Pioneertown event space and coffee shop gets green light from Planning Commission

“Interesting tension we live in between what’s historic and what is envisioned. We want growth, and we want improvement, but we don’t want change. So how do we do that?”

Commissioner Weldy posed this question on Thursday, when the San Bernardino County Planning Commission held a public hearing on a Conditional Use Permit in Pioneertown. The application is for a 1.84-acre plot at 53585 Mane Street, which currently includes the Sound Stage and Gazette building. The CUP proposal involves renovating the Sound Stage barn to accommodate community events, weddings, receptions, and musical entertainment, with a capacity of 300 people.

It also includes converting the Gazette building into a coffee and ice cream shop and adding a 3,000-square-foot public shade and picnic pavilion, a mobile kitchen, a mobile snack kiosk, and an additional 63-space parking layout, bringing the total to 120 spaces on site. The proposal also includes the construction of public restrooms with potential collaboration from the County.

The applicant for the project is David Corso of Pioneertown Land Company, LLC, joined by David Mlynarski of Transtech Engineers, Inc. Corso described the project as a way to sustain upkeep costs for the historical buildings, while also adding accommodations for the thousands of annual visitors to the community.

“We’re not saying we want to bring more people in; it’s just that the people are there and don’t have anything to do. If they can’t get into Pappy’s, if they have kids and can’t get into Red Dog, what is there for them to do? There are no public restrooms; there’s an erosion issue out there. There’s no community area; there’s no place for people to sit or get out of the sun when they’re there. There’s limited F&B options. People are always looking for food, coffee, whatever, and then provide increased anchor attractions.”

The county received 15 letters supporting the project, and 21 letters opposing it. Mlynarski explained that the team had sought input from Pioneertown residents throughout the four and a half years the project has been in development.

“We’ve attended workshops with every business owner, with the community, with some of the residents that were actually born in Pioneertown and are now in their 70s. We participated in public hearings…We produced a lot of documentation. I think there’s this fear in the community that somehow what is being presented isn’t actually what is going to occur.” 

The hearing opened for public comment after the applicant presentation; six community members spoke, either in person or virtually. Kerrie Aley leads the Pioneertown Area Firewise Community; she raised concerns that large events would dangerously strain the area’s limited evacuation routes in the event of a fire.

“This year in 2026, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Sawtooth Fire. Residents barely had enough time to grab their belongings and flee; it was a horrific event. Wildfires in the desert can spread up to 20 miles per hour. There are only two ways in and out, and they’re very restricted by conservation and dense growth.”

Resident Alan Songer pointed out that the Conditional Use Permit would be attached to the property, not the owner, which could lead to issues in the future.

“It is a nightclub five nights a week till two in the morning on Friday and Saturday night with loud live music, or maybe electronic dance music.

Who knows what they’re gonna run in there…I take David at his word, and I don’t think he’s gonna do these things, but the permit goes with the property.

Valerie Lee, owner of Pioneertown Bowl, echoed Songer’s comments about preserving Pioneertown’s culture.

“Do we want to be this old Western town that’s for families and tourists to come? Or do we want to become one large music venue with large amounts of people coming at one time?”

Pioneertown resident Ben Loescher is building his residence 10 feet from the project’s property line. Loescher raised concerns that environmental review was based on hypotheticals and unpermitted events rather than the site’s current conditions, and that the campground, where parking is proposed, was added after the initial review without study. 

Curt Sautter summed up the residents’ comments as being a broader concern about the neighborhood. 

“Our concern is that there is an impact to the surrounding community that is not being addressed. We feel like if it could be studied properly and mitigated, then we as a community would entirely support the project.”

Following Public Comment, the Planning Commission began their remarks with Commissioner Weldy, who questioned County Staff on this issue of the environmental review raised by Loescher. Supervising Deputy County Counsel Jason Searles explained that the baseline was permissible under CEQA.

“Whether or not the event is permitted or not permitted is not necessarily the question with respect to baseline. It’s just rather whether it represents the actual physical environment at the time.”

The Commissioners were sensitive to the raised concerns about noise, and Corso agreed to install and maintain sound monitoring equipment with a record. Additionally, the hours of operation were modified from 2 a.m. to midnight, in accordance with other Pioneertown venues Pappy and Harriet’s and the Red Dog Saloon. Commissioners Weldy and Slowik also asked clarifying questions regarding the restroom construction, which Planning Manager Paul Toomey explained may potentially be in conjunction with the county’s plans, but would be on the project parcel either way.

“The county is exploring public restrooms in Pioneertown. They are also exploring drainage solutions to mitigate the impact that David mentioned regarding the erosion of the roadway. The restroom is part of the plan. David is making it available for this location. The county is looking at other locations as well.”

After adding the two amendments, the Planning Commission made a motion to pass the proposal for the Conditional Use Permit, whose title is also a definition, as noted by Planning Director Paul Gonzalez.

“This is a conditional use permit, which someone actually noted in the audience, too. So they do have conditions they will have to meet.”