Wedding Business
Owners of a turn-of-the-century house failed to win city approval this week for a zoning change that would have allowed a wedding business to operate on the site.
Council members sided with nearby residents who said their neighborhood would be overwhelmed by noise and traffic from weekend weddings at the Valencia Avenue home.
Homeowners George and Irene Trook had asked the council to overturn the Planning Commission’s unanimous rejection on June 27 of their request for a change from residential to commercial zoning. Council members Tuesday voted unanimously to deny their appeal.
The zoning change was needed by the Trooks to sell their home to Charli Carsey, an Anaheim Hills businesswoman. Carsey, who joined the Trooks in applying for the zoning change, wanted to convert the home into a tea room on weekdays and a weekend location for weddings and receptions. Carsey owns a similar business, Magnolia Gardens, in Santa Ana.
Attorney Keith deBrucky, who represents Carsey, said the Trooks have tried unsuccessfully to sell their 3,500-square-foot home, built in 1907, for the past 13 months. DeBrucky, who is also president of the Placentia Chamber of Commerce, warned council members that the city could lose the historic house without the zoning change.
“The property is no longer really viable as a residential property,” deBrucky said, explaining that the house sits next to a fire station on a busy street across from El Dorado High School.
George Trook said he is asking $459,000 for the home.
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