To: Board of Supervisors
From: Planning and Building Department
Agenda Section: Public Hearing
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
title
Review of Commercial Cannabis Permitting and Acreage and Watershed Distribution
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Open the public hearing and receive the staff report and testimony by the public;
2. Close the public hearing; and
3. Direct staff to continue to monitor applications within the critical watersheds and pursue abatement of the most egregious violations.
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Applicant fees
DISCUSSION:
Executive Summary
This report is an update of the county's commercial cannabis permitting efforts and code enforcement efforts in each of the county's 12 discrete planning watersheds, and within the critical (impacted and refuge) sub-watersheds. The report will show that more cannabis cultivation operations have been removed from these watersheds than the combined approved permits and pending applications. The number of potential permits is affected by the ability of permit holders and applicants to address permit processing costs and pay Measure S taxes. The report does identify that there is the potential need to address abandoned cannabis cultivation sites, and there are options being explored to address these sites.
Background:
As part of the adoption of the Commercial Cannabis Land Use Ordinance (CCLUO) the Board chose to distribute the allowable permits and acreages among the 12 discrete Humboldt County planning watersheds.:
The resolution was prepared in response to comments on the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) prepared for the CCLUO. The DEIR projected that there would be 1,000 new cannabis cultivation sites in additional to pre-existing sites. Comments raised questions about the total number of cultivation sites that could be permitted (both new and pre-existing) and their distribution. The cap set a total county-wide number, distr...
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