The
shows can't go on if community acting troupe can't satisfy El Dorado County's
requirements.
By Cathy Locke - Bee Staff Writer
A foothill theater known for its melodramas faces some perils of its own.
For more than 30 years, the Olde Coloma Theatre has offered old-fashioned entertainment near the site where the California Gold Rush began. But it suffered its own version of "tied to the tracks and train coming" earlier this year when an agreement to allow parking on adjacent property was rescinded.
The community theater company, which puts on plays with titles like "The Racy Rescue of Lois," has been given until Nov. 9 to present the El Dorado County Planning Commission with evidence that the operation qualifies as a legal nonconforming use or apply for a special use permit.
Planning
Commission members say they aren't the villains.
"I
would like to help you find a way to operate," commission member Dave
Machado told theater owners earlier this month.
But commission members said the theater at 380 Monument Road in Coloma must provide adequate parking to ensure the safety of patrons and the public.
Dustin Weiland, president of the Coloma Crescent Players, which operates the theater, argued last week that as a nonconforming use, "we are not required to upgrade our parking."
He acknowledged, however, that he had not been able to document that current activities at the theater are the same as those previously authorized.
According to county staff reports, the theater was established in 1975 when a donated structure was moved to the site on Monument Road, near Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma.
It offers regular performances on Friday and Saturday nights, and since 1988, it has provided weekday performances for schoolchildren.
The theater had an agreement with the previous owners of the Vineyard House to use part of their property for parking. But earlier this year, new owners rescinded the agreement, and overflow parking from the theater has resulted in problems for neighboring property owners and the state park, according to the staff report.
Coloma Theatre