Roadside or Front Yard Produce Stands Get Addressed by Council at Next Meeting

• Locals Want to Sell Their Excess Bounty Where It Is Grown

BY BILL KOENEKER

Several local gardeners have come to the Malibu City Council chambers recently to tell members that they are growing an abundance of fruits and vegetables they would like to sell to the public outside their front doors.

However, they have been stymied because the Malibu municipal code does not allow for produce stands and they want  that changed.

Consequently, the council directed the staff to look into the matter and bring back a report about how to permit roadside field stands.

According to a staff report prepared by the city’s principal planner, Stephanie Edmondson, neither the Malibu municipal code, nor the Local Coastal Program addresses roadside field stands.

Residents can raise crops in both the rural residential and single-family zoning districts, according to the municipal code and LCP, but nothing in the documents speaks about retail sales from the premises.

“Currently, there is no mechanism to permit retail sales from roadside private property and stands cannot not be located in the public-right-of way. While the most obvious place for a roadside stand might be adjacent to Pacific Coast Highway to allow for the visibility of the operation, Caltrans would not allow these stands in the public right-of-way. This is especially important because they could potentially impact public safety and traffic on PCH,” wrote Edmondson, in her memo to the council.

The municipal planner explained when researching what other cities have done, she had to turn to rural counties and cities to find out about stands.

“Staff found that cities do not generally regulate or permit roadside field stands. However, some counties allow roadside field or “produce stands” on agricultural or rural agricultural zoned properties via a use permit. In both cases, the roadside field stands are solely permitted in agricultural or commercial zones,” the planner noted.

A recommendation suggested by the municipal planner involves locals selling produce at the Malibu farmers market.

“The conditional use permit required that the farmer’s market operator waive or reduce fees for smaller local growers to promote local participation,” added Edmondson.

Some local growers have praised the set-up, including John Wall, who sells his avocados there. “I can show up with what I have, sell out and go home,”  he said.

Debra Bianco, president of Cornucopia Foundation, which runs the farmers market, said they have set up a locals booth that allows Malibu growers to come and go when they want.