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Politics & Government

Pinney House Granted CUP for Bed & Breakfast

Sierra Madre's historic Pinney House has been granted permission to operate as a bed and breakfast.

The Planning Commission voted unanimously to grant a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) that would allow the historic Pinney House to operate as a bed & breakfast, but not without some changes to the original plan presented by owners Greg and Judy Asbury.

The elaborate Victorian style home at 225 North Lima Street is a cultural historic landmark and was originally built as a 30-guest hotel back in 1887. The Asbury’s went through a rigorous restoration process over the past eight years and the property, surrounded by 35 acres of land, is now on the market as an estate home.

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The Asbury’s have pushed for a CUP so that it will be in place for the new owners in case they choose to use the property as a B&B. Judy Asbury feels it will be “too hard to keep the house up to present standards” if it is not used as a B&B to supplement income.

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A handful of residents came to the meeting, some speaking out in favor of the CUP, while others weren’t totally against the idea, but had some concerns.

Concerns included parking and lighting issues and frequency of special events. Judy Asbury feels these issues will have low impact on the community. “We feel it will have less impact compared to when it was apartments,” Asbury said. “We have had good relations with the neighbors and we believe [the new owners] can run a B&B and be good neighbors also.”

Some of the conditions to be enforced under the CUP include not having more than six one-day events (such as weddings) per year and no more than one per month, offering more parking extended to the patio area, having self-parking and housing no more than 20 event guests at a time.

The CUP application calls for six bedroom and bath suites on the first and second floor and an innkeeper’s suite on the third floor.

Commission member Gina Frierman-Hunt pushed for an assessment of lighting on the property stating that the area was “dark.” The Commission also agreed to review the CUP in a year to see if modifications are needed.

The Pinney House has also been used in the classic films Great Man’s Lady (1941), starring Barbara Stanwick and The Seven Little Foy’s (1955) with Bob Hope.

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