Big Sur’s Fernwood Resort aims to make its outdoor music permit official.

In the footsteps of fellow Big Sur venue Henry Miller Library, Fernwood Resort is finally getting official about the outdoor concerts it’s been hosting for years.

One of those events, folk-rock festival Hipnic, has been happening in a redwood-edged clearing at Fernwood since 2009. Hipnic VII is scheduled for May 15-17.

But details on the event have disappeared from promoter (((folkYEAH!)))’s website and Facebook page. The reason for the sudden quiet: Management told the promoter not to advertise until the county formally approves the outdoor music use.

“They jumped the gun,” says David Watson, consulting planner for King Ventures, the boutique hotel company that owns Fernwood.

The application, heading to Monterey County Zoning Administrator Jacqueline Onciano this Thursday, April 9, would amend Fernwood’s general development plan to allow outdoor live music events on the “yoga stage,” a low platform in the resort’s cabin and camping area. “It’s intended to start setting rules and creating parameters,” Watson says.

Just down Highway 1, Henry Miller Memorial Library secured its permits as an outdoor music venue in January, after a permitting process that took years and tens of thousands of dollars.

“FERNWOOD’S KIND OF A WILD, WOOLLY PLACE ANYWAY.”

Bryan Flores, assistant to County Supervisor Dave Potter, says his office has gotten similar parking and safety complaints about the outdoor concerts at Fernwood. “There was random, weird stuff happening in front of families,” he says. “Fernwood’s kind of a wild, woolly place anyway.”

But Watson says Fernwood’s permitting is really just a formality. Outdoor live music is in line with Fernwood’s use as a resort, he says, because it’s only for people who have booked overnight accommodations: 378 maximum. The general public would be turned away, concerts would be limited to 12 days a year, and none would happen between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

“It’s not meant to be a stand-alone venue,” Watson says. “In theory, there would not be more cars than people who are coming there in the first place.”

Writing by email, (((folkYEAH!))) promoter Britt Govea says Fernwood tends to book under its capacity for Hipnic. The application filed with the county, however, shows the event historically hitting the 378-head cap year after year.

Govea refers further questions to Fernwood General Manager Diana Ballantyne, who says the county has been processing the outdoor music use application for six years – not just for Hipnic, but also for events like Communion in the Redwoods, Festival in the Forest and private weddings.

“We’re just trying to make the paperwork match what the actual situation is,” she says. “The county is fighting in general in Big Sur with the events, the short-term rentals and weddings happening without parameters.”

Until the permit is approved, Ballantyne adds, Fernwood is instructing Govea not to advertise for Hipnic – but she’s confident the festival will still happen. “We’re assuming things are going to go smoothly,” she says. “There’s no alternative if it doesn’t go through.”  

UPDATE 4/10/15: On April 9, the county Zoning Administrator continued the Fernwood permit amendment to clarify some of the language and let the Big Sur Land Use Advisory Council weigh in, according to planner Liz Gonzales. The LUAC meets Tuesday, April 14. A special Zoning Administrator hearing, and a decision, is scheduled for Friday, April 17.

Clarification 4/10/15: (((folkYEAH!!))) promoter Britt Govea says Fernwood, not Hipnic, manages the actual ticket sales, which are packaged with overnight accommodations.