Hawes Farm Expansion Moves Forward To Supervisors Today Despite Long-Standing Lack Of Permitting

Greg and Nikola Hawes have been running one of Shasta County’s fall traditions for years. Their Historic Hawes Farm, located near the intersection of Dersch and Deschutes has an autumn line-up that includes a corn maze, pumpkin picking, and a haunted house. 

But at an August 24 Shasta Planning Commission meeting the public learned the Hawes haven’t been appropriately permitting some of their farm activities for ten years.

The Hawes first came to the area in 1863. Greg and Nikola are the 6th generation of Hawes who have worked the land. While much of their revenue comes from what is known as agricultural tourism and entertainment, the farm also continues to produce hay, fruits, vegetables and walnuts. 

At the August meeting, Greg Hawes, one of his staff members, and a few of his friends and neighbors, spoke in support of the expansion, saying that the instability of agro tourism means they need to expand their operation in order to ensure financial stability. Hawes also said he’s committed to ensuring the well being of his neighbors and is listening to their concerns. Hawes held a community meeting the night before the Planning Commission’s August meeting to share his vision with his neighbors and hear their thoughts.

Many of those neighbors also spoke at the August Planning Commission meeting, emphasizing their support for the Hawes family and their interest in protecting good neighbor relations and their concerns about noise, traffic and environmental impacts of an expansion. After Shasta County Planning Manager Lio Salazar gave a presentation explaining the history of spotty permitting at the property, none budged on their opposition to the project, despite Hawes stated goodwill.

Those permitting issues, which have long been on the county’s radar, have become more public now that the Hawes have applied for a zoning change that would allow them to expand the land they can use for their farm project from eight acres to almost two hundred, in order to build out more agro tourism.

Adam Fieseler, the County’s Assistant Director of Resource management said he has worked hard over recent years to get Greg Hawes to work with the county to begin to address out-of-compliance permitting.

Fieseler also said that while attractions at the Hawes Farm that aren’t related to life-safety issues may continue to be temporarily permitted as they were between 2017-2019, he cannot permit those that could affect the public’s well being without adequate approval.

Responding to a member of the public who shouted out from the floor Fieseler said he and his staff would respond to any public complaints about the property and are prepared to stop any of the rides at Hawes Farm that are not appropriately permitted for public safety moving forward.

“The building official and I have a plan,” Fieseler explained. We are going to talk to Mr. Hawes in regards to that so it’s a softer blow to him but he needs to understand that there will be a stop work order on all those rides . . . to protect not only our knowledge that they are there but to know that everyone knows what’s going on.

““There,” Mr. Fieseler continued, “my cards are played.”

After hearing Fieseler’s speech, members of the Planning Commission said he had “complicated” the picture for them, but still eventually voted unanimously to recommend the zoning changes to the Board, indicating that the Planning Commission is not the final word on the matter and it would be up to the Board to make the ultimate decision.

All three who voted at the meeting, including Chair Tim MacLean, Gabe Ross, and Donn Walgumuth, said they wanted to support Hawes and didn’t want to slow progress.

They disagreed with some members of the community who said that granting the Hawes an expansion of privileges by allowing zoning changes, would reward their ongoing lack of permitting compliance. Instead, commissioners said they felt the zoning change would provide an opportunity for more oversight of expansion projects at the property helping long-required permitting updates to occur.

Asked after the meeting why he would have voted to recommend a project that he had expressed significant concerns about, Commissioner Tim MacLean said:

“It’s in operation now. It’s a challenging one but we are not the final say, it’s going to go to the Board of Supervisors.”

Today, October 3, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors will take up the Hawes Farm expansion issue during their regular meeting.

Resources:

You can find the staff report and more information on the planned expansion here.

2.24.25 8:02 am: This story has been updated to correct a name misspelling.

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