VISTA: City may ease rules on home-based business

By CRAIG TENBROECK - Staff Writer | Sunday, January 11, 2009 4:08 PM PST ∞

VISTA ---- With the economy staggering, Vista may make it easier for people to run businesses out of their homes.

The city has hard-and-fast rules about what types of home occupations are allowed and what types are prohibited.

Tutoring or giving music lessons? That's probably OK.

Cutting hair or fixing cars? Think again.

But it's a changing world, and with new types of businesses popping up all the time, city staffers want more discretion in handing out permits.

The City Council will consider relaxing the rules Tuesday, eliminating the explicit lists of prohibited and allowable uses.

"We don't want to deny someone a right to operate a business out of their home if they're really not going to impact anybody just because that type of business is on some list," said John Conley, director of community development.

Vista has issued more than 2,600 permits for home businesses, but it still denies a couple of applications each week.

Half of those businesses, Conley said, probably wouldn't affect the neighborhoods, but staffers' hands are tied by the rules.

For example, Vista currently prohibits home-carpentry businesses.

The regulations make no distinction between a finish carpenter who wants a small shop in his garage and someone who wants to mill logs in his backyard.

With less stringent rules, "we get to at least investigate a little more," Conley said.

Neighbors haven't always welcomed home businesses here.

Shadowridge residents complained loudly last year about a woman's day care operation.

Day cares are slightly more complicated than other home businesses, however, as cities have less power to regulate them.

If the rule changes are adopted, Vista would allow:

-- the use of a garage for storage related to a business, as long as it doesn't interfere with parking.

-- vehicle-repair businesses that handle dents and windshield damage (Vista currently prohibits all home-based car repair).

-- business-related deliveries to and from the home between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., as long the effect on traffic and parking are minimal. Current rules prohibit commercial deliveries.

Staffers also want to increase the cost of home-occupation permits to $45 from $30.

The Planning Commission voted unanimously last month to recommend the changes.

In other business Tuesday, the council will consider plans to build a Sonic Drive-In restaurant downtown. It would be the only Sonic in San Diego County.

Contact staff writer Craig TenBroeck at (760) 901-4062 or ctenbroeck@nctimes.com.