The county’s deputy zoning administrator approved Cowgirl Creamery’s use and coastal permit application for a 23-foot tall, two-story office and storage building in downtown Point Reyes Station, despite a flurry of public comment submitted days before a zoning hearing and a question during the hearing itself regarding the authority of the county to approve the project in the coastal zone. Bridger Mitchell, an Inverness resident, argued at the Oct. 16 hearing that the county couldn’t approve the application because it relied on a local zoning code not certified for use in the Coastal Zone by the California Coastal Commission. But county planner Curtis Havel disagreed, arguing that the commission’s authority doesn’t “usurp local land use controls” and that the commission had been notified of the project and had no comment. Other locals, in their written comments, voiced concerns ranging from the height of the structure and potential shading of a nearby garden, the septic system, the future use of the building and the adequacy of public notification about the project. Laura Arndt, a Point Reyes Station resident, wrote that some locals weren’t aware of the project because the county, instead of erecting four poles, originally installed just one. (The pole was also taken down after the first zoning hearing in August, despite the fact that the hearing was continued to October. A few days before the hearing, four story poles were erected.) Others voiced concerns about the proposed septic system that would serve the entire Cowgirl complex, wondering if it would be monitored so that it doesn’t start to fail as the old system had, but Mr. Havel pointed out that the proposed system is an upgrade. (He also said offering a toilet to customers isn’t required of the creamery.) “This project has become a lightning rod for a larger community, perhaps regional, issue of loads on septic systems around Point Reyes Station,” he said, but added that the problem needed to be addressed in a broader community discussion, and not as part of the review of a single use permit. As for the height (and its potential to cast a shadow on Brickmaiden Bread’s nearby garden), the zoning administrator, Benjamin Berto, said it wasn’t out of character for downtown Point Reyes and that the area’s commercial zoning didn’t allow for prioritizing gardens over development. “It’s nice to see gardens in the community,” Mr. Berto said. “Unfortunately, when you look at zoning districts…it’s all about infill and concentrating uses.” Mr. Berto did require the building, against architect Jon Fernandez’ wishes, to add on wood siding to the plan’s stucco walls to better blend in with downtown’s visual character.