ENCINITAS, Calif. — A family farm in Encinitas won its fight for the right to continue operating legally in the city. The farm was granted an agricultural permit in January, but Wednesday night the city heard an appeal from the farm's next-door neighbor who wanted the permit denied. The City Co uncil ultimately voted unanimously to deny the appeal and approve the permit, with some conditions. The local issue brought a sea of green shirts into council chambers, with locals showing their support of Sugar Sweet Farm acquiring its agricultural permit from the city of Encinitas. "It’s not the court of public opinion, it’s whatever the municipal codes call for and allow," said Gary Filips, who lives next door to the nearly three-acre farm. He has raised issues of traffic, noise and noncompliance with city rules. "They currently have code violations from the previous permit that they’re not adhering to," Filips commented. "So if we grab them this very rare and exclusive agriculture permit, it’s almost certain that it’s going to open the door to further expansion." Meantime, farm owner Elizabeth Sugarman says the permit is her family’s way of coming into compliance to continue offering their programs for the community. "We’ve checked all their boxes, we’ve done their surveys, hired consultants to satisfy the different requirements that an AG permit requires," explained Sugarman. The Sugarman’s only use their property for parking and run by appointment only. A traffic study showed the farm created no significant impact.  "It’s not our intention to expand. We got the permit because of the pressure. We didn’t do this because we’re planning to have Legoland here," she explained. "This is our home, where we live. We can only host so many people. We’ve learned overtime. The animals only enjoy small groups." This type of agriculture permit is newer to Encinitas and the Sugar Sweet Farm application is only the third to come through the city. It allows for a community garden, small-scale agriculture production, a temporary food stand, and up to 100 small animals. Another neighbor, who signed a petition with a total of seven signatures not in support of the farm, said her issue centered on the safety of animals and has since resolved her concerns with the Sugarmans. Some of the conditions included by council include: no commercial activities, operation hours falling between sunrise and sunset, weekly manure removal, maintain county food permits, a limit on number of guests for events, and up to six code compliance checks during the first year at the city's discretion.  ...read more read less